SSh-60
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| SSh-60 | |
|---|---|
 SSh-60 helmet | |
| Type | Combat Helmet |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1960–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1960–1973[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1.3 kg (2.9 lb)[2] |
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The SSh-60 (СШ-60 (Russian: стальной шлем образца 1960 года/stalnoy shlyem, or steel helmet) was a product improvement of the Soviet SSh-40 steel helmet of the Soviet Army and entered production around 1960. It was not fundamentally different from the previous World War 2 era SSh-40, the primary difference being an updated liner/suspension system.[3]
Design
[edit]The overall form and shell of the helmet remained unchanged. The internal harness was modified to include four brown vinyl flaps (rather than three as with the SSh-40) attached to the dome rivets. The flaps were moved to the top of the helmet along with two rivets and the chin strap.[2][4] The flaps of the liner were threaded together with an adjustable white cord tie and they weren't padded as previous models, allowing the user to wear a fur winter cap (ushanka) beneath the helmet, by adjusting the ties accordingly.[4][5]
An export version of the SSh-60 exists, designed for sale and exportation to other countries outside of the Soviet Union. It differs from the main issue helmet only with a change to the color of the helmet liner.[citation needed]
While the SSh-60 was intended to replace the SSh-40, it never fully did. Even after the introduction of the newer SSh-68, it continued to be used by several units as mixed issues.[4][6] During the Soviet-Afghan War, both the SSh-40 and SSh-60 still remained in use with the Soviet Army.[7]
The SSh-60 was exported to some Warsaw Pact members,[4][3] and other countries including Vietnam, where it was mostly used by North Vietnamese Army anti-aircraft artillery crews during the Vietnam War;[8] Syrian troops were issued with SSh-60s during the Yom Kippur War; Prior to the Iran-Iraq war, the Iraqi Army used the Polish wz. 50 besides SSh-40 and SSh-60 helmets, but these were gradually replaced by the M80 helmet.[9]
Users
[edit]Current
[edit]Former
[edit]
Iraq − Replaced by the M80[10]
Soviet Union[11]
Ba'athist Syria[12]
Vietnam − Used by NVA anti-aircraft artillery crews[8] and Military Police (Vietnamese: Kiem Soat Quan Su, lit. 'Military Control')[13]
Donetsk People's Republic - Used during the Donbass war and the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)[14]
Luhansk People's Republic - Used during the Donbass war and the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)[14]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Casque Ssh 68" (in French). Archived from the original on October 12, 2026.
- 1 2 Monetchikov, Sergey (June 2009). "Uniforms: From helmet to the steel helmet Magazine". Bratishka. No. 6. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018.
- 1 2 Clawson (2002), p. 79.
- 1 2 3 4 "Steel Helmet, SSh-60 type: Soviet Army". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
- ↑ Clawson (2002), p. 77.
- ↑ Clawson (2002), p. 76.
- ↑ Galeotti 2012, p. 192.
- 1 2 Rottman 2012, p. 24.
- ↑ McNab 2022, p. 38.
- ↑ McNab 2022, pp. 38−39.
- ↑ Zaloga 1985, p. 58.
- ↑ Campbell 2016, p. 18.
- ↑ "Vietnam Ssh60".
- 1 2 "Russia sends Donbas musicians and historians as "cannon fodder" in Ukraine war". Archived from the original on May 20, 2022.
Bibliography
[edit]- Campbell, David (2016). Israeli Soldier vs Syrian Soldier: Golan Heights 1967–73. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1331-2.
- Galeotti, Mark (2012). Afghanistan: The Soviet Union's Last War. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-29943-8. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- McNab, Chris (2022). Armies of the Iran–Iraq War 1980–88. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-4558-0.
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2012). North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958–75. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78200-498-1.
- Zaloga, Steven (1985). Soviet Bloc Elite Forces. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0850456318.
- Clawson, Robert W. (2002). Russian Helmets: From Kaska to Stalshlyem, 1916-2001. R.J. Bender Pub. ISBN 978-0-912138-90-9.
