ATC Vietnam Tomahawk punches through a Kevlar Helmet!!!

[Andy Prisco]

Here are some pics of our recent Kevlar Helmet Test. We cannot tell you how many people said this couldn't be done. This is a standard issue, military Kevlar Helmet from Natick Labs and Dupont. To our knowledge, this is unprecedented in the cutlery industry.

At first, the Helmet was placed on the ground, with a Ranger kneeling over it, poised to drive the Spike of the Vietnam Tomahawk through the helmet...while we achieved penetration, the low height of the helmet relative to the off-balance position of the Ranger produced a big hole, but the Hawk did not "stay stuck" on the first attempt....in short, the concrete cause the helmet to bounce and spit the Hawk spike back out.

When we raised the helmet about two feet from the ground and placed it on a stump, it was like a punching a hole in a milk carton....we tried this same test with a custom combat knife...while the knife was not damaged AT ALL, there is no comparison to the leverage that can be obtained with a Tomahawk over a knife for this kind of test. The knife cut the Kevlar, but in no way got near punching all the way through. I would be curious to see if this has EVER been done with a knife, by hand. No doubt it could be with a press or machine, but to be done by hand would be an incredible feat of wrist and arm strength. I almost broke my wrist trying with the knife!

When one of the key equipment Sergeant Majors at Fort Benning saw the streaming video of the test, which should be uploaded to our website in about a week, he asked if Dupont knew about it. We said that "...they said it couldn't be done"! (...we talked with the Dupont rep about this test at the Best Ranger Competition a few months ago). The SGM said "...well tell him to wear the d!@# helmet the next time you see him and do the test again! ) We don't plan to do so

Profile: Shot #1

Profile: Shot #2

Close-Up/Shell: Shot #3

Close-Up/Inside: Shot #4

 

[dogboye]

Andy, what was the depth of penetration into the cranial volume? Inside it looks like the 'hawk point only penetrated about 1/4 inch, tops. I'll admit that is bad, BUT... the point of my question is what might be the severity of injury to the wearer of the helmet? Does the point penetrate enough to get past the suspension hardware inside the helmet's shell?

Just curious.

 

[Andy Prisco]

.5 inch penetration inside the cranial area. If the helmet is worn properly, then yes, the point does move past the suspension webbing and would allow the spike point to penetrate scalp...ultimately leading to a fracture. It is possible, under the right conditions, that sub-dural damage would be attained via further penetration by a harder strike, more than likely under the influence of Adrenalin.

 

[DaveH]

Hi Andy,

That sure is inetresting. Did you try chopping the helmet with a camp axe? What about a 10 pound iron bar with a point on the end? Just curious what would happen.

Seems to me it's a little hard to compare a hit with a hawk to a hit with a camp knife because the contact area on a knife is larger. I imagine these helmets are spec'd to be able to withstand a certain energy level across a certain area.

DaveH

 

[dogboye]

Originally posted by DaveH
Seems to me it's a little hard to compare a hit with a hawk to a hit with a camp knife because the contact area on a knife is larger.

In a stab? That was the way I understood the knife to have been tested. Either way, it looks like the 'hawk is the way to go, if you ever find yourself needing to penetrate a ballistic helmet.

Geez, can you imagine what it would do to the old steel pots.

 

[Cougar Allen]

The leverage you get from a tomahawk handle makes a big difference. If you have any kind of tomahawk or axe handy it'll only take you a minute to see for yourself -- try attacking a stump or something a few times and then try it again holding the head in your hand. You don't even have to remove the handle.

 

[Andy Prisco]

Yes, the knife test reference is a stab. A chopping motion did virtually nothing to the helmet. A ten pound iron bar with a pointed end would be interesting, but not attempted that day.

The important thing for us is that, to our knowledge, this has never been done with a knife, tomahawk, or camp axe, as a performance "test". It's value is that it simply can be done. Can it be done with other sharp objects? Probably. Has anyone ever paraded around saying they did it? Until us, I don't think so. We are just simply proud of the fact that a helmet which is marketed as a protective barrier against mortars, shells, and bullets, was defeated by a hand-held, hand wielded, Tomahawk that we make, which has a military history. It just feels good.

While vests have been penetrated for quite some time now, by knives and the like, the helmet is a far more robust test, as it is quite thick and NOT easy to penetrate. They are also not easy to get for a test unless someone is willing to part with a few hundred banannas.

I'm sure there are published specs on the performance of the Kevlar in terms of force protection...we already know it is guaranteed to stop a .223. I will look into getting more data on that front.