Infantrymen are vulnerable to different weapons including gunfire.
Till now there is no way for a military to protect its infantry soldiers from a .50-caliber
machine gun. But this could be about to change. The Russian
military equipment manufacturer Rostec has stated that it is developing a body armor
named Sotnik (“Centurion”) that will be able to stop the bullet from a .50-caliber
machine gun.
This has the potential to change the way an infantryman approaches a battleground.
As per 'Task & Purpose', Russia’s Ground Forces plans to distribute this armor to its
soldier sometime in 2025.
Sotnik is expected to augment and ultimately replace the current Ratnik equipment set.
Viewers may note that the currently used Ratnik is package includes everything from body armor
to the flashlight as well as different carrying gears.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why Russian 'Sotnik' could be the most impressive
body armor ever made? Let's get into the details.
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The Ratnik suit is one of the most well-designed ones.
The Ratnik suit, which consists of 10 subsystems and 59 individual components, includes modernized
body armor designed to withstand 7.62mm rounds, a helmet with a special eye monitor outfitted
with a thermal night vision monocular and flashlight, and integrated communication systems.
According to Army Technology, It “also features a self-contained heater,
a backpack, an individual water filter, a gas mask, and a medical kit,”
As per Rostec, by the end of 2020, it had delivered more than 300,000 second-generation
Ratnik combat gear outfits.
Sotnik will be a major upgrade over Ratnik and has some ambitious goals, to say the least.
According to Rostec’s Bekkhan Ozdoev, “The new generation gear will consist of
a fundamentally new set of technology, including the latest achievements of the Russian defense
industry, including robotic equipment and integrated systems for exchanging information."
It is stated that the first stage of development – the definition of tactical and technical
requirements have already been started.
As per some reports, several elements of third-generation Sotnik armor is already undergoing preliminary
tests.
But the most eye pooping claim is the one regarding the protection level on the fourth-generation
one.
Ozdoev has stated the fourth-generation Sotnik armor will consist of lightweight polyethylene
fiber and armor plating that is engineered to withstand a direct shot from a .50 caliber
M2 Browning. He added, “The gear will not restrict movement
and will allow you to take the extra weight necessary to perform special missions,”
Polyethylene is a lightweight, durable thermoplastic with a variable crystalline structure. It
is one of the most widely produced plastics in the world.
Actually, tens of millions of tons are produced worldwide each year and is used in a variety
of application ranging from plastic parts, tubes, etc.
Many kinds of polyethylene or PE are known, with most having the chemical formula (C2H4)n.
PE is usually a mixture of similar polymers of ethylene, with various values of n. It
can be low density or high density.
One property of Polyethylene is that it melts and this has been used to develop Polyethylene
armor. This is how it actually works - as a hot bullet
impacts the armor, it melts the Polyethylene. This causes the molten Polyethylene to stick
to the bullet and slows it down.
If the Polyethylene layer is thick enough, it will be able to stop a bullet.
The challenge is to make the layer thin enough so that a suit can be contoured out from it
and a soldier can actually wear it. Also, it will in some way, have to be reinforced
by hard materials like steel or titanium. The weight aspect has to be taken care of
- a very heavy armor will restrict mobility and easily tire an infantryman.
Russia has already developed a polyethylene armor named “Superthread”.
Russian media has claimed that it is lighter than Israeli and American body armors but
offers better protection.
Current U.S. Level III body armor will stop a 150-grain, 7.62-millimeter (.308 Winchester)
bullet imparting 1,878 foot pounds of energy on the target.
The U.S. Army’s Modular Scalable Vest is capable of stopping 7.62-millimeter rounds
but weighs a total of 10.25 kg or 22.6 pounds.
.50-caliber bullet takes firepower to the next level and presents a strong challenge.
Many videos on Youtube are available which depicts its destructive power.
Viewers can check them out to understand the enormity of the task.
A .50-caliber bullet is massive, it weighs more than four times and imparts 11,070 foot
pounds of energy on a target which is almost 6 times that of 7.62-millimeter round.
A bullet-like this can be stopped by one and a quarter-inch of AR500-grade steel.
So, obviously, an armor made primarily with steel will be too heavy.
While nowadays airpower is the key to winning a battle, there is still no 100% substitute
for having boots on the ground. The infantry will remain the backbone of an
Army. It's equally important in peacetime and combat.
There is no replacement of infantry in foreseeable future.
So, it's natural that advanced nations are pouring in resources to provide their infantry
soldiers the best they can have. Russia has been one of the flag-bearers when
it comes to armor.
It is hard to imagine the amount of plastic that would be required to stop a .50-caliber
bullet.
With current technology, an armor designed to stop rounds four to five times heavier
and more powerful than 7.62 could be, would be too heavy and cumbersome for an infantry
soldier.
A groundbreaking solution will be needed to surmount this challenge.
It remains to be seen how Rostec and the Russian military industry at large are able to take
on this seemingly impossible task.