KOVROV, June 4 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian version of “future soldier” gear could be put into service with the armed forces in the near future, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday.
Rogozin, who visited the privately owned Degtyarev small arms plant in central Russia, said the tests of domestically designed Ratnik (Warrior) gear had been completed.
“There are some issues with small arms that should be addressed in the near future, and after that the gear will be adopted by the army,” Rogozin said.
Ratnik comprises more than 40 components, including firearms, body armor and optical, communication and navigation devices, as well as life support and power supply systems, and even knee and elbow pads. The equipment can be used by regular infantry, rocket launcher operators, machine gunners, drivers and scouts.
Many other nations have similar future soldier 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.
Rogozin stressed that the Russian gear would be superior in many ways to comparable NATO equipment.
“And we stand by our words,” he said.
