KP military correspondent Alexander KOTS tells us what our 21st-century attack fighter should look like.
Photo: Mikhail FROLOV. Go to Photobank KP
– Look how cool it is! – The editor turned the monitor in front of me. – A real soldier from the future!
On the screen, in the pre-dawn darkness, two fighters, effectively shot from below upwards, demonstrated their own invulnerability. Behind them is an impressive backpack, topped by a space-like antenna dome above their heads. In addition, each of the “soldiers of the future” is different. On the helmet is a patch with the colors of the St. George Ribbon. On the chest is a chevron with the face of Christ. One has an AK-12 hanging from it, the other has something like an anti-drone gun. Tough nuts.
A quick search on the Internet showed that the upper structure is real, it is a development of the PPSh laboratory “Fumigator”. The portable complex is designed for two infantrymen. One carries equipment that creates another invisible dome with a diameter of up to 300 meters and protects against helicopter falls. The drone simply cannot hover over the group. The second is designed to jam FPV drones. The difference is in the frequencies to which the “Fumigators” are tuned and to which different types of drones fly. The batteries last 7 hours. The product is for assault groups.
Real footage from the tests of the new Russian anti-drone defense “Fumigator”. It looks futuristic, as if astronauts landed on the moon… Photo: t.me/yurasumy
There are no exact characteristics of this invention (e.g. weight) in open data. One of the backpacks was carried by the famous military blogger, special forces veteran Alexander Arutyunov, alias “Razvedos”.
“If you put on armor and a helmet, it will be much more fun,” he jogged lightly with the Fumigator and the anti-drone gun. – Not everyone can stand it. In fact, this person should be completely free of everything. He has a machine gun, a vest, a helmet and nothing else. Otherwise, he will lose his combat effectiveness within a kilometer. Lying down with him is not an option, but kneeling down is fine.
Military blogger and special forces veteran Alexander “Razvedos” Arutyunov.
This does not mean that today the Fumigator does not meet the demands of the times. The brightest minds are now puzzling over the main problem of modern warfare: how to protect a soldier from drones. The lion’s share of infantry losses today are due to air strikes. And all these cyclopean constructions are not conducive to a good life. It is simply difficult to fit a powerful battery and drone suppression units of several hundred watts into a compact device.
It’s easier to transport it; you can install heavy systems on it and connect it to a car battery. But foot soldiers (stormtroopers are one of them) have to make do with little. Technicians and enthusiasts make mini-suppressors and send them to the front. But these are weak products with a small radius of “kill” and a weak “battery”.
And the realities of warfare are changing rapidly. The enemy is improving its technologies, moving to new frequency ranges, including floating ones, when you can’t figure out what exactly to block… And your expensive equipment turns into a pile of useless hardware. It just so happens that the only effective defense against a drone is a regular 12-gauge shotgun. Not the kind of weapon you associate with the “soldier of the future,” is it?
Drone operators of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during fighting in the Kharkov region.
Photo: REUTERS.
– What should I be like? This Russian Rambo of the 21st century? – the editor tortured me. – Go ahead, sign it.
I just returned from the Northern Military District and remembered my new comrade, a scout with the call sign “Special”. He was given to us to accompany us to Volchansk. Stately, well-built, in light armor tailored to his figure, a machine gun, an anti-drone cannon, a compact silencer… The “special” walked from Volchansk to the border with the Belgorod region. And he admitted that he walked this 10-kilometer route every day in both directions. Therefore, his arsenal inspired confidence. We arrived at the point safe and sound. But on the way back we were blown up by a mine, which during that time an enemy drone managed to put on the road. A few days later, “Special” sent a photo from the hospital corridor: he himself was hit by a drone, shrapnel pierced his lung, and he was worried that he would not be discharged.
That’s why no device today guarantees 100% protection. But if you dream… If you apply the experience of everything you saw at the front… The “infantry soldier of the future”, which has already arrived, should look like this:
Photo: Alexey STEFANOV and Dmitry POLUKHIN/Komsomolskaya Pravda
FORM: IT’S ALREADY FINE
During the Northern Military District, the Russian army finally had a normal, comfortable and practical uniform. I have not heard anyone complain about it. The all-season field uniform set (VKPO 3.0) was literally born at the front. It was sewn according to the wishes of front-line soldiers. There is still room for improvement in details and style, but a year ago, in general, this kit would have been called the “form of the future”!
summer suit jacket
combat shirt
The main thing now is that the “soldier of the future” should not have problems replacing this camouflage when it wears out: in field conditions, any material, even the best, quickly becomes unusable. A fighter does not have to wait six months before being issued a new one, as is the norm.
FOOTWEAR: WITH PEAL PROTECTION
Depending on the task, these are comfortable, lightweight sneakers or hiking boots with a protective plate on the sole. 11. Nowadays, plates are made of both titanium and Kevlar (lighter composite materials will probably appear in the future). They certainly won’t help you much if you step on a serious landmine. But you can grab a small “petal” type of shoe and save your foot.
ARMOUR AND HELMET: IT’S ALL ABOUT PRICE
In this case, technology has moved beyond ceramics and, even more so, beyond steel plates in armor (4). Special forces soldiers have long been trying on vests with pressed polyethylene protection. I recently bought one of these. The viscosity of this material allows it to contain fragments and bullets and it weighs no more than a winter jacket. So far, this is not a cheap pleasure. But the life of the “soldier of the future” will be more valuable than any money.
