Exoskeleton, spacesuit and smart helmet: the first proposals for the BEV "Legionnaire"

Soldiers in the outfit "Warrior"

Recently it became known that in the near future the Ministry of Defense will launch the development of advanced combat equipment for a serviceman (BEV) with the code "Legionnaire". The creation of such equipment will begin with research work, within which its optimal appearance will be determined and technical requirements will be formed. At the same time, the domestic defense industry is already offering some new ideas that can later be used in a real project.

Lead Developer

November 14 RIA News published an interview with Oleg Faustov, Deputy General Director of the Center for High-Strength Materials "Reinforced Composites" ("Armokom"). The representative of the leading enterprise of the industry spoke about the ongoing work on current projects, and also revealed some plans for the future.

Currently, Armocom is engaged in the production of personal protective equipment, incl. products from the composition of the current BEV "Warrior". In addition, armor sets are developed and produced for various equipment, mainly military.

New materials and technologies are being developed. So, O. Faustov reminded that recently the enterprise has created, and now it is implementing the so-called. compression-winding technology for the production of composites from aramid yarn. The resulting non-woven material is characterized by increased strength, which allows you to enhance protection or reduce its volume and weight with the same characteristics.

One of the concepts of a promising BEV

Center "Armokom" successfully participated in the development and production of the set "Warrior". In addition, they planned to join the work on the BEV "Sotnik", however, the development of uniforms, protective equipment, etc. didn't work for her. Now the company is going to use its experience and new developments in the promising Legionnaire project.

R&D "Legionnaire" has not yet been launched. According to known data, while the development of technical specifications. However, Armocom already offers some ideas, solutions and components that may be of interest to the customer, and then get into the new equipment project.

Complete protection

As part of the modern BEV "Warrior" there are several basic means of protection with one or another level of resistance - a helmet, body armor, etc. When developing advanced equipment, bolder solutions can be used that provide almost complete protection for a soldier from all angles. In fact, we are not talking about body armor and additional elements, but about a full-fledged armor.

O. Faustov in an interview noted that within the framework of the Legionnaire research project, the possibility of creating an armored "suit" that would provide maximum protection would be studied and worked out. Modern materials and technologies make it possible to solve this problem and provide protection against various threats, up to armor-piercing incendiary rifle bullets at short distances.

However, it is already clear that such an "Iron Man suit" will have a large mass and have certain limitations. In this regard, the Armocom Center is going to continue studying the topic of exoskeletons. The enterprise has experience in this direction and is not going to refuse its development. In addition, other domestic developers have already shown their versions of exoskeletons.

However, the head of "Armocom" can not yet name the exact characteristics of the future "suit" for soldiers. Its parameters will be determined as part of the start-up research, and this will take some time. At the same time, the research stage of the Legionnaire should also show the very need to create such complex means of protection.

smart helmet

Security tools can interface with other systems and devices. So, in the course of future research work, the Armocom Center plans to work out a new design of a “smart” helmet for a serviceman. Such a product will retain ballistic protection, and in the future it can be made closed and sealed. In this form, it will provide protection from weapons mass destruction.

Additional sensors and other devices can be installed on the armored helmet according to the modular principle. In particular, it can be equipped with radiation warning devices. In this case, the fighter will know in time that they are going to attack him. In addition, the possibility of introducing augmented reality tools will be considered. They will improve situational awareness and be able to issue commander orders, tactical information, current risks, etc.

Obviously, the “smart” helmet offered by the Armocom Center will be integrated into the general electronic circuits of the promising BEV. This imposes additional requirements on the composition and capabilities of wearable equipment. In turn, the fulfillment of such requirements will make it possible to maximize the potential of both the helmet itself and the associated items of equipment.

Future R&D will show what ideas can be implemented using available technologies. In addition, the customer will be able to determine the optimal list of devices on the helmet, their capabilities and the required level of performance. However, such ideas may be considered too complex and refuse to implement them, at least in full.

Plans and wishes

Earlier it was reported that the Legionnaire research work will start only next year, and its results will appear by the beginning of 2024. In the course of this research, the customer will determine the appearance of promising equipment and formulate tactical and technical requirements for it. After that, the industry will start designing.

Some wishes of the army are already known. So, in terms of its structure and architecture, the future BEV should not fundamentally differ from the current "Warrior". It will include several subsystems for different purposes, which will include dozens of different components, from uniforms and equipment to weapons and ammunition.

It was reported that the Ministry of Defense wants to reduce the mass of the Legionnaire. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain or even increase the level of protection against the main threats. The electronic part of the kit should retain the current working and operational capabilities. Due to this, the unit commander will be able to receive and transmit data and orders, as well as monitor his fighters. Those, in turn, will receive more complete information and more effectively perform a combat mission.

