Heavy ballistic assault helmets have long been a hallmark of Russia’s special forces, especially in sieges and hostage situations. Over the past fifty years, various materials have been tested, but titanium has remained the preferred choice for protection.
Russian assault helmets are unique in the world of ballistic head protection: big, heavy, and offering strong ballistic resistance. They’re intended for short bursts of action—no one’s neck will tolerate them for long stretches. An Assault Helmet could just as well be called a Siege Helmet, because the assault is usually preceded by a siege.
Assault helmets saw widespread use in Russia’s high-profile hostage incidents, notably during the Chechen terrorism period from 1995 to 2004. Many will remember the legendary Altyn helmet in the Dubrovka theatre assault and in the Beslan school siege.
Reliable information on Russian assault helmets is hard to find, at least on Western websites. This analysis is based on years of research by the author, triangulating numerous sources from both Western and Russian internet domains.
Today, in Russia, Ballistic Helmets are simply helmets made with various material systems. Talking about Assault helmets is a historical leftover. This article focuses on Assault-Helmet Successors, on those metal and metal-hybrid helmets that offer maximum protection.
The Munich Massacre Was a Wake-up Call
After the massacre at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, countries began forming specialist units for counter-terrorism operations.
In Munich, Palestinian terrorists took twelve members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. The crisis ended in bloodshed: eleven Israeli athletes, one police officer, and five terrorists were killed. The Bundespolizei’s training and equipment were not adequate for a hostage crisis of that complexity.
Moscow took note. In 1974, the KGB established its counter-terrorist special unit Alfa. During concept development, it became clear that standard military kit—helmets included—didn’t suit Alfa operators. Special helmets were required, and procurement turned to the Swiss firm TIG Bicord AG.
Shopping Abroad
TIG Bicord AG manufactured a ballistic titanium helmet known as the PSH-77 (Polizeischutzhelm 77). The number evidently reflects the year of introduction, 1977.
TIG also had a West German subsidiary, Garant Schutztechnik GmbH, founded in 1976. Garant’s head office sat in neutral Switzerland. This widened the customer base and enabled deliveries to sanctioned countries, including the USSR.
In the late 1970s, the KGB obtained a small batch of PSH-77 titanium helmets from Garant for evaluation, because Soviet deep-drawing/stamping capability at the time could not yet produce indigenous titanium helmets.
PSH-77 helmets protected against 9×19 mm and .357 Magnum threats. Against the more penetrative 7.62×25 mm Tokarev TT with a soft mild-steel core, iron core, the helmet could stop a round only from 50 metres.
PSH-77s saw combat use in 1979 during Operation Storm-333 in Afghanistan, when KGB special units assaulted the presidential palace and killed President Hafizullah Amin. Although only a few operators wore them, the helmets proved effective and more were ordered.
Note: PSH-77 is not a rifle-rated helmet, but it can defeat tangential rifle glances at distance.
The Altyn Project: Soviet-made Titanium Helmet
The PSH-77 served as the prototype for a Soviet-made titanium helmet, Altyn. Initially, Altyn project meant adapting PSH-77s to Soviet comms standards, but the name migrated to the new domestic helmet.
Contrary to popular belief, Altyn is not a 1:1 copy of PSH-77. The Russians adapted to their own threat requirements. As a result, Altyn – at least in later versions – achieved protection up to a 7.62×25 mm Tokarev TT steel-core bullet at five metres. The visor uses strong titanium alloys; the shell is from medium-strength grades. The first Altyn R1 version did not stop a Tokarev steel-core at eight metres.
The developer/producer was the NII Stali steel research institute. Final assembly was carried out by KGB—and later FSB—technicians, giving the service full control over use.
NII Stali developed the deep-draw tooling for Altyn, which later benefitted other Russian helmet projects, notably the Maska-1 steel helmet and the ZSh-1-2 aluminium-hybrid helmet. The die sets could deep-draw metals beyond titanium. Altyn became a visual trademark of the FSB Alfa counter-terrorist unit. The first version, Altyn R1 (GRAU index: 6B6S), entered service in 1991. Trial deep-drawing had been conducted in the 1980s.
Starting with Sfera
The first Russian titanium helmet in operational service, however, wasn’t Altyn but the legendary STSh-81 Sfera (STSh = spetsial’nyy titanovyy shlem, special titanium helmet).
Despite the name, Sfera was not introduced in 1981. In 1981, a production contract was signed between the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) and the Institute for Special Equipment. Sfera entered MVD service in 1985.
