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Ratnik combat gear’s parachutes to protect soldiers from drowning, says designer

The rapid release locks are the key component of the newly-developed suspension system

KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, August 26. /TASS/. Parachutes for Russia’s Ratnik combat gear will be equipped with a unique suspension system that will prevent a soldier’s accidental drowning when landing on water, Igor Nasenkov, CEO of Technodinamika (an affiliate of the corporation Rostec), told TASS on the sidelines of the Army-2020 forum.

"The rapid release parachute locks are used in the new suspension system for the D-10 parachute system. A full cycle of tests has been completed. The suspension system has been reconfigured for the Ratnik combat gear and can be promptly adjusted for each individual soldier," he said.

The rapid release locks are the key component of the newly-developed suspension system. They ensure an instant separation from the parachute, while their safety catches prevent a casual release as a result of an unintentional impact.

In June 2019, two paratroops splashed down into a body of water in Crimea and drowned. A subsequent investigation found that both failed to promptly detach themselves from the parachute system.

The Army-2020 international military-technical forum opened at the Patriot conference and exhibition center on August 23 and will run until August 29. Some demonstrations are underway at the Alabino shooting range, the Kubinka airbase and the Ashuluk range in the Astrakhan Region. The forum’s organizers expect guests from about one hundred countries. More than 1,500 organizations and manufacturers will present about 28,000 exhibits. Nearly 700 pieces of modern weaponry and other military hardware will be on display.