On Friday, 11 September 2026, the final day of the 34th International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO 2026 at Targi Kielce, the Defender awards were presented, along with the Award of the President of the Republic of Poland, special awards, distinctions from commanders of the Polish Armed Forces, and TOP DESIGN awards. Among the recipients was Przedsiębiorstwo Sprzętu Ochronnego (PSO) Maskpol of Konieczki, part of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), for its innovative HBT-02 ballistic helmet (The best of the best honored at MSPO 2026. Prestigious awards and Defenders presented).
Photo: PSO Maskpol
PSO Maskpol received a Defender 2026 award. These are among the most important distinctions presented at MSPO by the Program Council of the 34th MSPO and the competition jury.
On 28 May this year, PSO Maskpol received an order from the Armament Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defence for the delivery of more than 300,000 HBT-02 helmets worth approximately 740 million PLN net under the single procurement procedure for domestic orders within the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument.
The HBT-02 was developed in response to the requirements of the Polish Armed Forces under the Tytan Advanced Individual Battle System program. This means that the HBT-02 is not merely another standalone ballistic helmet, but an element of a broader soldier equipment system encompassing protection, uniforms, load-bearing equipment, and compatibility with additional individual equipment.
According to PSO Maskpol, the helmet was planned to enter serial production in 2025 and subsequently become the new generation of standard helmet used by the Polish Armed Forces.
The key feature of the new head protection system is the combination of ballistic protection with a modular design. The helmet is intended to provide a high level of protection against bullets and fragments. The aramid HBT-02 provides protection against K2-class bullets and O3-class fragments in accordance with the PN-V-87001:2011 standard. This is significant because, under the Polish classification system, the O3 level denotes a high degree of fragmentation protection, while the K2 class refers to protection against specified handgun ammunition threats. In addition, Polish standards, including requirements concerning backface deformation, are more stringent than some standards used within NATO.
Unlike high-cut helmets, the HBT-02 is being developed as a helmet providing a larger area of protection. One distinctive feature is its detachable jaw and face guard. This solution is intended to increase the level of protection for soldiers performing particularly exposed tasks, such as vehicle gunners. It shows that the helmet was designed not only as standard head protection for infantry personnel, but also as a protective platform that can be configured depending on the user’s role or mission.
An important feature of the HBT-02 is its compatibility with individual equipment. The helmet’s design allows it to be used simultaneously with a gas mask, protective clothing, active hearing protection, and eye and face protection devices. This is particularly important in the Tytan program, whose objective was to create an integrated soldier system rather than a collection of randomly selected components. The helmet therefore has to work with chemical protection equipment, communications systems, face protection, and observation devices without unduly restricting the user’s mobility or situational awareness.
Compared with earlier work on a helmet for the Tytan program, the HBT-02 can be regarded as a more mature stage in the development of Polish head protection. The lengthy development process behind the design shows that the HBT-02 did not emerge in isolation, but is the result of years of experience in developing a system helmet for the soldier of the future.
In practice, the HBT-02 should therefore be regarded as a helmet designed for widespread use by soldiers, but incorporating features associated with more specialized designs: modularity, the ability to attach additional face and jaw protection, and compatibility with hearing protection and other protective equipment. One thing is certain: the HBT-02 is intended to increase soldier survivability while ensuring that it does not prevent the use of other elements of individual equipment.