In the late 1980s, the Borit-M programme began to replace the army’s SSh-68 steel helmet. Two helmets emerged and both entered service in 2000: the 6B6 titanium-hybrid and the 6B7 aramid-composite, both by NII Stali.
The 6B6 saw action in the Second Chechen War and in the 2008 Georgia War. Protection was robust, but cost-limited production to roughly ten thousand units.
Heavier, visor-equipped variants of the basic 6B6 with larger coverage were the 6B6-2 and 6B6-3. The first entered service in 1991 and is extremely rare among collectors. Trial deep-draws for 6B6-2 were already done in the 1980s. The commercialised version of 6B6-3 is known as K6-3. Commercialisation allowed NII Stali to supply K6-3 to customers of its choosing without FSB end-user control. K6-3 production ceased in 2014; by then, it had been replaced by the similar-looking Rys-T titanium-hybrid.
STSh-81 Sfera
STSh-81 Sfera was the first operational Russian-made ballistic titanium helmet. It entered service in 1985, produced by the Institute for Special Equipment; the customer and user was the Soviet MVD. MVD units continued using Sfera long after the USSR collapsed. They have even been seen in the war in Ukraine. Sfera consists of three separate titanium plates, each 3 mm thick of monolithic titanium – no polymer-fibre backing. The alloy is likely near-alpha OT4-1. STSh-81 weighs 2.3 kg and is very comfortable when properly adjusted. Published protection levels conflict between GOST 1 and GOST 2. It is possible different factories used different titanium grades, producing variation. One eBay seller rated Ukrainian-made STSh-81s as GOST 1 and Russian-made as GOST 2. It seems highly unlikely that 3 mm of OT4-1 will stop a 7.62×25 mm Tokarev PS steel-core (57-N-134S). Sfera reliably defeats soft-core pistol rounds. Very powerful handgun rounds such as .44 Magnum are too much. 9×19 mm (from an SMG) and .357 Magnum are stopped with low backface deformation; head-injury potential is modest. Sfera is also designed to resist slanted, tangential strikes from rifle rounds. In real life, hits are rarely dead-on and at point-blank range. A drawback: if the titanium elements are not snug in their pads, heavy blows can cause the plates to pick up velocity and strike the skull, risking head injury. The short stand-off between plates and head is not necessarily critical, as metals arrest rounds with low deformation.
The Knight Helmet
The 1980s weren’t only about titanium. In 1985, NII Stali began producing the Vityaz-S steel helmet (“Vityaz” = Knight). Visor-equipped versions were produced from 1988 to 1992. Fewer than 200 were made—an ultra-rare, small-batch steel helmet now almost impossible to find at auction. Many are in private collections worldwide and will stay there.
Primary users were Russia’s Federal Tax Police (FSNP) and later the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN)—essentially the same body under different names in different eras.
Vityaz-S provided solid protection in police versus organised crime shoot-outs. After the USSR fell, the tax police—and later the drug service—were busy.
Maska-1SCh
The Maska-1 steel helmets entered service in 1991, made by NPP KLASS. They use the same 2.5 mm steel sheet as the steel Sfera-S. A known user was the MVD Internal Troops’ Vityaz special unit. Maska is still seen today on National Guard SOBR units in Russia’s hinterland. Shell and visor metal are rated GOST 2, i.e., they stop a 7.62×25 mm Tokarev PS steel-core. Maska’s steel is remarkable: it arrests bullets at the interface with minimal plastic flow, implying very hard, likely martensitic microstructure. Maska-1 weighs about 4.5 kg—neck-straining over time. Balance is surprisingly good with the visor down.
Steel Strikes Back
Titanium’s problems were sheet cost and labour-intensive manufacture. Steel offered a cheaper parallel path as early as the 1980s in small numbers (Vityaz-S). More steel models arrived in the 1990s from NPP KLASS. Titanium remained in service, but cheaper options were needed.
The Maska-1 steel helmet entered service in 1991. Three years later, in 1994, the steel SSSh-94 Sfera-S replaced the titanium Sfera. (SSSh = spetsial’nyy stal’noy shlem, “special steel helmet”.)
Both Maska-1 and Sfera-S use the same steel, 2.5 mm thick. In independent tests commissioned by the author, this steel stopped an impressive range of calibres and showed excellent protective performance. Test calibres are listed later in this article.
As noted earlier, the first production Altyn, the R1, entered service in 1991 with a 3 mm titanium shell backed by 20 layers of aramid.
