IDEX 2025: Galvion announces order for 35,000 helmets

The UK’s Galvion has announced several recent orders for 35,000 of its Batlskin helmet systems from customers in the Middle East during the IDEX 2025 exhibition held in Abu Dhabi from 17th – 21st February, 2025. 

The orders are for the company’s Baltskin VIPER® and Baltskin PDxT™ helmet variants. The VIPER is referred to as the A1 Special Edition in the Galvion press release and was developed specifically for a customer in the Middle East. The PDxT is already widely in service with defence customers and the geometry added to the company’s commercial helmet portfolio under the name Batlskin Hellbender™ in January 2025.  

“Galvion has a long history of supporting our Middle East customers, and we have developed a series of trusted partnerships in the region over many years,” Alex Hooper, Vice President Strategic Markets at Galvion, said. 

Tech profile: Baltskin PDxT™

The PDxT helmet is built using Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWP), which is a type of thermoplastic polyethylene. Polyethylene is one of the most widely used plastics in the world, it is made from the polymerisation of ethylene, which is a gas. It can be heated and molded before setting into a hard and versatile plastic, which is what makes it suitable for helmets. UHMWP has a high molecular weight, with the individual molecules of polyethylene being much longer than those of conventional polyethylene. This makes it extremely tough and resistant to abrasion and impact as well as lightweight, which is critical for combat helmets. 

Calibre comment

The weight carried by infantry is a hot topic as there is often pressure to increase what they carry with additional sights, computers, and radios. This gets added to body armour and helmets, as well as personal weapons and everything else that they have to carry. Reducing weight is therefore an important consideration, which makes the UHMWP helmets offered by Galvion and others an appealing product for many armed forces. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on 19th February 2025.