It might resemble something out of Star Wars, but this is the prototype for a combat suit that Russia hopes will give its soldiers the edge on the battlefields of the future.
The high-tech suit includes an exo-skeleton, designed to boost strength and stamina, body armor and even a watch capable of surviving a nuclear blast.
The all-black kit also has a Stormtrooper-style helmet with a tinted glass visor and a mini task light poking out of the side.
The high-tech item includes an exo-skeleton, designed to boost strength and stamina, body armour and even a watch capable of surviving a nuclear blast.
Earlier this month, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces Col. Gen. Oleg Salyukov said in an interview ‘We are completing the scientific research on creating the future layout of the Ratnik-3 combat gear.
‘The implementation of the project will allow to increase the performance of a soldier by 1.5 times in completing various tasks,’ he said in the interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda paper.
According to Salyukov, the total weight of the gear will be reduced by 30%.
The report says the the Ratnik kit comprises five integrated systems that include life support, command and communication, engaging, protection and energy saving subsystems.
It is designed to be used round-the-clock in all weather conditions.
‘The Ratnik comprises a total of 59 items including various bulletproof vests and protective helmets, a combat one-piece garment, a headset with active protection, protective glasses, a grenade launcher, assault rifles, sniper rifles, munition, a combat knife, round-the-clock reconnaissance devices and unified optical and thermal imaging sights,’ it says.
Salyukov was earlier quoted by the media as saying that the Ratnik-3 kit being developed by TsNIITochMash will comprise an exoskeleton suit.
Earlier this year the armour was put on display on Thursday at the National University of Science and Technology in Moscow.
A model standing more than six-feet tall wore the suit while cradling a fearsome-looking firearm in a pair of black padded gloves.
His arms were covered in fabric patterned with camouflage print and protected by armoured plates marked with the Russian flag.
On his legs were a pair of bulky shoes resembling ski boots, which were supported by a metal frame wrapped around the waist.
‘[The kit will] use exoskeleton mechanisms, a display system to show information on faceshield or protective glasses and microclimate control and health monitoring devices,’ Salyukov was quoted as saying by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily in October 2016.
Earlier this year the armour was put on display on Thursday at the National University of Science and Technology in Moscow.
The three generation’s of Russia’s RATNIK combat gear are shown here
A target designation system will be mounted on the helmet`s faceshield, while the bulletproof vest will be able to stop several bullets.
‘The level of technology and the reliability of the elements of servicemen’s outfit is growing,’ said Industrial Director for Rostec’s Armament Cluster Sergey Abramov, according to russian news agency TASS.
‘Correspondingly, the level of a soldier’s capabilities on the battlefield is increasing. This new development by Central Scientific Research Institute for Precision Machine Engineering is another step in this direction.’
The latest version of the armour includes a new shockproof watch, which is resistant to electromagnetic impacts and capable of working even after a nuclear blast.
The high-tech item includes an exo-skeleton, or outer layer, designed to boost strength and stamina. Pictured is the combat suit on display, left, pictured alongside a Star Wars Stormtrooper, right
‘The watch, which we have included in the Ratnik outfit, retains its properties upon the impact of radiation and electromagnetic impulses, for example, upon a nuclear blast,’ Chief Designer for the Life Support System of the Soldier Combat Outfit at the Central Scientific Research Institute for Precision Machine Engineering (TsNIITochMash, part of Rostec) Oleg Faustov said.
The watch is equipped with a self-winding mechanism and continues working accurately in adverse climatic and operational conditions, and also in daily routines and during combat operations.
It was put on display on Thursday at the National University of Science and Technology in Moscow, where a demonstrator talked through its various features
A model standing more than six-feet tall wore the suit while cradling a fearsome-looking firearm in a pair of black padded gloves
The suit was created at the Central Research Institute for Precision Machine Building, a Moscow-based weapons development centre, RT reported.
Its deputy chief of weapons systems, Oleg Chikarev, said: ‘On display is our vision of the suit we would like to develop within the next couple of years.’
Mr Chikarev said the suit was being developed alongside several Russian companies specialising in different elements of the design.
The suit was created at the Central Research Institute for Precision Machine Building, a Moscow-based weapons development centre
Andy Lynch, of Odin Systems, a military equipment company, told MailOnline: ‘Features of the suit include a task light on the helmet for examining things like weapons and maps.
‘It also has a pop-up display that can be used for tasks like examining a plan of the battlefield.’
Russia’s military is keen to press ahead with plans to increase the use of robots, and tested a remote-controlled tank in April.
The Vikhr remote-controlled tank, which is fitted with a 30mm gun and six missiles, was seen being tested on a military testing ground at a classified location in Russia.
It is operated remotely by a driver who can see where it is going through a camera link up, as well as the wider picture via a drone.
Russia also has plans to replace human soldiers with robots to fight on land, air, sea and even outer space.
Lieutenant General Andrey Grigoriev, head of the Advanced Research Foundation, told RIA Novosti last year: ‘I see a greater robotization, in fact, future warfare will involve operators and machines, not soldiers shooting at each other on the battlefield.’
The suit includes a pair bulky shoes resembling ski boots, which were supported by a metal frame wrapped around the waist