Under the armor plate there is a tactical discharge belt (8), which also has its own anti-fragmentation protection. If desired, you can place magazines both on the belt and on the armor itself.
The helmet (1) must be durable and lightweight. Modern technologies allow this to be combined, but, again, the price! It still does not allow us to saturate the troops with them en masse.
Some manufacturers are now experimentally sewing stormtrooper suits, which have already proven themselves at the front. This, of course, is a rougher and heavier form than the VKPO, but it protects almost the entire body from fragments. The response from infantrymen has been exceptional.
WEAPON: WITH NIGHT LIGHT AND “JAR”
It’s hard to find anything better than a Kalashnikov assault rifle (10). And even its new models do not always receive positive reviews. I’ve heard all sorts of things about the AK-12. But the opinion about the AK-74 is more stable. At the same time, the “soldier of the future” should have no problem finding for it a thermal imager or a night sight, a “can”, a device for silent shooting and other equipment that makes the weapon not only futuristic, but also practical.
Shooting with an AK-12 during training of SVO soldiers. Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS
DRONE PROTECTION: BIPING AND JUTHING
Of course, the problem of protecting the “soldier of the future” from drones should be solved by the military electronic warfare system (electronic warfare). In an ideal world, a fighter should not have to think about what awaits him. Our troops, for example, showed in the Volchansky direction glimpses of how to close an entire region from Ukrainian kamikaze drones. Even with the help of the popular Kulibins. Electronic warfare blocked most of the path along which the rotation took place. We need to continue to introduce and perfect this.
To be honest, I can’t imagine a “fumigator” in a modern assault. But if it proves effective in suppressing drones, it can and should be used for rotations. Physically equipped fighters (like “Spets”) could accompany assault teams to their positions, protecting them from drones with their “domes.” And ensure the evacuation of the wounded.
Military blogger and special forces veteran Alexander “Razvedos” Arutyunov tests the “Fumigator”.
But in reality, huge and effective compact drone suppressors (7) await us at the front. So far, they are only made by enthusiasts. For example, I have a drone detector (5) hanging on my armored vehicle, which warns of the approach of a drone. If it sounds, I immediately turn on the suppressor hanging in my bag. The unit allows you to attack a target within a radius of 100 meters, but its battery only lasts for an hour.
If you dream, then both components (detection and suppression) should be in one device and work automatically.
I know that such events are already underway.
And in the future we will probably learn to distinguish between our own drones and enemy ones. So what? For example, on the helmet of each fighter there will be beacons that will identify “friend or foe.”
COMMUNICATION: A STEP FORWARD IS NEEDED HERE
(3) It should be closed, reliable and unified for all departments. Commanders of assault groups should be able to instantly contact aerial reconnaissance services, which will suggest the optimal route. Many attack aircraft carry light helicopters, but ideally they should be accompanied by regular drone pilots. Today, in some parts, this approach has already been established at the expense of humanitarian workers. And it should be everywhere.
Situations should be excluded when some opornik (strong point: a trench or a shelter system. – Ed.) cannot contact not only the command of a battalion, but even a company. This is a task as important as the fight against drones.
First aid kits and invisibility cloaks.
They can be called “related products”, but without them you can’t go anywhere. Of course, in the equipment of an attack aircraft there simply must be a place for bags (6) with offensive and under-barrel grenades, a tactical first-aid kit (9), a “dump” bag for used magazines, a fragmentation-proof, excuse me, “asshole bag”. And in the infantryman’s arsenal, depending on the task, there are thermal imaging or night monoculars mounted on a helmet, an “invisibility cloak” that protects from enemy thermal imagers, and a modern anti-drone gun (2). At least one per group.
HOW MUCH DOES THIS WEIGH IN GRAMS?
30 kilos and more
The most fashionable, or rather, the most common type of armor in the army is the “Warrior”. Its full set, including weapons and ammunition, weighs just over 30 kilograms.
It is clear that in the near future (we are writing about the “soldier of the future”, right?) they will not start producing machine guns, cartridges and grenades made of plastic. This means that it is not yet possible to reduce the combat load.
AK-74M – 4.5 kilos including magazine. Plus another 4 kilos in 8 “horns”. Plus a couple of kilos for the “can” (silencer), the “warm” and the grenade launcher.
In addition to grenades, a first aid kit…
And if the 6B47 helmet with its one kilogram does not put much pressure on the neck, then the armor could be lighter. Assault equipment with ceramic composite armor plates, with protection for the side areas and, excuse me again, manhood – up to 15 kilograms.
Moreover, the profession of stormtrooper is one of the most physically exhausting. Modern technologies allow the weight of armor to be reduced by half. But the price is instantly multiplied by five.
The weight of the drone detection and suppression system should ideally be an arithmetic error of the total. For example, my Ogonyok device, made by technology enthusiasts from Samara, weighs at most one and a half kilograms.
And one more thing: every time I regret not putting a second or third spare battery in my bag for photography and other gear… Soldiers can’t afford to throw in an “extra” charger to make moving easier. This means that every gram counts.
