Weapons said Russia's "future warrior" system
China Net News, May 27, a few days ago, according to Russia's TASS news agency, Russia has begun to test its second-generation "Future Warrior" system in Syria. In fact, the Russian army's "super warrior" war geometry, this issue of weapons said let us to find out.
Toward the future of the single suit
In order to further improve the infantry in the future battlefield comprehensive combat capability and survival ability, the beginning of the 21st century, the world's major military powers have been invested in the "future soldier" program research.
In-depth study of the system characteristics of the "future soldier" is mainly the use of modernization and digital means for the infantry to provide "superior firepower, superior view of the pass, superior protection" three core combat power. Among them, the improvement of firepower has always been the hot weapons era of mankind diligently strive for the goal; superior observation is to emphasize the ability to observe and communication, especially the arrival of the network era so that the infantry's ability to observe and communication has been greatly enhanced, and has become a country must study and use of the most important; superior protection is to enhance the survival ability of the soldiers the key to maintaining troop morale, the inheritance of combat experience are very beneficial.
Also out of the pursuit of the "three superior", Russia in the Afghan war after the Western world also followed the development of the "future soldier" boom, put forward its own development program of combat equipment. Before the development of the Warrior system, Russia had developed the "Balmicha" combat system to improve the survival rate of soldiers in combat teams performing tasks alone.
The development of the "Palmycha" system first began in 1999, mainly for motorized infantry, airborne troops and special forces, including killing, protection, control, life support, energy, five basic systems, the main characteristics of good versatility, multi-functionality and high degree of integration. In terms of attack weapons, the Palmyra uses the Abagan AN-94 automatic rifle, AK rifle or Pechenegian machine gun, which is more suitable for use by motorized forces. The "Abagan" AN-94 automatic rifle, AK rifle or "Pechineg" machine gun are more suitable for motorized units. At the same time, navigation, compass, night-vision goggles and other reconnaissance equipment, communications equipment, bulletproof undershirts, bulletproof helmets, general-purpose tactical undershirts, as well as backpacks, sleeping bags, raincoats, blankets, pillows, cloaks, food, heaters, medical supplies and engineering equipment, etc., the complete set of equipment mass of about 50 kilograms.
On this basis, the Russian army began the development of the second generation of man-portable combat systems. 2011 August, a new generation of "Warrior" system for the first time in the 10th Moscow International Air and Space Exhibition debut, and then after the force test in March 2015 began to fully loaded with the army troops. At the same time, Russia has begun research and development of the "future warrior" combat system known as "Warrior-2", which is expected to be unveiled in 2025 to 2030.
How the "Iron Man" was made
Russia's reason for abandoning the "Palmyra" is that although its protection performance is superior, but its technological content is low, and its weight is 20 percent higher than that of Western products, which makes it difficult to compete with the U.S. "Land Warrior". "Land Warrior" and other systems are at a disadvantage in the showdown. Since then, Russia has made great efforts to develop the "Warrior" man-portable combat system, which can be called one of the largest modernization plans of the Russian army, is bound to create the Russian army into the future battlefield "Iron Man".
"Warrior" combat system consists of protection, control, life support, weapons and energy security 5 systems, more than 10 subsystems, divided into winter and summer models, the general complexity of the system is currently composed of at least 59 components. Among them, including bulletproof undershirts, bulletproof helmets, protective eyewear, protective clothing and hearing protection components, such as more than 20 parts of the protection system is the key core of the "Warrior". The Russian army claims that the protective components of the "Warrior" system can cover about 90% of a soldier's body area and are extremely breathable and can be worn continuously for 48 hours. The standard "Warrior" protective system consists of a level 5 suit and bulletproof undershirt, weighing about 10 kilograms, with an embedded quick-release system, which is not only easy to use and take off, but also very light. "The Warrior's existing undershirt protects against bullets to the chest, back and sides, as well as fragmentation to the groin and shoulders. At the same time, the researchers also specifically for the "Warrior" tailored to create a new multi-layer helmet, mainly composed of composite materials - fabric materials - composite materials, full weight of about 1 kg, can withstand the impact of 9 mm pistol rounds fired from 5 meters, is recognized as the world's military personnel in the use of helmets in the lightest, the most sturdy.
