INTERVIEW WITH TIMO KOENIGS, R&D MANAGER HEAD SYSTEMS at Hexonia GmbH
The German market for combat helmets is characterized by strong competition: high-tech companies from Germany, Austria, the USA and Italy are active in this country, placing their helmets and head protection systems in units of the German armed forces and police, constantly offering their customers new product developments. In this specialized environment, it is the challenge of research and development departments to deliver unique sales arguments. High market transparency does not make this task any easier.
However, a good product is not only characterized by its technological edge. Other criteria include the quality of the manufacturing process and the availability of the products – as Timo Koenigs, R&D Manager Head Systems at Hexonia GmbH, sees it. With the Trivium, Hexonia has developed a modular helmet system that is ‘Made in Germany’ and has been supplied to the special forces of the German Armed Forces since 2023. Koenigs, who has been working for the Nettetal-based company for over twelve years, has been in charge of building up the company’s helmet division. In this interview, he explains why it is important for him to produce locally and to keep everything in his hands from development to delivery.
Mr Koenigs, how do you assess developments in the field of combat helmets?
The market is lively when it comes to innovations. We invest a lot in improving our products and offering the market new developments. In addition to the purely protective function, a high level of wearing comfort and a low weight of the helmet play a decisive role. Modern combat helmets are no longer just head protection, they also provide carrying systems for extensive technology and accessories. To be innovative in this area, there are various factors you can adjust, such as the design, the material composition, and the technology used to manufacture the helmet shells. However, in my view, that’s not all that makes a good combat helmet.
What else is important?
Especially in politically turbulent times like these, in which a change of government in the USA and thus a renewed focus on ‘America First’ is to be expected and China is also flexing its muscles in the direction of Europe, it is particularly important to have an independent production network and short supply chains. We therefore produce our helmet system predominantly in-house at our company site in Nettetal. We only source a few parts from external partners in the local area here in Germany. Our raw materials also come from Germany and Europe.
‘Made in Germany’ is particularly important to us as a supplier in the defence industry because it enables us to guarantee the availability of our products and be a reliable partner for our armed forces.
What exactly does the ‘Trivium’ helmet system involve?
Trivium has been developed as a fully comprehensive head protection system. In addition to the combat helmet, the system also includes two protective visors, all-round face protection and side protection. A forehead protection plate offers an upgrade of the protection level to VPAM 6 – tested according to VPAM-HVN09. The system is completed by non-ballistic elements such as the carbon training helmet, helmet covers, bags and adapters. We designed the helmet so that all accessories can be combined in a practical way, allowing the protection level to be adjusted individually and without tools to suit the specific situation.
The combat helmet has not only been tested for its ballistic retention performance, but also offers impact protection in accordance with EN12492 (mountaineering helmets) or EN397 (industrial helmets). In production, we are flexible with regard to the shape of the shell and can offer the helmet in anything from “Super High-Cut” to “Full-Cut.”
By using UHMW polyethylene, we have designed a helmet with a high ballistic retention performance and a low weight at the same time. The low basic weight is particularly important for a helmet system, as the helmet can be further upgraded as required and to prevent injuries to the cervical spine.
Last year, Hexonia delivered nearly 3,000 helmet systems to the German special forces. In your opinion, what was the decisive factor for the KSK to place the order?
I think we were able to offer a suitable helmet system because we did our homework. Before we started developing helmets, we carefully analyzed the market and identified the key needs of users. We then defined our product strategy and pursued it consistently. Of course, a single product will never be able to fulfil all customer requirements at the same time. It is important to find a good triad of protection level, wearing comfort and cost efficiency.
We have manufactured, finished and assembled over 18,000 individual ballistic parts for the KSK. We can currently produce around 8,000 helmets a year in Nettetal. The merger with the NFM Group has increased our production capacity to around 90,000 helmets. NFM also has an extensively equipped laboratory to carry out ballistic tests and accelerate developments.