Documentation for the modernised Altyn R2M (GRAU: 6B6S-02) was created in 1997; service entry was in or soon after 1997. R2M used a 4 mm titanium shell backed by ten layers of aramid in a thermoplastic matrix. Helmet weight with visor was roughly 4.5 kg.
The last Altyn R2M batch was produced in 2009 for the Cuban special forces. Altyn production ceased thereafter.
SSSh-94 Sfera-S
Titanium Sfera production ended in 1993. The steel SSSh-94 Sfera-S replaced it in 1994, produced by NPP KLASS in Moscow, largely for MVD units. They are still in use; older helmets tend to trickle down to peripheral units. The Sfera-S steel is the same as Maska-1, most likely tempered martensite. Thickness is 2.5 mm. At 3.4 kg, Sfera-S is much heavier than the titanium predecessor. Rating is GOST 2—but it will stop much beyond the standard, including certain rifle threats at distance. From tests I commissioned, Sfera-S stops soft-core handgun rounds at close range: 9×19 mm (SMG), .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum. At ~100 m and slight obliquity it also stops rifle rounds such as 5.56×45 mm (3.6 g FMJ) and 7.62×39 mm (8.0 g FMJ), provided bullets are soft-core. The same head-injury risk applies as with the titanium Sfera: if plates aren’t tight, they can smack the head on impact.
Turn of the Millennium: Cheaper Options
In the 2000s, Russia fielded ballistic assault helmets made from aluminium and composites—alternatives, and sometimes partial substitutes, for titanium and steel. Titanium couldn’t be widely issued to all special-purpose units because of the material cost. Cheaper options were trialled.
Against bullets, aluminium and composites were a step back; against fragments, a step forward. Nominally, helmet bullet ratings remained at GOST 2, but the Beyond-spec performance degraded.
NPP KLASS began producing the ZSh-1-2 aluminium-hybrid in the 2000s, likely from 2007. The structure combines a 4 mm high-strength aluminium strike face with a 4 mm aramid-composite backing. Intended primarily for police.
Today, the Russian National Guard is a major user of ZSh-1-2(M). FSB operators have also been seen wearing it. Russian operators often select kit individually; special forces are not required to look uniform if something else works better.
Armokom began producing the LShZ-2DT aramid-composite in the early 2000s. After Beslan, it started to displace Altyn in FSB Special Purpose Centre (TsSN) units. Operators found its ballistic performance somewhat disappointing. Fact: hybrid metal-plus-composite usually outperforms all-composite against hard, sharp-tipped projectiles.
From 2008 onwards, Armokom produced an updated LShZ-2DTM “Vulkan”. It’s unclear how bullet protection improved vs 2DT. Some tests indicate reduced backface trauma. Both have nominal shell rating GOST 2; Vulkan’s visor is Br1 under the 2017 standard. Vulkan has a right-side Picatinny rail for accessories.
Titanium never left the material set. In 2007 the updated 6B6-3 successor, Rys-T, entered production for MVD units and has been seen on TsSN operators too. Heavy helmets are out of fashion in Russia and reserved for the most extreme jobs. Lighter lids buy mobility at the cost of protection. You can’t have everything.
Rys-T used newer, more efficient titanium alloys and was slightly lighter than 6B6-3. Russian titanium helmets employ a wide range of alloys; shell and visor often use different grades.
Rys-T was modernised at least once as Rys-TM in the 2010s, adopting a cost-optimised VST-2 titanium alloy.
ZSh-1-2(M)
NPP KLASS’s ZSh-1-2(M) aluminium-hybrid is widely used by the National Guard (Rosgvardiya), and has been seen on FSB operators. It has appeared in the Ukraine war, including on Chechen units. Production likely began in the mid-late 2000s, perhaps 2007. Shell: ~4 mm ballistic aluminium strike layer with ~4 mm aramid-composite backing. Layered structures outperform the sum of their parts. Shell rating is GOST 2 or Br2 under GOST R 57560-2017. Visor is GOST 1 / Br1. Br2 testing uses 9×21 mm Gyurza (7N28), a 7.93 g soft-core FMJ at ~390 m/s from the SR-1 Vektor pistol (favoured by FSB). Notably, ZSh-1-2(M) will also stop the 5.7×28 mm SS190 AP—impressive, though the hard, sharp core penetrates some distance into the comparatively soft aluminium by plastic displacement. 9×19 mm and .357 Magnum are easily defeated. A certain shotgun slug was also stopped in tests, though the trauma would likely be fatal. Fragmentation V50 against a 1.05 g hardened steel sphere (Ø 6.35 mm) exceeds 750 m/s. Despite the aluminium, it isn’t “light”. Size-2 ZSh-1-2M weighs ~3.7 kg with visor, ~2.3 kg without. Comfortable—especially with a soft Nomex hood underneath—but best worn for no more than about an hour. Neck load depends on activity.
