Saudi Arabian used french m51 helmet
Saudi Arabia received shipments of french M51 helmets at some point, but the exact date is unknown, but it was likely around 1976 based off of when French began to phase out the M51. The Saudi's used the French helmet up until desert storm, where a newly imported M1 helmet clone (an example of one is on this website) was issued to Saudi troops. The way to tell if a M51 helmet was issued to the SAA is if it has a tan repaint and/or riveted chinstraps. The rivets should be painted tan on a SAA used helmet.
This helmet here has a stunning tan repaint over the original green paint with the brush strokes visible. The liner has 2 coats of tan, the top layer matching the shell. The chinstraps are riveted, and the rivets are painted tan too. This one was likely a souvenir from Desert Storm.
This helmet here has a stunning tan repaint over the original green paint with the brush strokes visible. The liner has 2 coats of tan, the top layer matching the shell. The chinstraps are riveted, and the rivets are painted tan too. This one was likely a souvenir from Desert Storm.