The weight of intelligence: a Spanish soldier looking 'round the corner' with his Comfut gear.
Armada International › Vol. 34 Nbr. 2, April 2010
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The weight of intelligence: a Spanish soldier looking 'round the corner' with his Comfut gear.
Most of these systems are being developed along the same lines to provide lethality and effects, protection and survivability, C4I, sustain-ability, mobility, training and logistics. Deep integration, situational awareness and net-centric ability are but a few of the topics that came back most frequently in the early discussions on soldier modernisation programmes. However, while those topics remained high on the list during initial trials, other issues surfaced, particularly weight, comfort and energy supply.
Although they maintain their connectivity with the great battlefield network, soldier modernisation suites are becoming more soldier-centric. This is exemplified by the American Land Warrior and its presence in Iraq, which is deeply affecting the design of the Ground Soldier Ensemble. Weight reduction has really turned out to be a thorn in the flesh; the amount of ammunition carried by the soldiers and the heavy reserve of water required is simply not compressible. Thus gazes turned to electronics and electro-optics, although quantum leaps in miniaturisation require heavy investments resulting in higher costs, at least initially. New trends are emerging, with flexibility and modularity replacing integration, because even if integrated loads can provide him all-round capabilities, a soldier will be reluctant to carry facilities that he knows will not be needed. Optronics is one of the fields in which some countries are reconsidering their plans. Back-up iron sights are again finding their place on modern rifles, while light aiming sighting systems are being considered more and more. Red-dot sights have become a standard and can be used in combination with image intensifiers, holographic sights are becoming a common add-on for close-range engagements, light-magnified sights also being part of the suite offered to the warfighter--most of those items weigh less than 300 grams. As for round-the-corner shooting, the 135-gram Aimpoint Concealed Engagement Unit is being adopted by some programmes that gave up fully integrated optronic sights. Not only are those systems lighter, but they are also considerably less power demanding, if one bears into consideration that the batteries of the most recent Aimpoint sights can last up to 80,000 hours--that is about eight years of operation. Clothing, almost historically relegated to lesser priorities, is now getting some limelight. The need to control the soldier's body temperature has become paramount, and this includes protection against direct exposure to flames. Close integration of clothing and ballistic protection is required. As no body armour will ever be breathable, cooling vests are increasingly becoming popular. They help to maintain airflow and reduce sweating. Currently the most integrated system is probably the one being developed for the German IdZ-ES by Texplorer, which also enables it to be used as a blunt-trauma liner. The weight issue is definitely taken seriously by fabric producers as exemplified by Gore with its Gore Performance Zone concept that allows to halve the weight of a rain jacket from 1.1 kg to 550 grams and at the ...See the full content of this document
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