The CG634 is the main

combat helmet A combat helmet, also called a ballistic helmet, battle helmet, or helmet system (for some Modular design, modular accessory-centric designs) is a type of helmet designed to serve as a piece of body armor intended to protect the wearer's head du ...

of the

Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

. It was introduced in 1997 and is based on the French Gallet TC-3 helmet. The helmet has protection equal to an NIJ Level 3a rating, being able to stop a shot from a .357 Magnum.

History

The Canadian military sought a replacement for the steel M1 helmet in the 1980s. In 1984 it trialled the British Mk. 6, the American PASGT and the Israeli OR402 composite helmets to determine the best characteristics of form, fit and ballistic protection. A concept design was developed and the Barrday Co. of

Cambridge, Ontario Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand River (Ontario), Grand and Speed River, Speed rivers, in the central part of the Ontario Peninsula. The city had a population ...

, received a contract to produce over 2,000 Spectra helmets between 1988 and 1990 for ballistic, engineering and user trials. While the Barrday helmet performed well ballistically, field trials identified significant shortcomings. The Barrday contract was scrapped and the search for a new helmet resumed in late 1992. After testing a number of European off-the-shelf designs the process was completed in May 1996 and a contract to produce 60,000 helmets was issued to the French company Gallet, which produced the TC-3 helmet and its variants for the French, Danish and Austrian armies. From 1997 to 2004 the CG634 was manufactured by Gallet Sécurité Internationale Inc in

Saint-Romuald, Quebec Saint-Romuald is a district within the Les Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Est borough of Lévis, Quebec, Canada, located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from Quebec City. The district was formerly a town (Saint-Romuald d'Etchemi ...

. Subsequent contracts were placed with MSA, which bought Gallet in 2002.

Design

The CG634 is made of

aramid Aramid fibers, short for aromatic polyamide, are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic-rated bulletproof vest, body armor cloth, fabric and ballistic composites ...

(

Kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as ...

) and has a minimum of 634 m/s (compared to the PASGT's 610 m/s). It mates a modified French design, based on the PASGT, but adapted for compatibility with Canadian equipment (head-set, respirator, vision devices and armoured vest). The suspension system combines a thick foam trauma liner with a rubber and nylon webbing suspension based on the French Mle-78 (Gallet TC-3). The CG634 has a three-point chinstrap with flip-down adjustment pieces. The CG634 has a somewhat similar shape and is sometimes mistaken for the later

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

's MICH TC-2000 Combat Helmet. The MICH uses a foam padding system in its ground-combat helmet instead of webbing. The only pad system approved for use in combat is manufactured by Team Wendy and supplied by National Industries for the Blind. These pads may also be used with the CG634. When necessary, a

night vision Night vision is the ability to see in low-light conditions, either naturally with scotopic vision or through a night-vision device. Night vision requires both sufficient spectral range and sufficient intensity range. Humans have poor night v ...

goggle mount is issued. The mount consists of a green metal bracket that hooks over the front of the helmet and the mount, which is screwed into it. There is a strap that loops through the mount and connects to a large ring, which is usually on the top of the helmet and two more straps secure the mount to the back of the helmet.Canadian Forces Military Police Branch: Helmets
''Canadian Military Police Virtual Museum''. Last accessed: Apr. 3, 2010. The mount is compatible with AN/PVS-7 and

AN/PVS-14 The AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device (MNVD) is in widespread use by the United States Armed Forces as well as NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovern ...

night vision systems.

Replacement

The CG634 is scheduled to be replaced with the new CM735 combat helmet from Morgan Advanced Materials, which is based on their full-cut LASA AC914 for combat operations and the high-cut LASA AC915 for special operations. NP Aerospace was due to supply the helmet over seven years.

Users

* * : Donations made from Canada.

References

{{helmets Canadian military uniforms Combat helmets of Canada Military equipment introduced in the 1990s