Ratnik warrior military equipment to inform medics about the wound

April 07, 2014 by Rostec

Special sensors in soldiers’ equipment will transmit information to military medics

In Russia, the Warrior (Ratnik) military equipment is in the final stages of state testing. The next-generation equipment is outfitted with a system to register the physiological state of soldiers, with special sensors transmitting information to military medics.

According to Izvestia, the St. Petersburg Military Medical Academy named for Kirov (VMA) over the next two years will undergo an experimental modernization that includes a system to monitor soldiers’ vital functions and “to determine the physiological parameters of the wounded and assessing the severity of their injuries.”

The creators of the Warrior equipment (the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering, part of the state corporation Rostec) confirmed to Izvestia that a health monitoring system was already being developed. The monitoring system is expected to be included in the next version of the Warrior equipment.

The upgraded Warrior equipment will include body sensors that every minute will record parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood-oxygen saturation indicators, and microvascular blood filling. The system will store and analyze these figures, and any deviation from the norm will trigger an alarm in the medical service. This technology draws on the already-developed Sagittarius (Strelets) system of intelligence, control, and communication. All information is automatically saved on a flash drive that stores medical history.

Soldiers in the medical unit will have access to all indicators on the condition of the wounded. Based on the severity of the injuries, the state of a wounded soldier will be assessed on a scale of 0 to 5. The medical company will use the data to prioritize the evacuation of the wounded and to identify the best possible ways to reach them based on their GPS coordinates.

The Ratnik warrior military equipment includes body armor, GLONASS-GPS navigation, the Sagittarius (Strelets) control system, a communicator, and an automatic weapon with night and thermal vision. The helmet is equipped to withstand a shot from a pistol at a distance of 10 m and has a thermal camera and video module for sniping. The Warrior equipment also includes food, water filters, medical supplies, a tent, and a sleeping bag. In total, the equipment weighs up to 20 kg.

The Ratnik warrior equipment was first introduced in 2011 and is expected to be formally adopted in the summer of 2014. This year’s state defense order includes the supply of tens of thousands of sets of the combat equipment for ground, airborne, and naval troops.

The Warrior equipment is produced at the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TSNII TochMash), which was founded in 1944 and is now part of Rostec. The enterprise focuses on the development and manufacture of small arms and ammunition, military equipment, artillery systems, optoelectronic devices, sporting and hunting ammunition, sealed containers for transportation and storage, and firearm simulators.