KOVROV. August 17. /TASS/. Russia’s state hi-tech corporation Rostec is developing stronger individual protection for soldiers, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov told TASS on the sidelines of a conference on diversification on Friday.

"We are developing new technology of forming aramid fibers for developing the next-generation armor. The research shows already now that the use of this technology helps increase the armor reliability by 12-15% compared to foreign analogs, with its weight remaining the same," Chemezov said.

As the Rostec press office said, the new material can be used in the promising Ratnik ‘Soldier of the Future’ combat gear.

Modern small arms developed by leading countries feature high armor-piercing capabilities even with the small caliber. In view of this, Russia and other countries are developing individual protection gear included in the so-called ‘Soldier of the Future’ outfit.

Currently, the Russian troops are receiving the second-generation Ratnik outfit whose body armor withstands 7.62mm bullets fired from the SVD sniper rifle from a distance of 10m.

The Ratnik features well-developed fragmentation protection and weighs 24 kg. The third-generation Ratnik-3 outfit is expected to keep the protection level and simultaneously reduce the gear’s weight.