thedrifter
05-06-09, 08:23 AM
Army recalls 37,000 helmets
Four screws failed military’s extreme ballistics tests, contractor says
By Mark Abramson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The U.S. Army has ordered a recall of 37,000 advanced combat helmets because screws in the head gear flunked ballistics tests.
Army officials recalled the Gentex-produced helmets after the company told the Army it believed four screws that attach the chin strap and other parts did not meet Army standards, a release stated. The screws in the helmets failed ballistics tests at temperatures above 160 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 60 degrees.
"This is still under investigation, it is a CID (Criminal Investigation Command) investigation that is still open," said Army Lt. Col. Robert Myles, product manager for soldier survivability. "No soldier will be impacted by this and no soldier will go without a helmet because of this recall. The plan to replace the screws is being worked out between CID and the contracting folks with Gentex."
Myles would not disclose whether Gentex or the subcontractor, A.J. Hughes Screw Products Co. of Rochester, N.Y., is being investigated.
The helmets are tested at such extreme temperatures because the Army has a rigorous testing protocol for all of its personal protection equipment and it wants that equipment to perform in the most extreme circumstances, Myles added.
Myles described the risk posed by the faulty screws as minimal, and said 34,533 of the helmets already had been recalled as of Tuesday. The helmets were delivered from November 2008 to January 2009, and Gentex notified the Army about the problem on Jan. 22, he added.
A spokesman for the Carbondale, Pa.-based Gentex said the company’s testing and a difference in how the screws looked from previous production lots tipped them off.
"Every lot of helmets we send out has to have the screws shot with a 9 mm projectile," said Ken Lee, Gentex’s director of external affairs. "We looked at the screws and noticed a visual difference (from the specifications)."
The finish on the screws appeared different from what the schematics called for, he said.
Gentex realized the screws did not match the contract’s requirements in December 2008 and launched its own investigation, which included using an outside laboratory for testing, Lee said. All of the helmets passed Gentex’s lot-acceptance tests that are done at room temperature, but the equipment did not pass the Army’s more extreme testing.
A.J. Hughes officials could not be reached for comment.
"We have used them on this contract for a number of years and we have never had an issue," Lee said.
Gentex and A.J. Hughes will have to discuss which company is responsible and should pay to replace the screws, Lee said. "Our biggest concern is that we get these back as quickly as possible and that we can change the screws."
Ellie
Four screws failed military’s extreme ballistics tests, contractor says
By Mark Abramson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The U.S. Army has ordered a recall of 37,000 advanced combat helmets because screws in the head gear flunked ballistics tests.
Army officials recalled the Gentex-produced helmets after the company told the Army it believed four screws that attach the chin strap and other parts did not meet Army standards, a release stated. The screws in the helmets failed ballistics tests at temperatures above 160 degrees Fahrenheit and minus 60 degrees.
"This is still under investigation, it is a CID (Criminal Investigation Command) investigation that is still open," said Army Lt. Col. Robert Myles, product manager for soldier survivability. "No soldier will be impacted by this and no soldier will go without a helmet because of this recall. The plan to replace the screws is being worked out between CID and the contracting folks with Gentex."
Myles would not disclose whether Gentex or the subcontractor, A.J. Hughes Screw Products Co. of Rochester, N.Y., is being investigated.
The helmets are tested at such extreme temperatures because the Army has a rigorous testing protocol for all of its personal protection equipment and it wants that equipment to perform in the most extreme circumstances, Myles added.
Myles described the risk posed by the faulty screws as minimal, and said 34,533 of the helmets already had been recalled as of Tuesday. The helmets were delivered from November 2008 to January 2009, and Gentex notified the Army about the problem on Jan. 22, he added.
A spokesman for the Carbondale, Pa.-based Gentex said the company’s testing and a difference in how the screws looked from previous production lots tipped them off.
"Every lot of helmets we send out has to have the screws shot with a 9 mm projectile," said Ken Lee, Gentex’s director of external affairs. "We looked at the screws and noticed a visual difference (from the specifications)."
The finish on the screws appeared different from what the schematics called for, he said.
Gentex realized the screws did not match the contract’s requirements in December 2008 and launched its own investigation, which included using an outside laboratory for testing, Lee said. All of the helmets passed Gentex’s lot-acceptance tests that are done at room temperature, but the equipment did not pass the Army’s more extreme testing.
A.J. Hughes officials could not be reached for comment.
"We have used them on this contract for a number of years and we have never had an issue," Lee said.
Gentex and A.J. Hughes will have to discuss which company is responsible and should pay to replace the screws, Lee said. "Our biggest concern is that we get these back as quickly as possible and that we can change the screws."
Ellie