Genuine US Military issue
Dated 1962 (DSA-1-541-E-62)
Made by Gentex Corporation
Size Large
FSN 8415-577-4143
The APH-5 (Aircrew Protective Helmet) was developed in the early-mid 1950s and officially adopted by the US Navy in the 1957, followed by the US Army in 1958 (although actual use in the Military may be dated back to 1954). Made with a fibreglass hard protective shell, lined with a crushable expanded-polystyrene impact lining, the APH-5 was a marked improvement over previous designs which were simply formed of a padded hard shell. It features an integrated communications system by means of an externally attached microphone, and integrated earphones.
The earphone cushions earned a reputation for being particularly uncomfortable after durations of extended wear and the accoustic protection left much to be desired. Both of these issues were remedied in the later AFH-1 helmet issued from circa 1965 onward, then the SPH-4 (Sound Protective Helmet) circa 1969. Nevertheless, the APH-5 continued to be worn by pilots and helicopter crewmen throughout the Vietnam War until the collapse of the Saigon government in 1975.
