Helix Combat Multi Harness II (HCMH II)

The Helix Combat Multi Harness II (HCMH II) is a fully modular tactical harness system that has been developed over several years with significant end user input and trials. It was specifically designed for military operational use and can be used across a broad range of missions and tasks – it has been fully evaluated in a wide range of environments including both maritime and desert.

It can be either used as a standalone EN358 Riggers Belt, an EN 12277 Waist Harness or an EN 361 Full Body Harness. The harness was certified against the EN 361 standard using a 150kg mass as opposed to 100kg as outlined in the EN 361 dynamic fall test. This was done because tactical operators are often heavily loaded up and their harness needs to cope with the extra forces that this creates.

In addition, the harness was tested to the EN 361 standard using a 17.5 kN static load during MOD helicopter trials rather than the normal 15kN to ensure an adequate safety factor in situations where high G-forces are present.

Development & Manufacturing

The HCMH II is the 2nd generation of the HCMH tactical harness system. The original system was introduced in 2018 and very soon became the default harness system for multiple specialist tactical units amongst others.

At the time it was the first tactical specific, modular, full body harness system and was the the cutting edge of design.

Over the next three years of use as operators used the harness across various taskings in different environments, they fed back to us further design changes and improvements that they would like to see implemented in the next generation of harnesses.

These improvements included:

• Minimizing the bulk of the harness so that it could be worn under a plate carrier
• Increasing the mass of the test dummy used in EN certification to 150kg from 100kg because fully loaded operators weigh a lot more than civilians.
• Increasing hanging comfort
• Plus incorporating corrosion proof, maintenance free, fail-safe buckles, a rear attachment point and a minimalist chest connect system that could be used even when the harness was under the plate carrier.

Essentially the end users wanted us to move the goal posts again to create a harness that was lighter, less bulky, more comfortable, more versatile and 50% stronger than most other harnesses.

Our product development team soon established that the first three major points of improvement required could not be achieved with standard harness manufacturing techniques.

Thus, the HCMH II was developed from the ground up using new techniques and new machinery in order for us to achieve the desired result. It took two years of development and a lot of resource, but we achieved all the desired objectives with a harness that is 100% manufactured in the UK at our sister company DMM in Llanberis.

Bespoke System

We have collaborated with Ferro Concepts and DOM Systems to create a bespoke system which gives operators the ability to mount kit without compromise whilst using the HCMH II harness system.

The HCMH II Harness Bison Belt? is based on the well-regarded Ferro Concepts Bison Belt? which was designed to be very light and slim whilst not sacrificing any functionality. The DOM Padded Belt is the best solution we have found to add comfort when wearing thin clothing or carrying heavy load; this is done with minimal additional weight.

A comprehensive solution, providing unmatched versatility and reliability for operators in the field.

HCMH II Brochure

HMCH II Full Body Harness