Comparative ballistic analysis of cold war-era eastern european steel and composite military helmets

Hauck, Albert (author), Pecanac, Milan (author), Djukic, Vukota (author), Zabunov, Ivan (author), Rackov, Milan (author), Barczewski, Mateusz (author), Marceta Kaninski, Milica P. (author), Erceg, Tamara (author), Baloš, Sebastian (author), Klobčar, Damjan (author)

This research presents the first comprehensive comparative evaluation of Eastern European steel military helmets from the four decades of the Cold War (1950 s–1990 s) against a modern Kevlar-based composite benchmark. Through rigorous ballistic, mechanical, and metallographic testing of models fabricated from different steel types, the study generates specific insight into the relationship between helmet structure and ballistic protection achieved by these nations. Addressing a significant gap in academic and military literature, this multidisciplinary analysis offers a direct comparison of historical protective equipment against modern standards, using the commercial availability of these Cold War helmets as a critical research strength. The results indicate that a well-designed steel helmet can offer ballistic protection comparable to that of composite helmets against handgun calibers, while maintaining similar weight characteristics. Furthermore, steel helmets demonstrate greater long-term cost efficiency due to their extended service life and reduced replacement frequency. This paper critically examines the trade-offs among ballistic resistance, longevity, and affordability, ultimately assessing the continued durability of optimized steel helmets as a competitive and cost-effective solution in contemporary protective systems.

• Language: English
• Keywords: cold war military helmet, steel and composite helmet, ballistic protection, material characterization
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Author Accepted Manuscript
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 196, art. 111112
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183616
• UDC: 620.17:623.445.2
• ISSN on article: 1350-6307
• DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2026.111112
• COBISS.SI-ID: 281594883
• Publication date in RUL: 16.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Engineering failure analysis
• Shortened title: Eng fail. anal.
• Publisher: Elsevier, Pergamon
• ISSN: 1350-6307
• COBISS.SI-ID: 15354117

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: vojaške čelade, jeklene čelade, kompozitne čelade, balistična zaščita, karakterizacija mehanskih lastnosti