Does Dropping a Bulletproof helmet Ruin it?

The reason why it’s interesting is that some people believe that dropping a helmet will damage the Kevlar/aramid fibers and render them useless. It’s not entirely true – dropping helmet should not destroy it’s integrity and affect ballistic performance. Bulletproof helmets are design to withstand much more powerful impacts. To be even more specific – no one seems to have conducted any tests on this so far. We stand on a position that in the case of a ballistic helmet dropped from around waist height (which is probably what would happen during e.g. urban operations) the impact energy shouldn’t reach the level to damage the protection capabilities of Kevlar/aramid fibers.

Of course, dropping tactical helmets from heights significantly higher than waist height should only be done when absolutely necessary. It’s also good practice to inspect your helmet (including military helmets) after every impact regardless of its size or force the impact exerted on it.

One thing you do want to avoid is dropping the helmet on a hard or very rough surface with big force – it may cause back face deformation. This could potentially ruin its structural integrity and even damage the internal components of tactical helmet.