Russian pistol-calibre protection classes
GOST R 50744-95 (GOST 1 & GOST 2) and GOST R 57560-2017 (Br1, Br2 & Br3). Note core types.
| Class | Test calibre | Cartridge | Bullet core* | Bullet wt (g) | Velocity (m/s) | Range (m) |
| GOST 1 | 9×18 mm Makarov | 57-N-181S | Fe | 5.9 | 305–325 | 5 |
| 7.62×38 mm R | 57-N-122 | Pb | 6.8 | 275–295 | 5 | |
| GOST 2 | 5.45×18 mm PSM | 7N7 | Fe+Pb | 2.5 | 310–335 | 5 |
| 7.62×25 mm Tokarev | 57-N-134S | Fe | 5.5 | 415–445 | 5 | |
| Br1 | 9×18 mm Makarov | 57-N-181S | Fe | 5.9 | 335 ± 10 | 5 ± 0.1 |
| Br2 | 9×21 mm Gyurza | 7N28 | Pb | 7.93 | 390 ± 10 | 5 ± 0.1 |
| Br3 | 9×19 mm Parabellum | 7N21 | FeC | 5.2 | 455 ± 10 | 5 ± 0.1 |
* Pb = lead core; Fe = mild steel “iron core”; FeC = hardened steel core.
Cheaper Titanium
In 2015, NII Stali and VSMPO-AVISMA held a meeting on new titanium alloys for personal armour and AFV armour, including VST-2. Historically, titanium sheet cost blocked wider adoption; metallurgical development eased this.
VST-2 is a Russian medium-strength dual-phase titanium alloy made from lower-grade sponge, scrap and production waste. Expensive alloying elements are replaced with cheaper ones, notably by raising iron. Strength and ballistic performance were reportedly retained vs earlier armour grades. Higher nitrogen and oxygen impair thermal stability but have a minor ballistic effect. VST-2 sheet costs roughly half of the prior grades.
Beyond that, the 2010s saw few brand-new assault-helmet types. Existing models were modernised (e.g., Rys-T to Rys-TM; ZSh-1-2 to ZSh-1-2M).
Mechanical properties of titanium alloys used in Russian ballistic protection
| Alloy | Density (g/cm³) | Thickness (mm) | UTS (MPa) | YS (MPa) | Elongation (%) |
| OT4-1 | 4.55 | 1.8–6.0 | 590–785 | – | 15.0 |
| VT6 | 4.43 | 1.0–10.0 | 885–1080 | – | 8.0 |
| VT14 | 4.52 | 0.8–5.0 | 885–1050 | – | 8.0 |
| VT23 | 4.57 | 1.5–10 | 980–1225 | – | 8.0 |
| VST-2 | 4.50 | – | 950 | 850 | 8.0 |
Metals Fail Too
STSh-81 Sfera’s OT4-1 titanium shows tough behaviour under ballistic impact; dome bulges are modest. When penetrated by deforming handgun rounds, failure remains ductile, with characteristic “petalling”. The SSSh-94 Sfera-S steel also shows good toughness and can stop near-normal rifle hits at distance. But once its ballistic limit is exceeded, the very hard steel fails in brittle shear with smooth fracture surfaces.
Return of Titanium
Now part of the Kalashnikov group, NII Stali mounted a genuine titanium comeback in the 2020s: more new helmet models in two years than in the previous twenty.
In 2023, the Kalashnikov group started series production of Elbrus-T titanium helmets in three coverage configurations: A (high-cut), B (mid-cut), V (low-cut with visor). All shells meet Br2; the V model’s visor is Br1.
Elbrus-T uses new titanium alloys for the shell. Lower side regions appear welded from separate pieces—likely because the alloy cannot be deep-drawn in one piece to clear the ears. In newer titanium helmets the entire shell is formed as a single piece without welds.
Titanium helmets are said to perform well against sharp, jagged natural fragments—better than all-composite shells. Metals resist sharp, hard projectiles: a small-area sharp tip displaces metal by plastic flow rather than punching out a plug.
