Russia: After Ratnik comes Sotnik

The Central Research Institute for Precision Engineering (TsNIITochMash) of the Rostec State Corporation has delivered nearly 300,000 Ratnik (German: Warrior) combat gear systems in eight years. "The main feature of Ratnik is the ability to adapt the equipment to the physical characteristics of the soldier and the combat operations carried out," said the manufacturer. In addition to the basic configuration (see links to reviews below), a commander's version, specially equipped gear for snipers, machine gunners, and tank crews have been developed.

Successful completion of Ratnik delivery

Ratnik was developed and militarily tested by TsNIITochMash in the late 2000s. After the tests were completed, trial batches were sent to the troops, and in 2015, annual series deliveries of the new equipment began. In 2020, the production and delivery of Ratnik combat gear were completed ahead of schedule.

Ratnik is "advanced equipment," according to the Russians, which enables the successful completion of a variety of tasks on the battlefield. It combines more than 60 elements: weapons, sights, personal protective equipment, autonomous heat sources, communication equipment, and active hearing protection systems. Today, military specialists are developing tactical and technical requirements for the soldier of the future - a fundamentally new "Sotnik" (German: Centurion) set of technologies. "We expect to receive our development task for 2021," said Bekkhan Ozdoev, Industry Director of the Rostec State Corporation.

Sotnik is the Russian infantryman of the future

There is much speculation about what will make Sotnik different from Ratnik: Russia allegedly wants to integrate the ability to control small attack drone swarms, robots, and exoskeletons into its next-generation soldier equipment - a development that feels more like a video game update than reality.

The equipment is being developed to enhance the situational awareness of each soldier, increase combat capability and efficiency, and reduce the risk to life on the battlefield.

In a report by the "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" (via AsiaTimes), Russian Army General Oleg Salyukov explained that "one of the current R&D projects, conducted at the request of the Ground Forces Command, involves the creation of a new generation of combat gear that includes elements to enhance the physical capabilities of soldiers." This includes "combat and special exoskeletons, integration of combat and support robots, as well as reconnaissance and attack drones of the small and mini class," Salyukov continued. HERE more information on current Russian passive exoskeletons for pioneers.

Aside from being 20 percent lighter than Ratnik gear, much of Sotnik sounds like the infantryman of the future. In the expanded system, images from microdrone cameras are projected directly onto the soldier's helmet visor or protective glasses, including commands and retrievable maps of the terrain. It is also expected that the Sotnik combat gear will consist of mine-proof boots, a special thermal suit that makes the soldier invisible to infrared sensors, and an anti-radar suit, as reported by TASS. What is now called Sotnik was presented some time ago as the third generation of Ratnik.

"There may be some robotic systems that integrate artificial intelligence with human capabilities. Research is being conducted on the use of motorized exoskeletons, micro-drones, and new weapons," said Sergey Abramov of the Rostec Corporation.

The Russians also read good science fiction: there is talk of using a chromogenic, electroactive material with which the combat equipment can change its color to adapt to the terrain of the deployment location. The project is called "Chameleon," and the helmet above was already presented in 2018. Similar technology experiments have also been seen in Western companies. Also intriguing is the hinted new armament seen on the Sotnik, which is associatively reminiscent of the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program of the US Army. After considering the Ratnik as a very modern adaptation of Western clothing standards for the Russian army - no more, but also no less - we are curious to see how the Sotnik will shape the Russian infantrymen of the future.

ROSTEC on the Internet: rostec.ru

Russian Army on the Internet: eng.mil.ru

The Russian RATNIK System on SPARTANAT:

- Review: VKBO Level 1 Summer Underwear

- Review: VKBO Level 2 Winter Underwear

- Review: VKBO Level 4 Summer Uniform

- Review: VKBO Level 7 Warm Vest

- Patchology: The Patches for the Ratnik Uniform

- Review: GSSh-01 6M2 Active Hearing Protection

- Review: SARO Multitool 6E6 Ratnik

- Review: Flashlight FSS-014 Ratnik

- Review: IFAK Ratnik

- Review: Water Filter NF10 Ratnik

- Review: The Ratnik MRE of the Russian Army

- Article: Ratnik: PMK-4 Gas Mask

- Article: Ratnik Version 3 to Receive an Exoskeleton

- Photo File: The Ratnik for Syria

- Article: Kneepads for Pioneers

- Photo File: AK74M3 Modernization Kit

- Article: AK-12/AK-15 the New Kalashnikovs for the Ratnik System

- Photo File: Collimator 1P87 Ratnik - the Russian EOTech

State-of-the-art Russian equipment: Ratnik, Ratnik for Syria, and Ratnik of the 3rd generation - from which the announced Sotnik equipment is expected to emerge.