NFM Group’s business unit in Germany, Hexonia GmbH, will supply the new combat helmet for the German Armed Forces.
This week, Hexonia received an order from Bundeswehr Bekleidungsmanagement GmbH (BwBM) that will provide the German Armed Forces with a highly advanced and customised combat helmet.
A historic European helmet procurement
The decision marks what is the largest combat helmet procurement in recent European military history. With this contract, NFM Group’s long-term strategy to invest in technology, competence, production capacity and a strong European footprint positions us as a leading provider of combat helmets in Europe.
“NFM Group has developed into an international organisation with centres of excellence across Europe, giving us the industrial strength, technology and production capacity needed to deliver advanced protection at scale. Supplying combat helmets to the German Armed Forces is a major milestone for us, and an important contribution to European defence readiness in today’s geopolitical situation.”
Walter Øverland CEO of NFM Group
The new combat helmet impresses in user testing
The combat helmet has been developed with a clear focus on the end-user. By staying close to the needs of the modern soldier, Hexonia has been able to meet demanding technical requirements while also delivering the comfort, fit and stability required in operational use.
FREC-2™ Technology
Central to the production of the helmet is FREC-2™, NFM Group’s proprietary ballistic pressing and composite manufacturing technology. Using isostatic pressure of up to 1,000 bar, FREC-2™ enables the production of highly durable, lightweight ballistic plates and helmet shells.
“By combining FREC-2™ pressing technology with many years of experience in helmet development from the NFM HJELM™ 4th Generation Combat Helmet and the Hexonia TRIVIUM Helmet System, we have now succeeded in developing our first combat helmet for the entire armed forces – a helmet that meets the requirements of a modern military.”
Tor Inge Thun, CPO and Managing Director of NFM Technology
Industrial capacity across NFM Group
The order for the new German combat helmet reflects the combined technical and industrial competence of Hexonia GmbH, NFM Poland and NFM Technology in Norway.
Hexonia began developing combat helmets in 2020 and has, since 2022, equipped the German Special Forces (KSK) with the Special Forces Helmet System, Helmsystem Spezialkräfte. Building on the expertise gained over the past few years, and supported by further investments in advanced manufacturing technologies, Hexonia has now succeeded in developing a highly advanced combat helmet tailored to the Bundeswehr’s current needs and specifications.
From development to bringing the new helmet into serial production, Hexonia was able to rely on the strong collaboration within the NFM Group. NFM Technology’s R&D expertise in Norway played an important role, while NFM Poland, as the NFM Group’s leading ballistic manufacturing base, was not only crucially involved in bringing the helmet to production readiness but will also significantly expand and secure the production capacities required for a project of this scale through its industrial size.
“Winning this major helmet contract in Germany stand as a testament to our daily work, which is characterised by intensive cross-border collaboration within the NFM Group. As the Centre of Excellence for helmets within the NFM Group, Hexonia took the lead in driving the development of the new combat helmet for the German Armed Forces and incorporated technical expertise across NFM business units. A project success like this can only be the result of teamwork. We are proud to be trusted with this contract, earned through synergies within the NFM Group.”
Nils Toverud, Deputy CEO of NFM Group
This contract is an important milestone for NFM Group and strengthens our ability to continue investing in technology, production capacity and resources across our organisation. It reflects the value of close cooperation between our business units and supports our continued work to deliver protective solutions for modern armed forces.
Source: NFM Group news release
