Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops
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PASGT (pronounced pass-get) is the abbreviation for Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops and was the standard helmet and body armor for soldiers of the United States Army. It consists of the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops Vest and the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops Helmet.
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[edit] Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops Vest
The Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops Vest, also known as the "flak vest", was the United States Military's standard kevlar body armor from the early 1980's until approximately 2004, when it was replaced by the Interceptor body armor. The PASGT Vest replaced the Vietnam War-era M-1969 Fragmentation Protective Body Armor nylon vest, which in turn replaced the Korean War-era M-1952 Fragmentation Protective Body Armor. The PASGT Vest was available in US woodland and six-color desert camouflage patterns and used Kevlar for the first time in the United States military's body armor, unlike the nylon used in the previous two models. While incapable of stopping rifle bullets, the PASGT Vest provided better protection against shrapnel and reduced the severity of injuries from small arms fire when compared to the M-1969. The PASGT Vest weighed approximately 9 pounds, a small increase over the previous model.
In order to provide protection against high velocity bullets, the PASGT Vest was, in 1996, combined with the Interim Small Arms Protective Overvest (ISAPO) pending adoption of Interceptor body armor. The ISAPO weighed about 16.5 pounds and consisted of a carrier to hold two protective ceramic plate inserts. A PASGT armor system with overvest weighed more than 25 pounds and was criticized by many US troops as unacceptably cumbersome in combat.
[edit] Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops Helmet
The Personnel Armor System Ground Troops Helmet—also known as the "Fritz" helmet after its resemblance to the German Stahlhelm—is a Kevlar helmet issued as standard infantry combat wear in the US Military. It is made from aramid ballistic fabric treated with a phenolic resin system, is rated at a Threat Level II, and offers protection against fragmentation and ballistic threats. It meets the 1800 requirement of MIL-STD-662 E.
The PASGT Helmet is said to have stopped rifle rounds on occasion, most commonly 7.62 x 39 mm (AK-47) rounds (in one account the PASGT Helmet is credited with stopping an AK-47 round from approximately 25 meters range)[citation needed]. This performance would be closer to Level III or Level IV performance.
Available add-ons include a Helmet Mount Assembly that allows attachment of NE-6015 (AN/PVS-14 MNVD) or F5001B (AN/PVS-7B) night vision goggles. It can also be fitted with an acrylic glass visor for use in riot control operations.
The PASGT Helmet replaced the steel M1 Helmet in US service during the 1980s, and first saw use in combat during Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. Unlike the M1 Helmet, the PASGT Helmet cannot be used as a cooking pot or wash basin as these uses will degrade the Kevlar.
The PASGT Helmet is currently being replaced by the Advanced Combat Helmet (MICH) in US Army service and the Lightweight Helmet (LWH) in USMC service.
The PASGT Helmet is typically olive drab in color and can be fitted with cloth helmet covers in varying camouflage patterns, which have included US woodland, six-color desert, and three-color desert (as shown above), solid black (for SWAT teams), as well as the new Marine Corps MARPAT and Army ACUPAT designs. The helmet is also used by various SWAT teams, wherein it is often black with or without covering, as well as by various United Nations Peacekeeping forces where it is often painted robin's egg blue to match the UN flag. When worn with a helmet cover, it is also often fitted with a band around it that has two reflective patches on the rear intended to reduce fratricide incidents. These bands are also used to hold vegetation or small personal items, as with the M1 helmet before it during the later decades of its' service life. These bands can also have names and/or blood types printed on them to help identify the wearer. Some PASGT helmets also featured a patch with the wearer's rank insignia on it stitched to the front, and/or a second patch showing the symbol of his/her unit on the sides.
[edit] Trivia
- In U.S. Army basic training, certain training companies will not allow the camouflage covering to be placed over the helmet for the new soldiers until they have reached a certain point in their cycle of training. At that point, the covering is slipped on, signifying their advancement. Note: Not all TRADOC posts perform this practice.
- The helmet is commonly referred to by soldiers as a "Kevlar" or "K-pot."
- To wear the helmet properly, one wears it with the front rim down far enough until only two fingers, stacked atop the other, fits over the bridge of one's nose. This provides proper protection for the forehead from frontal threats.
- To effectively anger NCOs, soldiers may sit on the K-pot with the dome in the ground. Needless to say, this is heavily discouraged as it may damage the helmet.
- A fast and easy way to wash the helmet is to place it in a dishwasher without the inner sweat headband.
- The PASGT vest was the first body armor in US service to be available in camouflage other than solid olive drab, specifically US woodland and six-color desert patterns.
[edit] See also
- SPECTRA helmet
- Interceptor body armor
- Lightweight Helmet
- MICH TC-2000 Combat Helmet
- Body armor
- Kevlar
