Iraqi m80/03 helmet Variants
- regular M80/03
- small Brim m80/03
- thin brim m80/03
The M80/03 were first seen and worn during OIF in 2003 but many of these helmets never were issued during the invasion. This led to them being worn post-OIF by the new Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. These helmets are supposed to have a green camouflage net with fake scrim, but are often seen without it. They closely resemble the M80 but have coarse green webbing and a fiberglass type construction. The types of nets and green scrim seen on the M80/03's can vary considerably.
The easiest way to tell if its a M80/03 and not an M80 is:
The easiest way to tell if its a M80/03 and not an M80 is:
- Quality
- If the inside is factory painted
- The M80/03 version has a lighter tan factory paint and different texture
- Chinstrap hardware is different and is a simple, clip design.
- Green webbing with a thicker and cheaper weave (it often fades to a yellow or tan)
- The construction is slightly thicker
- Rivet position on the shell
Regular m80/03
IRAN-IRAQ WAR:YES
DESERT STORM: YES
OIF: YES
Post OIF: Limited use until 2005
This is a very well worn Iraqi M80/03 with its original green camo scrim and net. On this example, the net was damaged and does not go over the scrim anymore, but parts of it are still present.
small brim m80/03
One interesting variant of the M80/03 are the ones with a noticeably smaller and less defined brim than the regular M80/03 above, as you can see in the last photo. Why this difference exists is unknown, but it could simply be that a certain factory made it slightly different.
thin brim M80/03
At first glance, this helmet looks exactly like the regular M80/03 helmet until given a closer inspection. It exhibits an unusually thin brim unlike its counterparts, as you can see in the comparison photos. Other than that, it is identical. Also, this particular helmet has English writing inside, likely meaning it was used in the post-Saddam era by the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.