However, strong titanium alloys perform poorly against hard, blunt projectiles when the projectile diameter exceeds plate thickness. Under high-rate shear, adiabatic shear bands form, and the material fails by plug shear.
In 2024, the Bars series of titanium-hybrid helmets followed: Bars-L (high-cut) for law enforcement in early 2024, and Bars-M (low-cut) later that year for army users. NJSC Metal Invest also contributed to Bars-M development.
Both Bars shells are advertised as Br2+ (i.e., beyond Br2), though the exact “plus” threats are unspecified. Bars-L’s fragment V50 is stated as 700–720 m/s. Sources don’t clarify whether this is a blunt fragment simulant or the standard 6.35 mm, 1.05 g hardened steel sphere. On paper, fragment resistance is a little lower than ZSh-1-2, but we’d need the exact simulant to compare sensibly.
Adiabatic Shear Bands
These form readily in strong metals under high-rate shear. Deformation localises into narrow bands, causing brittle-like plug shear—a low-energy failure mode that doesn’t efficiently absorb projectile energy. Bands are tens of micrometres thick and long. They form readily in metals with low strain-hardening and low strain-rate sensitivity. Poor thermal conductivity helps; when thermal softening outpaces strengthening mechanisms, adiabatic localisation occurs.
Bright Future for Titanium
US research labs recognised titanium’s ballistic potential against handgun threats in the 1950s. By the early 1960s the US had demonstrated Ti-6Al-4V’s value as armour—driven by titanium’s high specific strength. Specific strength correlates with how light protection can be for a given level, though failure mode (ductile vs brittle) matters.
The Russians have studied titanium armour alloys intermittently since the late 1950s. Mass-produced alloys with favourable properties include OT4-1, VT6 (US analogue: Ti-6Al-4V), and VT23, among others.
Russia sees a bright future for titanium in personal armour. In 2018, national titanium semi-finished production ran at under 60% capacity. Combine that with halved costs for new alloys and prices comparable to ceramic armour, and titanium can’t be ignored. With surface-hardened grades, titanium armour weights are comparable to ceramics.
VST-2 has a surface-hardened variant, VST-2B, whose sheet products offer broad ballistic potential thanks to a metalloceramic surface layer around 72 HRC, firmly bonded to the base metal.
That surface hardness is adequate to break conventional hardened steel-core AP bullets. It is not enough against true hard-metal cores – e.g., tungsten-carbide/cobalt.
The war in Ukraine has driven titanium demand up; it’s unclear how well Russian production has met the surge. Prices have certainly risen. In Russia, titanium has gone full circle: they started assault-helmet development with titanium and, with new alloys, they’re still at it.
Titanium vs Steel
In Russia, titanium appears to beat steel as a helmet armour material—measured by mass efficiency, lighter for the same protection. Russian claims likely refer to that. However, modern high-strength austenitic steels are used in current steel helmets. Against deforming pistol threats, they are not heavier than titanium – information suggests the opposite. Austenitic steel also doesn’t need a polymer-composite backing to achieve strong fragment resistance—titanium often does. Titanium’s fragment-resistance scales non-linearly with thickness against blunt fragments; steels tend to scale more linearly. Titanium exhibits a plateau where extra thickness yields little gain.
Assault Helmets in Siege Operations
Classic Russian assault helmets—Altyn and Maska-1—were seen in the high-profile Chechen-era hostage crises from 1995 to 2004.
In June 1995, during the Budyonnovsk hospital siege in Stavropol Krai, FSB Alfa attempted entry. The initial assault failed; a second attempt never came after a political settlement.
Alfa operators endured fierce summer heat wearing Altyn R1 titanium-hybrids, some also with 20-kg Elbrus steel ballistic vests—about 24 kg of armour in total. A tough shift by any standard.
In the 2002 Dubrovka theatre assault, Altyn and Maska-1 appeared in numbers. Alfa wore its trademark Altyn titanium-hybrids. Maska-1 helmets were also widespread—likely FSB Vympel or MVD Vityaz units.
At Beslan in 2004, as at Dubrovka, Alfa and Vympel fielded Altyn and Maska-1. Unlike in Moscow, the near-impossible conditions at Beslan produced operator casualties.
