Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting genuine U.S. Gentex parachutist helmet configured for high-altitude military parachute operations and based on the familiar HGU-55/P style helmet form. The helmet is size Medium and comes with its oxygen mask, internal earphones, microphone, goggles, and clear bungee-retained visor.

The helmet is in honest service-used condition and shows the expected wear of operational equipment. Please note that the interior foam materials have deteriorated with age. Portions of the foam, including the backing associated with the goggles, are crumbling and shedding material inside the helmet. This should be taken into consideration when handling or displaying the set.

The original identification label on the rear remains clearly legible:

PARACHUTIST HELMET
SIZE: MEDIUM
60240/G022-4602-04
GENTEX ®
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA
NSN 8475-01-281-2012
SP0100-00-D-5026-0013 US

The helmet retains its oxygen mask, which is marked: HUGH

The mask remains in very good condition and still clips correctly into the retainers on each side of the helmet. A microphone is retained in the mask assembly.

Two removable earphones are still installed within the helmet and can be removed from their respective recesses. The set also retains goggles and a clear flexible visor secured by a bungee-type arrangement.

The helmet shell and associated equipment show overall use and handling wear but remain substantially complete. The deteriorating foam is the most significant condition issue.

Gentex and other U.S. military helmet manufacturers continually refined aircrew and specialized protective headgear throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Improvements during this period included lighter shell materials, upgraded communications equipment, improved retention systems, more comfortable liners, and updated oxygen-mask interfaces.

The HGU-55/P became one of the best-known U.S. Air Force flight helmet designs of the late Cold War and post-Cold War eras. Its lightweight shell and compact profile also influenced specialized helmet configurations used outside the cockpit. High-altitude parachutists required many of the same features as aircrew, including communications equipment, oxygen-mask compatibility, eye protection, and a secure helmet system capable of remaining in place during aircraft operations and freefall.

For HALO and other high-altitude parachute operations, supplemental oxygen equipment could be critical, particularly when jumps were conducted from altitudes where prolonged exposure without oxygen presented a serious risk to the jumper. Specialized helmets therefore combined impact protection with communications and breathing equipment in a configuration suited to parachute operations.

The contract marking SP0100-00-D-5026 indicates production or procurement associated with the year 2000 contract cycle, making an early Global War on Terror era attribution more appropriate than a strictly late-1990s date based on the markings presently visible.

This is the first example of this particular Gentex parachutist helmet configuration that we have offered. With its original Gentex label, oxygen mask, communications equipment, goggles, visor, and service-used appearance, it is a very interesting example of specialized U.S. military parachutist equipment from the transition into the GWOT era.

Condition Note: The interior foam and the foam backing associated with the goggles are deteriorating, crumbling, and shedding material. The helmet should therefore be handled carefully.

Specifications:

Manufacturer: Gentex
Type: Parachutist Helmet, HGU-55/P Style
Size: Medium
NSN: 8475-01-281-2012
Contract: SP0100-00-D-5026-0013 US
Helmet Number: 60240/G022-4602-04
Included Equipment: Oxygen Mask, Microphone, Two Earphones, Goggles, Clear Bungee Visor