Lighter, More Protection: Army Next-Gen Helmet Now Fielded to 82nd Airborne Division Soldiers

The Army has officially started fielding its newest combat helmet, the Next-Generation Integrated Head Protection System, to soldiers in close-combat formations, the service announced Tuesday.

According to service officials, the NG-IHPS will provide soldiers with "increased ballistic and fragmentation protection" in a 40% lighter package compared to the earlier Integrated Head Protection System, which was first fielded in 2018 to replace the Advanced Combat Helmet and Enhanced Combat Helmet.

The first NG-IHPS units were fielded to around 2,000 soldiers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, on Monday, the service said. Army Times was first to report news of the fielding.