While the Borit-M army helmet 6B6 isn’t strictly an assault helmet, it was widely used in the 2008 Georgia War. During the 1993 “Constitutional Crisis” (Black October) in Moscow, Altyn R1s appeared alongside PSH-77s on the streets. MVD units wore many STSh-81 Sferas, and Vityaz operators wore Maska-1 steel helmets. Had an assault on the parliament building gone ahead, these helmets would have saved many operators from certain death.
Russian assault helmets over time
(technical characteristics)
| Helmet | Year | Weight (kg) | Material | Protection class |
| PSH-77 (Swiss origin) | 1977 | 3.8 | Titanium + aramid / titanium & polymer | Shell: 9×19 mm & .357 Magnum; Visor: 9×19 mm |
| STSh-81 | 1985 | 2.3 | Titanium | GOST 1 or 2? |
| Vityaz-S | 1985 | 3.2 | Steel | GOST 2 |
| Vityaz-S + visor | 1988 | 4.5 | Steel / glass | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 2 |
| Altyn R1 | 1991 | 3.9 | Titanium + aramid / titanium & polymer | Shell: GOST 2 (>50 m); Visor: GOST 1 |
| Maska-1 | 1991 | 4.5 | Steel / steel & polymer | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 2 (metal part) |
| SSSh-94 Sfera-S | 1994 | 3.4 | Steel | GOST 2 |
| Altyn R2M | ~1997 | 4.6 | Titanium + aramid / titanium & polymer | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 2? |
| 6B6 | ~2000 | 1.5–1.6 | Titanium + aramid | GOST 2 (>50 m) |
| K6-3 | ~2000 | ~4.0 | Titanium + aramid / titanium & polymer | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 1 |
| LShZ-2DT | 2000–2002 | 3.4 | Aramid / polymer | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 1 |
| ZSh-1-2 | 2007 | 3.2 | Aluminium + aramid / polymer | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 1 |
| Rys-T | 2007 | ~3.5 | Titanium + aramid / titanium & polymer | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 1 |
| LShZ-2DTM | Post-2008 | 3.4 | Aramid / polymer; aramid & glass/polymer visors | Shell: GOST 2; Visor a: GOST 1; Visor b: GOST 2 |
| ZSh-1-2M | 2010s | 3.7 | Aluminium + aramid / polymer | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 1 |
| Rys-TM | 2010s | ~3.5 | Titanium + aramid / titanium & polymer | Shell: GOST 2; Visor: GOST 1 |
| Elbrus-T “A” | 2023 | 1.6 | Titanium + aramid | Br2 |
| Elbrus-T “B” | 2023 | 1.8 | Titanium + aramid | Br2 |
| Elbrus-T “V” | 2023 | 3.3 | Titanium + aramid / polymer | Shell: Br2; Visor: Br1 |
| Bars-L | 2024 | ~1.9 | Titanium + aramid? | Br2+ |
| Bars-M | 2024 | 3.3–3.4 | Titanium + aramid? | Shell: Br2+; Visor: Br1 |
LShZ-2DTM “Vulkan”
Armokom’s LShZ-2DTM Vulkan is an aramid-composite assault helmet introduced post-2008. It’s the updated LShZ-2DT (c. 2000–2002). Vulkan is used by FSB’s Special Purpose Centre (TsSN) Alfa for high-threat violent situations. The earlier 2DT started to enter service after Beslan (2004), displacing Altyn. Vulkan is also seen on National Guard SOBR operators. Shell rating is GOST 2; light visor is GOST 1. Under GOST R 57560-2017, shell is Br2, visor Br1. A much heavier ~20 mm GOST 2 visor with a silicate-glass laminate viewing window has been available; only about 20% of helmet buys included these—very rare, used by point men in assault teams. A ballistic GOST 2 nape guard (Barmitsa) and counterweight are available to balance the heavy visor. In the heaviest configuration with counterweight, total mass easily exceeds 5 kg. In the lightest (helmet + Br1 visor) it’s ~3.4 kg. Despite the mass, Vulkan is comfortable thanks to good balance and a padded “50-Joule” EPS cup. Neck strain becomes apparent only after removing the helmet. Vulkan stops deforming pistol threats well, including hot loads. Tokarev steel-core will also be defeated; true pistol AP is too much for an all-composite shell. It is unclear how ~20 mm of aramid copes with rifle threats. Lower-energy deforming rifle rounds—e.g., 7.62×39 mm LCB (lead core)—may be stopped. Needs testing. Do not wear the heaviest configuration for long (>30 minutes): neck-injury risk. Like all Russian assault helmets, LShZ-2DTM is not for weak necks.
