Abstract: Considering the diversification of modern warfare and military conflicts, along with the trend toward intelligent, highly destructive explosive weapons, the protective performance of military helmets—key personal protective equipment—is critically important. This article, focusing on typical U.S. military helmets, reviews their development history, discusses the performance features of essential materials, and explains how blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs. It also summarizes current testing methods and how helmets protect against blast shock waves. Finally, it proposes future directions for collaborative innovation in military helmets across four areas: material, structure, function, and standardization, with the aim of providing a reference for enhancing the comprehensive protective performance and battlefield adaptability of military helmets.

Key words: military helmets; blast shock waves; protective performance