The Russian Army is testing a future high-tech soldier equipment system and plans to stage exercises with the equipment as part of state trials, Defense Ministry ground forces spokesman Lt. Col. Nikolai Donyushkin said on Wednesday.
"Soldiers have started intensive trials of elements of the equipment, including for riflemen, scouts, mechanic-drivers, as part of military trials exercises. We also intend to carry out unit trials based on these systems," he said.
The equipment, being tested by the 27th motor rifle brigade at the Alabino firing range near Moscow, contains around 40 different elements, Donyushkin said.
"The system has protection against environmental threats from weapons of mass destruction and non-lethal weapons, command and information systems, communciations, sensors, navigation systems, life support systems, protective eye-wear, sound-protection, thermal wear, water filtration, and body armor," he said
An army commission will study the results of the tests and pick out the best elements for further testing, he said.
In December 2011, then-First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin said Russia was in talks with France over purchase of an evaluation batch of its FELIN future infantry system. Chief of the General Staff General Nikolai Makarov later said Russia would produce its own Soldier Military Equipment (BES) program.
Many other nations have similar future infantry equipment programs in progress, including the U.S. Land Warrior, Germany's IdZ, Britain's FIST, Spain's COMFUT, Sweden's IMESS and France's FELIN.
