A Revolutionary Invention
In 1916, Vermont inventor Albert Bacon Pratt patented a device unlike anything seen before: a helmet with an integrated firearm. Known as the “gun helmet,” it was designed to allow soldiers to aim and fire simply by turning their heads.
Pratt envisioned a system where instinctive head movements would naturally align the weapon with the target, enabling rapid response in combat situations.
How the Gun Helmet Worked
Pratt’s design mounted a firearm directly onto the helmet, connected to a firing mechanism controlled by a blow tube. To shoot, the marksman would blow into the tube, triggering the gun without using hands or feet.
According to Pratt’s patent description, the helmet allowed soldiers to automatically direct their weapon by instinctively turning toward a threat or sound. He even suggested it could be used for night hunting, as the weapon could be fired without relying on sight, purely by reacting to sound.
Addressing Recoil and Combat Use
One of the most striking claims in Pratt’s patent was his solution to recoil. He explained that a spring-loaded breech-bolt system absorbed the backward force and instantly returned the bolt forward, preventing discomfort to the wearer.
Despite the innovation, there are no surviving records showing that the U.S. military ever adopted or tested the gun helmet during World War I. When the United States entered the conflict in 1917, soldiers were instead issued the standard M1917 Brodie helmet, a far more conventional design.
Influence on Future Military Technology
While Pratt’s invention never entered production, the concept anticipated ideas developed decades later. Beginning in the 1980s, the U.S. military introduced Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting Systems (IHADSS) for the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.
These advanced systems allow pilots to control sensors and weapons by simply moving their heads — an approach similar in principle to what Pratt had imagined more than 60 years earlier.
In 1916 Vermont inventor Albert Bacon Pratt patented a helmet that carried a firearm.
The wearer aimed by turning the head and fired by blowing through a tube.
Pratt said the first instinct to face a sound or threat would also point the gun…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/s8J18lRmmB
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) August 31, 2025