Gentex Corporation Launches the Next Generation Ops-Core® FAST® SF Headborne System: Setting a New Standard in Lightweight Ballistic Performance

CARBONDALE, PA, May 5, 2025 – Gentex Corporation announced at SOF Week in Tampa, FL the public release of its next-generation Ops-Core® FAST® SF Headborne System. A global leader in personal protection and situational awareness solutions for defense forces, emergency responders, and industrial personnel, Gentex first introduced the FAST SF helmet in 2017, setting the standard for light weight, comfort, stability, and protection. Adopted as the USSOCOM FTHS helmet system, it quickly became the choice of top-tier customers worldwide. This latest version establishes a new benchmark for lightweight ballistic protection, delivering exceptional performance and enhanced comfort for the most elite SOF and LE forces.

The new FAST SF Headborne System incorporates major advancements through three innovative sub-systems:

• Lighter System Weight: This system achieves the same ballistic performance as the legacy FAST SF helmet system while reducing system weight by 10-15% (depending on size). The new ballistic shell boasts a thinner, lighter design for enhanced wearability. The reduced weight has users questioning the need for a separate bump helmet.
• Universal LockDown^TM Liner System: A universal suspension solution backward compatible with all FAST Helmet Systems that enhances comfort, airflow, and stability for heavy VAS and NVG setups. Featuring LockDown Fit Shims and a Cable Occ-Dial® with a conformal nape pad, this liner ensures a secure, customizable fit for any head shape, eliminating interference with communications headbands and delivering unmatched performance in the most demanding conditions.
• Versatile Head-Loc® Flex Retention System: Featuring a convertible chin cup design, the Head-Loc Flex retention system can be worn over or under the chin, offering unprecedented user flexibility. Optimized buckles and sliders improve usability and eliminate the need for mask extenders in most cases. The patented Ops-Core Head-Loc sliders continue to offer market leading one handed adjustment.

“These advancements represent a significant step forward in functionality and comfort for the end user,” said Peter Harbeck, SOF Segment Director at Gentex Corporation. “The FAST SF Headborne System delivers the protection our customers expect while addressing critical needs for weight reduction, fit, and adaptability. With its new liner system, the helmet provides a tailored, secure fit that conforms to the user’s head shape, enhancing stability and long-term wearability in demanding environments.”

Designed with the end-user at its core, the next-generation FAST SF Headborne System represents a significant step forward in headborne protection. This lighter, more comfortable, and ultimately more effective solution underscores Gentex’s ongoing commitment to providing cutting-edge protection for those that demand the absolute best. With the new FAST SF Headborne System, Gentex builds on its position as the exclusive provider of USSOCOM’s FTHS helmet system, delivering unmatched performance, uncompromising protection, and a proven track record that elite forces rely on when failure is not an option.

To learn more about the next-generation FAST SF Headborne System, click here.

About Gentex Corporation

Part of Gentex Corporation’s portfolio for defense, emergency response, and security forces, the focus and dedication of the company’s Ops-Core brand remains the same – protecting elite forces.  The modular, scalable, open-architecture design of Ops-Core products allows for seamless integration and true system level performance.