In terms of weapon systems, the "Warrior" combat system standard configuration should be the AK-12 assault rifle, there may be other series of rifles. AK-12 rifles are equipped with night-vision sights, infrared thermal imaging targeting, laser target indicator, retractable stock, muzzle brake and other components, and the U.S. Army's SCAR assault rifles are divided into the same categories as the U.S. Army. SCAR assault rifles are divided into lightweight 5.45mm caliber and heavyweight 7.62mm caliber. In addition, Russian soldiers can be equipped with light weapons such as the lightweight and improved PKM machine gun and the Orcis T-5000 sniper rifle. Not only for ordinary infantrymen, but also to meet the combat needs of different groups of people such as rocket launchers, machine gunners, drivers and scouts, and can be matched with the required set of components according to the different combat tasks.
In addition, the Russian army for the "Warrior" system with the "Sagittarius" reconnaissance, command and communications system, actually equivalent to a small portable computer. "Sagittarius" has been equipped with Russian troops as early as 2007, after the improvement of the "Sagittarius" system can meet the communication needs of the company level within a range of 1.5 kilometers, but also to maintain radio contact. The system adopts an open structure design, can be connected with a variety of reconnaissance, control and combat systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles, allowing soldiers to share information with each other and can communicate with the commander, real-time transmission of voice, image and video data, in fact, initially constructed the Russian army's small-scale battlefield military IOT network, which allows commanders to deploy and adjust the company's combat operations more effectively.
It may be too early to applaud
According to the Russian army's current plans for deployment, about 70,000 sets of "Warrior" combat systems can be installed each year, but because the Russian army's "future warrior suite" there are still some of the lighter weapons need to be fine-tuned, when will the final version be fully installed? However, it is not yet known when the final version will be fully operational, as there are still some light weapons in the Future Soldier suite that need to be fine-tuned. After all, the "Warrior" combat system has too many competitors, the United States has "Land Warrior" and "Future Soldier 2025", Germany has "Future Soldier", France has "Future Soldier", and France has "Future Soldier". Future Soldier", France has "equipment and communications integrated infantry (FELIN)", the United Kingdom has "future integrated soldier technology", and even Spain, Switzerland, South Korea and Japan have tested the water! It will not be easy for Russia to win the first place in the game with its rivals in the "soldier of the future". What's more, the "Warrior" system still has a considerable part of the problem needs to be resolved, applauded some premature.
Weaponry, for example, it is still not clear whether it will be the AK-12 of Kalashnikov or the A-545 of the Dzhegalyov Arsenal. The repeated struggles with the choice of the assault rifle have also contributed to the fact that the Warrior is still in the experimental state. While the AK-12 assault rifle is a welcome improvement, the GP-30 grenade launcher is still too conventional, and its three major revisions are a bit of a mystery. Although the "Warrior" system claims to have a modern observation and communication capabilities, but the Russian army's night vision equipment and communication components are mainly dependent on imports, this situation of constraints for the Russian army's informatization construction has brought a lot of worry. What's more, the "Sagittarius" terminal communication distance is shorter, high-speed data communication and self-organizing network ability is worrying, compared with similar systems in Western countries there is still a big gap.
The bigger problem with the Warrior combat system may still be its weight. Currently, the basic version of the Warrior combat system has reached the level of 20 kilograms, which in the battlefield is already a sum of money can not be omitted "can not bear the weight". Although the Russian army has carried out a wearable exoskeleton mechanical combat suit research, can bear about 95% of the cargo load, will help infantry in the case of carrying heavy loads to 16 kilometers / hour speed running, but from the put into use there is still a small gap. What's more, the "Warrior" system is inseparable from the helmet-mounted night vision devices, man-portable computer monitors, headset and other communications equipment, which will increase the burden on the human neck. At the same time, the body of the protective soft armor, although the protection of the chest, abdominal cavity and other important parts, but the more thorough protection of the weight will be the greater, it is easy to make the weight-bearing capacity of the soldiers and physical ability to reach the limit.
In fact, what is the real information technology, digital infantry? Even the United States is "groping for stones to cross the river", the U.S. Army in 2019 plans to equip the single soldier protective equipment, although "from head to toe" have a substantial innovation, this full set of equipment, although the best efforts to reduce the weight, but ultimately still light not down.
These heavy information technology equipment performance in the end how stable, a soldier in the equipment of a complete information technology combat system, how to give full play to the technical advantages of information technology infantry network combat, how to prevent information technology equipment in the battlefield leakage problem, are placed in the Russian army and even all the study of the "future soldier" combat equipment countries must now address important issues. The Russian army and even all the research "future soldier" combat equipment countries must now solve the important problem. From this point of view, the Russian "Warrior" combat system to really build the future battlefield "Warrior", still a long way to go.