It is proposed to create new electronic devices with the introduction of artificial intelligence. The BEV will also provide interaction with existing and prospective robotic systems or unmanned aerial vehicles. aviation systems. Possibly management robots will be carried out directly from regular terminals or consoles of military personnel.

Wishes regarding weapons are still unknown. Information about the development of any shooting systems specifically for the Legionnaire has not yet appeared. However, the project has not yet started, and such plans may be announced later.

Today and tomorrow

Thus, the army and the defense industry are paying the necessary attention to the issues of equipping military personnel. The mass production of up-to-date combat equipment "Warrior" in different configurations and for different units continues. In parallel with this, a deep modernization of this BEV called "Sotnik" is being developed, and in the near future a completely new project "Legionnaire" will start.

It is curious that the leading enterprises of the industry are already preparing to participate in research and development work on the new BEV. The Ministry of Defense has not yet decided on its wishes for the Legionnaire, but the industry is already offering certain ideas, which can then get into a real project and provide an increase in various characteristics. The prospects for such proposals are still unknown, but they will be determined in the near future.

Comments

[Aerodrome]

Recently it became known that in the near future the Ministry of Defense will launch the development of advanced combat equipment for a serviceman (BEV) with the code "Legionnaire".

for now:

As reported, mobilized in Moscow and St. Petersburg began to issue Rouin-3 bulletproof vests and protective helmets manufactured by the Iranian company Milad Industrial & Manufacturing Company.

from the "cart". (C)

[Vladimir_2U]

Honestly, all this advertising about "promising samples" now looks like an insult!

[Dartanian]

Again, there are no analogues ..... At least make a first-aid kit normal ....

[barbos]

Therefore, there are no analogues, because without a first-aid kit.

[Alien From]

If the words were not at odds with the deed ...... but here, alas, it looks like another cut ......

[T-100]

I don’t understand this (Legionnaire) already renamed centurion or again a projector for cutting. Below is an article from Zen for 2020.
[media=https://dzen.ru/media/oruzheinikoff/ekipirovka-sotnik-chto-mojet-odejda-soldat-buduscego-5f5078d050251b5303596d66]

[Region-25.rus]

I do not understand this (Legionary) already renamed centurion

"Warrior .. Centurion .. Janitor .. Furnace ... Lapotnik .." if only the circular worked ........ and we will drag the mannequin around the exhibitions .. which is already about five years old

[Lykases1]

The fact that the designers do not sit still and develop something is, of course, a plus. But I have a thought - maybe it's better to first make this equipment, test it, then give it to a group of soldiers so that their inquisitive mind and skillful hands study this miracle, correct the flaws. And then trumpet about it. Whether the Ministry of Defense will buy it or not is another question. The main thing is everything is ready. And then the main thing for us is to announce, get money for it and periodically say that everything is going according to plan. And then - the grass does not grow.

[FoBoss_VM]

To be honest, such news is already becoming simply ridiculous. And I don't even want to comment.

[agond]

"provide protection against various threats, up to armor-piercing incendiary rifle bullets at short distances."
I would like to check what was said with cartridges 5.45 × 39 7Н24 or with tungsten carbide cores

[Region-25.rus]

I would like to check what was said with cartridges 5.45 × 39 7Н24 or with tungsten carbide cores

yes, what is there .. let's immediately from the ZSU-23 .. at close range .. or even from Hymars .. right on the head

[SincerityX]

Well, no, the person writes correctly, in any case, when this wafer appears, the enemy will begin to use ammunition that will make holes in this wafer. I do not think that when new armor appears, they will continue to use blanks that will be ineffective.
Although there will be a "but". Modern armor often survives a hit by being destroyed, so depending on the type of unit, the appropriate type of armor must be used. For an assault unit, the kmk is suitable, a heavy exoskeleton with indestructible rifle cartridge armor. Or equip the unit with a shield that can withstand hits up to KPVT / Browning. Of course, "on suspension", because this shield will weigh offhand up to half a ton. I would even say, now, we need such compact self-propelled armor than this prodigy on a dummy, in my opinion, at least.

[Region-25.rus]

it's getting ridiculous now

I personally do not find it funny .. but just infuriates

[Esaul]

Again they will make a couple of samples for exhibitions, but in fact the army will have rubber boots and padded jackets. In peacetime it would be funny, but now it takes rage.

[Sahalinets]

Well, as always - analogous! And in fact, another cut. Well, where are all these armats, boomerangs, kurgans and other wunderwaffes? More than seven years have passed since their performance at the parade, and the war is waged on Soviet junk ...

