Latvia signs €27.8m Galvion Hellbender helmet framework

Latvia has signed a five-year framework for Galvion Hellbender helmets, looking ahead to its current and future needs.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, editor of Calibre Defence, published on November 2, 2026.

Latvia’s State Centre for Defence Logistics and Procurement (VALIC) has signed a five-year framework agreement with Galvion valued at up to €27.8 million (£23.25 million) for the Batlskin Hellbender helmets, according to an October 30 press release.

The agreement covers an unspecified quantity of helmets in high cut, as well as mid/high cut configurations, spare parts, accessories and comprehensive lifecycle support. Support will extend to refurbishment of the Hellbender helmets and engagement of local industry.

The framework was placed through the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative and represents one of the first contracts awarded to a Canadian defence company, the press release states.

“This framework agreement allows us to plan equipment procurement over several years while also covering maintenance, repair and full life cycle management. It is important to us that every defence procurement delivers maximum value and provides reliable, sustainable solutions to meet the needs of the armed force,” Alans Andrulis, Director of VALIC, said.

The Hellbender is a modular ballistic helmet that Galvion describes as lightweight. Its reshaped shell is intended to give greater protection at the rear and to improve rigidity and impact resistance. It comes in high-cut and mid/full-cut versions, both fitted with Galvion’s APEX liner, and is designed to work with night vision goggles, communications equipment, face shields and chemical and biological protection masks.

Calibre comment: Galvion’s European market share

Galvion has secured several large helmet orders around the world in the past two years, covering major orders from Canada, the USMC, and Middle East. The company also has a growing market share in Europe with 11 identified contracts, including Latvia’s, and several call-offs from a large NSPA framework since 2012. These orders combined represent up to half a million helmets.

Country
Year
Value
Quantity
Type
Latvia 2026 Up to €27.8m Not disclosed Batlskin Hellbender; five-year framework (EU SAFE), with spares and lifecycle support Poland By 2025 (shipments reported) Not disclosed Not disclosed (counted in NSPA total below) Batlskin Caiman; NSPA call-off Sweden 2023 Not disclosed Part of 80,000+ combined with Norway and Finland* Batlskin Caiman; NSPA call-off Norway 2023 Not disclosed Part of 80,000+ combined with Sweden and Finland* Batlskin Caiman; NSPA call-off Finland 2023 About €25m (includes accessories and spares) Part of 80,000+ combined with Norway and Sweden* Batlskin Caiman; NSPA call-off NSPA framework (all call-off customers) Framework Dec 2022; orders 2023–25 Not disclosed 80,000+ (Nov 2023, NO/SE/FI); 125,000+ (Apr 2024, incl. three unnamed customers); 225,000+ (Nov 2025, publicly announced countries)** Batlskin Caiman; three-year framework, extendable to seven. Cumulative total, not additional to the rows above Germany 2020 Not disclosed Up to 20,000 (initial order 5,000) Customised Batlskin Viper; framework via Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics, with in-country refurbishment Denmark 2020 About $23.5m Not disclosed Caiman and PDxT; seven-year framework with spares and life-extension programme Netherlands 2019 Not disclosed About 48,800 Batlskin Viper P6N; supply contract with 15-year support agreement UK 2015 Not disclosed Galvion reports 270,000 delivered Batlskin Cobra Plus for VIRTUS; subcontract via Source Vagabond Systems Denmark 2013 Not disclosed 3,000 additional Batlskin Cobra; add-on to the 2012 contract Denmark 2012 Not disclosed 4,335 initial Batlskin Cobra; seven-year contract *Galvion reported the Norway, Sweden and Finland orders together as over 80,000 helmets, not broken down by country.
**The NSPA totals are cumulative across all customers and include non-European orders (for example Canada, reported at 29,000), so they are not a sum of the European rows. Galvion has not published per-country quantities or values for the call-offs, except Finland’s value.

The lead image shows the Galvion Batlskin Hellbender ballistic helmet, the model covered by Latvia’s five-year framework agreement. Credit: Galvion.