Helmet (MICH) is a combat helmet and one of several used by the military. It was develope to be the next generation of protective combat helmets for use by the Army.
The MICH was originally part of a series of combat helmets designed for the Army Special Operations Command as a replacement for the PASGT helmet and the various non-ballistic skateboard, bicycle, and whitewater "bump" helmets solely within those units.The main reason for the development of the MICH was due to the protective but heavy PASGT being supplanted by these bump helmets by special forces operators due to them being lighter, more comfortable, closer-fitting, and made of plastic making them easier to mount accessories onto, especially night vision devices and communications headsets.The lighter weight and non-ballistic nature of these helmets allowed the fitting of additional accessories without putting undue strain on the neck or requiring the drilling of holes through Kevlar to affix night vision mounting brackets, compromising the Kevlar helmet's protective ability if not done precisely. Inevitably, operators suffered injury and deaths due to taking their wholly unsuited plastic helmets into the unforgiving environment of close-quarters warfare.
To date, the MICH and its derivatives, the Advanced Combat Helmet and Enhanced Combat Helmet have fully replaced the PASGT in active Army service and is in use with all branches of the military in at least some capacity
MICH helmet was evaluated to replace for PASGT but chose to adopt a helmet that retains the profile of the PASGT but is lighter, known as the Lightweight Helmet, which incorporates improvements in the MICH such as the liner and retention system.