Albanian People's Army GK80 Helmet - Chinese Type 69
GK80 (Type 69) steel combat helmet. Developed in the late 1960s as part of a Chinese military aid to Albania in response to the 1950s 60s, Sino-Soviet split. Curiously, shortly after, in 1972, the Sino-Albanian split began when the Albanian leader Enver Hoxha condemned the Sino-American alliance around trade and Chinese recognition of the three-world theory. After having been under the Soviet and Chinese spheres for so long, Albania was left in serious socio-economic problems that determined the end of the communist era. Before the fall of communism, Albania had already left the Warsaw Pact military bloc, and quickly in the post-communist era was absorbed into the NATO bloc just like the rest of the Eastern European countries that had previously formed the Soviet military bloc.
After the 1979 Sino-Vietnam War, the Chinese People's Liberation Army understood the need to adopt a helmet and began to produce in mass this model with some improvements with the designation GK80 and GK80A the upgrade of this same model which was soon replaced by the first Chinese kevlar helmet.
After the 1979 Sino-Vietnam War, the Chinese People's Liberation Army understood the need to adopt a helmet and began to produce in mass this model with some improvements with the designation GK80 and GK80A the upgrade of this same model which was soon replaced by the first Chinese kevlar helmet.