[Nephilim]

By the first phrases, you can determine the author - again Ryabov pours from empty to empty about analogues, net plans for the future. To dance on a rake with such perseverance - what kind of forehead fortress should one have?

[Gvardeetz77]

Again, 1,5 million sets will be laid in warehouses, like a warrior?
By the way, I didn’t see the Baofeng r / st on the layout, is it now the main and promising tactical radio station?

[Knell wardenheart]

Exoskeleton, space suit and smart helmet

"And then Ostap suffered .." (c). Fairy tales are everything. For more powerful economies, for states with a higher actual cost of living and a much more developed aggregate scientific and industrial base than ours. And even then, not everything can be implemented in principle at the moment and in the foreseeable future.

An active Exa would require a generator (+ fuel), or capacious and fireproof batteries that are resistant to damage. The first option is cumbersome and expensive, it will gobble up a place on the back of a fighter (which is not there anyway). The second option is based on Lithium polymer batteries or is excluded due to their insufficient capacities for these tasks, size, price and characteristics of safe and reliable operation. For a military "exa", working a couple of hours maximum (of all devices) is a complete hammer, among other things. The weight ratio of the current lithium polymers is about 254 W × hour / kg, suppose that the battery will weigh 5 kg (I don’t think that more savings in weight and dimensions could be achieved, given the preservation of a different load and its dimensions on the fighter). Resp. these figures should be taken as a starting point in discussions about the active Exa. These are at least 4 voracious servos, control electronics, online communications, combat situation control, thermal imaging systems, some kind of sensors for tracking the states of the fighter himself and the environment around - and everything will hang on this battery. "Minimum 4" I say because this does not take into account the upper limbs, which would also have to be equipped (at least 4 more) if the armor was increased and the dimensions of the protected fighter were changed. These solutions at the CURRENT technical level are unnecessarily expensive, cumbersome and do not seem effective to me, especially since they are prone to incapacitation in a combat situation (the same deformations). Before the invention of the so-called "artificial muscles", an active military Exa is unlikely to be a good idea. At the current level of technology, artificial muscles have not gone further than expensive and not very effective labs. samples with negligible cycles.

A "space suit" without an active Exa is also not a good solution, because it will inevitably drastically worsen the fighter's maneuverability - with it in its current form, there is no need to talk about any kind of autonomy at all.

A "smart helmet" is a very real product for implementation, however, it will require a significant development of the microelectronic industry, which at the moment practically does not smell (in terms of the scale of the task). Not only would a "smart helmet" require modern transparent warning displays, it would also require extremely compact and cheap sensors and, of course, the "brain" of such a system, filtering, processing and displaying to the fighter exactly the right amount of information from the data stream. The ability to do all this effectively "and entirely" on our current elemental base is questionable. The ability to do this (more importantly) cheaply and in large series is even more questionable.

So, I repeat, these are all the tales of Uncle Remus.

[SincerityX]

You apparently did not study closely the issues of exoskeletons. In addition to mattresses, no one makes exoskeletons on servos, this time. Secondly, the exoskeleton can be of the passive type, i.e. without control at all, in fact it is precisely the external skeleton, with articular restrictions, but it is set in motion by human muscles.
Thirdly, a self-pumping, self-pumping, equilibrium hydraulic exoskeleton can operate without an external pressure source for a very long time, and rather simple actions are needed to replenish the potential inside the balanced system. Although it is more difficult, much more. And how much he consumes depends on how much is hung on him. And how much he can wear.

[Knell wardenheart]

A passive-type exoskeleton imposes a number of restrictions on mobility - if we are talking about additional armor for a soldier, then the restrictions will be even greater. As soon as the article talks about "space suit" and "full armor" - one passive exoskeleton will not be enough, you will need compensation for sluggishness.
Hydraulic and pneumatic drive devices do not have a good response speed (and can be very noisy), and therefore are unlikely to be fully suitable for this task - after all, it is not the shuttle equipment that is being designed, but the soldier's equipment. Also, this approach is quite cumbersome and vulnerable to shrapnel damage and deformations.

For equipment of this type (in an inactive version) one would have to pay significantly with mobility, while the gain in armor would not be so significant. A significant gain is possible only in the case of an active copy - at the moment there are no alternatives to servos to implement this - for combat conditions. All other options lose to servos in mobility and reaction speed, and when trying to compensate for this, in the reliability of the resulting system and its final cost.

[cpls22]

If you drain the water from the article, then one disappointing news will remain - even R&D has not yet been launched, but those who want to take the state defense order
- unmeasured.
Initiative developments need to be tested, maybe. then they will decide on TTT.

