Gentex Wins US$22 Million US Navy Contract for PURSUIT Helmets

Gentex has secured a five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract valued at approximately US$22 million to supply more than 5,000 PURSUIT Helmet Systems to the US Navy, following the service’s selection of the helmet as its Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet (NGFWH). The award was made by the Naval Aircrew Systems Program Office (PMA-202) under the Helmet Mask Regulator (HMR) program and covers both low-rate initial production (LRIP) and full-rate production (FRP).

Under the agreement, the PURSUIT Helmet System will be fielded across all US Navy fixed-wing aircrew platforms, including the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, T-45 Goshawk, T-6 Texan II, and the future Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS). The helmet will replace the legacy HGU-68P helmet, also produced by Gentex. The F-35 is excluded from the program, as it uses a platform-specific helmet system.

PMA-202 selected the PURSUIT helmet after several years of development and qualification under the NGFWH program, which aims to deliver a lighter, more adaptable helmet addressing long-standing operational concerns among naval aviators. These include neck and spine strain, helmet imbalance caused by the integration of helmet-mounted displays (HMDs) and night-vision goggles (NVGs), and injury risks associated with ejection events.

According to the US Navy, the NGFWH must meet requirements for ballistic protection, ejection seat compatibility, integration with oxygen and communications systems, and interoperability with current and future HMD and NVG solutions. Gentex said the PURSUIT system meets these requirements through a modular architecture, lightweight construction and an optimized center of gravity, enabling certified protection up to 600 knots equivalent airspeed (KEAS).

“The PURSUIT system delivers meaningful advancements in aircrew safety, comfort, and mission performance, ensuring Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers are equipped with technology that keeps pace with the rapidly evolving demands of modern aviation,” said Robert McCay, Vice President of Aircrew Systems, Gentex Corporation. 

Development of the helmet involved collaboration with the US Navy, the US Air Force, helmet-mounted display original equipment manufacturers, and international partners. Gentex said this approach was designed to ensure compatibility with a wide range of existing and future HMD technologies while reducing physiological load on aircrew. The helmet features a lightweight carbon shell, enhanced ventilation, internal padding and four sizing options designed to fit up to 99% of aircrew personnel.

The PURSUIT helmet incorporates a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), enabling integration of advanced communications, optical systems, respiratory protection and multiple HMD solutions. Supported systems include the Gentex PURSUIT Slick, Thales Scorpion, Collins Elbit Vision Systems’ Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) and the Collins Elbit Vision Systems Zero-G HMDS+. JHMCS is currently the standard HMD used by F/A-18 and EA-18G aircrews.

The NGFWH effort is closely linked to the Navy’s Improved Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (IJHMCS) program, also managed by PMA-202. IJHMCS is intended to reduce head-supported weight and improve helmet balance for F/A-18 and EA-18G crews while maintaining compatibility with existing aircraft electronics. In July 2023, the Navy awarded a US$16.8 million contract to Collins Elbit Vision Systems for the design and development of IJHMCS.

According to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the IJHMCS effort focuses on modifying helmet-mounted components without changes to the electronics unit, replacing analog wiring with a digital interface, and delivering a single high-definition, full-color day-and-night display. Capt. Carey Castelein, then PMA-202 program manager, said the upgrade “will significantly reduce head and neck health issues for our aircrews associated with the legacy JHMCS system.”