Iraqi m80 helmet Variants
Sections:
- Standard Green M80
- TAN M80
- M80 WITH PRINTED Popular Army JIHM MARK (EARLY)
- M80 with popular army jihm sticker (not added yet)
- M80 with jihm stamped sweatband
- M80-R (Factory Refurbished for Al-Quds Army)
- Factory Made M80-C Paratrooper
- Thin M80
The Iraqi M80 helmet was first seen in the early 1980's and was officially in use from the Iran-Iraq War all the way to OIF in 2004. At first glance, the M80 style helmets can be mistaken for M1 helmet liners, as they have similar webbing and rivet configuration. Looking closer will show how the helmet is thicker in construction and has chinstraps, which m1 liners don't have.
M80 helmets are based off the South Korean M76 helmet and were made in South Korea and exported to Iraqi Forces. The reason they are not considered a M76 helmet is because they all have the Iraqi Jihm stamp. They are constructed out of Corlite, which is a cheap compressed canvas, and are always factory painted green. They also have chinstraps attached to the shell by 3 rivets on both sides. The liner webbing has the Iraqi "Jihm" property mark stamped in the middle of them, but they can fade from use. In very rare occasions, the Jihm stamp can be printed directly onto the inner helmet shell or sweatband. The M80 is recognized to be the most common Iraqi helmet to acquire.
This section will go over the versions of the Iraqi m80
M80 helmets are based off the South Korean M76 helmet and were made in South Korea and exported to Iraqi Forces. The reason they are not considered a M76 helmet is because they all have the Iraqi Jihm stamp. They are constructed out of Corlite, which is a cheap compressed canvas, and are always factory painted green. They also have chinstraps attached to the shell by 3 rivets on both sides. The liner webbing has the Iraqi "Jihm" property mark stamped in the middle of them, but they can fade from use. In very rare occasions, the Jihm stamp can be printed directly onto the inner helmet shell or sweatband. The M80 is recognized to be the most common Iraqi helmet to acquire.
This section will go over the versions of the Iraqi m80
Standard Green M80
Rarity: Common
All M80's started their life with a factory applied coat of green paint. In the field however, soldiers commonly painted the green over with a coat of tan paint which was better suited for the desert.
This is a perfect example of what a newly issued Iraqi M80 would have looked like. The helmet above is in mint condition and retains 99% of its factory applied coat of green paint. Additionally, the stamped "jihm" property mark is slightly visible in the center of the webbing.
This is a perfect example of what a newly issued Iraqi M80 would have looked like. The helmet above is in mint condition and retains 99% of its factory applied coat of green paint. Additionally, the stamped "jihm" property mark is slightly visible in the center of the webbing.
m80 Helmet with TAN OVERPAINT
rarity: Common
As said previously, many Iraqi M80 helmets were overpainted tan for camouflage purposes. The type of tan paint on these helmets are not uniform and vary considerably. The helmet above has experienced a long service life, being repainted tan about 4 times and is extremely salty throughout. It is an excellent example of a tan painted M80. Although tan M80's are common, ones with unit/inventory marks like the one above are not.
M80 with printed jihm mark
Jihm marked helmet and a regular M80 chinstraps side by side. It is apparent that the regular M80 straps and hardware are much smaller.
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The T1 chinstrap clips are also larger on the Jihm stamped helmet.
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Rarity: Very Rare
One of the most uncommon features to see on an Iraqi M80 is the Jihm property mark stamped on the brim of the helmet. the HHD stands for either Hyundai Heavy Department or H.H. Didizian, both South Korean companies. These are considered to be one of the first batches of M80's ever made since they are so uncommon and because their construction is noticeably different from the rest of the M80's. The rivets are smaller, the helmet has more flaring to the edges, the inside plastic is a lighter green, the chinstrap and its hardware are wider, and most importantly, a printed Jihm stamp is located on the brim. The later M80's have these features excluded. This helmet has been observed in photos dating as far back as 1980.
The arabic inside the triangle translates to "Popular Army", an iraqi paramilitary group that existed from 1970-1991. This means these were contracted for the Popular Army, but weren't exclusively worn by them. What this jihm stamp does do however, is pinpoint this helmets manufacture to the 1980's.
The arabic inside the triangle translates to "Popular Army", an iraqi paramilitary group that existed from 1970-1991. This means these were contracted for the Popular Army, but weren't exclusively worn by them. What this jihm stamp does do however, is pinpoint this helmets manufacture to the 1980's.
m80 helmet with jihm stamped sweatband
Rarity: Rare
This M80 is in great condition, with 2 tan repaints over the factory green paint and a green net on top. The sweatband has a rare printed Popular Army jihm mark, which was made by HHD, while the webbing doesn't have one visible. Since the jihm stamp is the Popular Army version, it means this helmet was produced in the 1980's. Other than the jihm stamp, the helmet looks identical to regular Iraqi M80 helmets. This one was taken from an anti-tank gunner near Kuwait.
Factory refurbished M80 helmet with WZ50 leather liner (M80-r)
Rarity: Uncommon
An odd variant encountered with some M80's and M90's is the addition of a Polish WZ50 leather liner and chinstrap instead of the regular removable webbing. To assist in classification, this variant will be called the M80-R, the "R" standing for refurbished. These helmets were factory refurbished during the time Iraq was under sanctions (1991-2003) and exhibit extra rivets to fit the liner in place. The extent of refurbishment on M80-R helmets vary, with some looking like the one above and others only having a new chinstrap. This particular one is actually a modified early M80 with the printed jihm mark. You can still see the extra large chinstrap clip.
Overwhelming photo evidence shows that the M80-R was worn almost exclusively by Iraq's Al-Quds Army (Jerusalem Army) that was established in 2001 and disbanded after OIF.
Overwhelming photo evidence shows that the M80-R was worn almost exclusively by Iraq's Al-Quds Army (Jerusalem Army) that was established in 2001 and disbanded after OIF.
Factory Made Iraqi M80-C
Rarity: Very Rare
Another very rare variant of the M80 that Iraq used is what will be referenced as the M80-C, which is an Iraqi M80 with "A" yokes and a chincup. These features are primarily for paratroopers. These helmets were made in South Korea with a factory applied camo finish that can be seen under the Iraqi tan repaint, and there is extra rivets to secure the "A" yokes. They were exported to Iraq in very low numbers at some point, but at what time we do not know since not much info is known about this rare helmet. Some video footage has shown their use in the Iran-Iraq War however.
Photos Courtesy of Connor Loewen
Photos Courtesy of Connor Loewen
Thin constructed m80
Rarity: rare |
Notice how thin it is compared to an M80
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This is one odd M80 variant that not much is known about. Its thickness is the same as an M1 helmet liner, but it is constructed like an Iraqi M80. This means it can easily be bent. Photo and eyewitness proof suggests this helmet was exported to the Iraqi army around the year 2000. It exhibits both removable and non removable webbing (both variants have been recorded) and a chinstrap attached to the shell by 3 rivets. This example is missing the chinstrap.
The photo shown, dated 2001, is courtesy of the Army of Iraq Facebook page and belongs to them.
The photo shown, dated 2001, is courtesy of the Army of Iraq Facebook page and belongs to them.
Jihm marks on m80 helmets
Looking at many mint condition M80 helmets, the Iraqi Jihm property mark was stamped on the webbing of all M80 helmets when they were exported to Iraq from South Korea. This mark is an easy identifier to tell if a helmet or piece of equipment is Iraqi. Since these helmets were worn, left in the desert, and generally exposed to harsh conditions, this mark was prone to fading and may not be visible anymore.
The Jihm stamp on the webbing