[SincerityX]

If they even get close to a balanced exoskeleton, then it will already be very cool, but considering how many really cool exoskeleton developments we have in our country, I think it should turn out to be a very cool thing. Unless, of course, there is another drank and the "exoskeleton" is not rolled out in the form of tubes with joints and servos. Because this is crap the easiest way to get an exoskeleton, but such an exoskeleton is crap.

[Alexfly]

Shouldn't the funds for these developments be redirected to provide NWO?

[Woroshilow]

Already sick of Rostec with its quirks, Their Warrior is not understaffed according to the TK: there are no night vision devices, there are no optical / collimator sights, everyone aims at the back-up mechanics according to the TK or buy them at their own expense, there is no KRUS Sagittarius. We are waiting for a new super set of Neanderthal fur shorts with fleece and a wooden club.

[Beregovic_1]

I will add: there is no connection, there are no armor plates, there are not enough unloading vests, shoes, except for winter ones, are a true example of nanotechnology (a month of torment and the leg takes the form of shoes). Thermal underwear is rubbish, a first-aid kit according to the principle "women still have to give birth." Ak12 is not brought to mind, it would be better if we included a hundred square meters in the kit. It is necessary to bring promising complexes in parts. First, bring the warrior to mind and make it at least such that the special forces do not throw it away and do not buy it on foreign sites.

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

NVD will not be standard for everyone. It would be nice if the SPN were fully equipped with them, and in line platoons they were given a sergeant and snipers, a machine gunner at least brought all the machine guns to the “n” modification and gave everyone night sights ... Well, they put teploki on equipment with their own ... Equip all the teplaki infantry without exception is an extremely irrational waste of dough, given that losses from riflemen are less than 10%. Even in the USA, with their gastronomic budget, they didn’t distribute NVD to everyone without exception.

[Sergey028]

Uraaaaaaa!!!!!!!! There is something to cut budget babosiki !!!!!!!!!!!! Another analogue for exhibitions will be!!!!!!!! How glad I am!!!! I'm just happy!!!!!!

[Sedoy]

We can confidently say - there is nothing in any variant ...
neither at the level of TK, nor in any other - just an empty window dressing ...
hired designers / artist from computer games, gave the task to bungled a "scarecrow" - he bought materials from an Internet store and blinded a la "space wars" ...
in real life, berets are not capable of making the legs intact ...

[Evgeny_Sviridenko]

Hmm ... There is a review of the Warrior on YouTube. It's like that, to be honest. Purchased for him, for example, German geodetic tablets (with re-glued markings, of course) are the most advanced in him. The rest is some kind of low-grade Chinese. Also low quality thermal scopes can't compete. It would be better if they really switched to the new 6mm light rifle standard, which, coupled with good optics, would provide tactical superiority to the units on the battlefield. Well, the usual equipment was finished off (helmets, body armor, berets, unloading). In the right amount, naturally.

[red machine]

Excuse me, but so far the state has not been able to establish a normal supply of soldiers with the necessary minimum, and here, in all seriousness, the possibility of supplying some kind of futuristic complex is being discussed (

[Svateev]

Let's try to formulate a task for the advanced combat equipment of a serviceman (BEV) of an assault group:
- at a distance of 600-800m from the enemy stronghold, unload from the BMP;
- walk these 600-800m at a fast pace under small arms and artillery fire;
- enter a building or fall into a trench;
- it is advisable to move there for another 10 minutes and force the enemy to retreat to the next line of defense;
- further, the discharged suit is removed and used as a parapet or ceiling over a shooting cell.
Objections?

[shtaier]

Provide the fighters participating in the NWO with high-quality armor and first-aid kits. At exhibitions, the enemy cannot be defeated.

[Sergei N 58912062]

On February 18.02.2021, 3, VO already had an article by this author about this BEV. Only then it was called "Sotnik". In short, first "Warrior-XNUMX" then "Sotnik", and now "Legionary".
Reminds the situation with remote sensing for our armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. The name is changing, none of this is in the troops.

[Georgy Sviridov_2]

All this is good, I don’t understand why the units, even those who, roughly speaking, buy uniforms for themselves, such as special forces, volunteers, PMCs, without exception, don’t go in anti-fragmentation suits, at least not in summer, it’s okay hot in summer and then ...
While such costumes exist. Of course, this is not immunity from the same wogs from a copter, but a very serious protection.
From AGS, from offensive grenades, from some kind of light mortars.
Even from shrapnel, of course, not at close range, but at the end, but all the same.
It's a really effective defense...
I would even say that such suits are more important than armor.
I think that they should be made an integral part of the equipment, like a helmet, armor ...