MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Reconnaissance squads of a combined-arms army stationed in the Amur, Jewish Autonomous and Khabarovsk Regions in the Russian Far East have tested the Ratnik combat gear in winter conditions during a two-day reconnaissance raid, the Eastern Military District reported on Friday.
"The servicemen wearing the winter version of the Ratnik combat outfit acted autonomously for about 40 hours at one of the district’s training ranges, accomplishing the tasks of carrying out surveillance and gathering data on a notional enemy, and also setting ambushes," the Eastern Military District’s press office reported.
"While practicing combat training missions, the servicemen acted on the predominantly mountainous-woody and steppe terrain with air temperatures ranging from minus 23 degrees Celsius in the daytime to minus 35 degrees Celsius at night," the press office said.
The servicemen gave high marks to the combat gear in winter conditions, praising its functional camouflage abilities, the warming element, the heat-insulating mat and the footwear.
Following the tests, recommendations were worked out for using the combat gear in the conditions of the Far Eastern winter.
Over 1,000 Ratnik outfits arrived for military units and formations of the Eastern Military District in May.
The Ratnik is a system of advanced protective and communication equipment, weapons and ammunition. It comprises around 40 protective and life support elements and allows a soldier to get continuously updated information about the situation in the combat area. In addition, the Ratnik includes a self-contained heater, a backpack, an individual water filter, a gas mask and a medical kit.
The second-generation Ratnik combat gear has been arriving for Russia’s ground forces, the Airborne Force and marines since 2016.
An advanced Ratnik-3 combat gear with an integral exoskeleton and a helmet visor-mounted target designation system is currently being developed for Russia’s Armed Forces.