Experts in the arms industry suggest that the armor of the future, in 10-15 years, will become a reality and will be mass-produced. Combat equipment will be very different from current counterparts. Almost invulnerable body armor, smart ammunition, and multifunctional protective helmets only recently existed only in computer games, but soon they will go into service with military units and special forces.
Electronic gadgets
A few years ago, electronic components in the ammunition of soldiers seemed somewhat absurd. Moreover, there were more complaints about the devices than they were of practical use. However, today there is a tendency that by the 2030s the troops of developed countries will be re-equipped and reformatted in terms of providing modern electronic protection.
Microscopic computers in the armor of the future are not just an auxiliary gadget, but a complete device with biosensors. Special coded pulses make it possible in real life to receive data on the health status of each warrior, as well as to understand which of the fighters need urgent help or evacuation. For a long time, attempts have been made to introduce electronics for search and rescue teams around the world. However, a real revolution in military communications is expected in the next ten years.
US Army Electronic Defense
Electronic equipment of the American army and special forces was considered one of the best in the world. This segment of the armor of the future includes panoramic night-time devices GPNVG-18, one set of which costs about 40 thousand dollars. US military developers continue to pay close attention to improving devices for monitoring and performing combat missions at night or in conditions of poor visibility.
The army of America is going to introduce another special gadget. These are augmented reality glasses under the name HUD-3. They are equipped with a microscopic computer with a scanner that allows you to display the necessary information directly in front of the eyes of a fighter. While the idea has not been implemented in practice, however, the importance of such an idea to protect combat equipment is recognized and supported by dozens of countries.
Domestic developments
The armor of the future is also being developed in the Russian Army, including electronic support and protection. Soon, commanders will have a unique opportunity not only to command and receive reports on secure radio channels, but also to get acquainted with operational information from the battlefield in real mode. Such an introduction is planned in a set of military ammunition of the latest generation “Ratnik”.
The third series will include not only indicators and detection tools, but also microrobots with UAVs (“drones”), which can significantly improve the awareness of ground troops in combat or reconnaissance. The latest samples are already being tested. In addition to these gadgets, ground-based reconnaissance drones are being developed that can quietly reach the most inaccessible points.
Innovative ideas
One of the main elements of future armor for soldiers will be electronic glasses. According to the developers of the scientific research institute “Tochmash”, they will provide an opportunity to eliminate the enemy from shelters without exposing the fighter-operator to danger. The key task for this complex is extremely fast and accurate target hitting with minimal charge consumption.
Experts suggest that in a few years, each soldier’s electronic glasses, which are integrated into the common information system, will display information that is available to officers and unit commanders. Military experts say what used to be in video games, fantasy movies (like the armor of future knights from Star Wars and similar films) or science fiction books turned into a necessity and will be realized in a few years. To implement the program, it is necessary to solve several fundamental problems:
- create light and energy-intensive batteries for ammunition;
- to develop the presentation of only that information that is useful to a particular fighter;
- make an interface suitable for combat conditions.
Liquid body armor
The coolest armor of the future for protecting fighters is liquid body armor equipped with a special filler. It is supposed to introduce certain nanoelements into the design of armor plates, which guarantee an increased viscosity index when bullets or fragments hit. Such a scheme will almost halve the weight of the body armor and significantly reduce the likelihood of serious injuries to military personnel.
Moreover, there are projects of self-healing “bronics”. With the development of nanotechnology, their production will be put on a serial stream. The design includes a special carbon composition with nanotubes. The latest elements are based on tungsten disulfide. A unique material will make it possible to turn standard Kevlar protective equipment into a kind of chest shock absorber for all types of charges. Bullets will simply bounce off them. In addition, such body armor will be six times stronger than current counterparts, and their mass will drop fivefold.
Armor and weapons of the future
In the future, many military experts consider the appearance of smart bullets in service. They only remotely resemble standard sniper charges. In fact, it is more expedient to compare such ammunition with a tank submunition shell. After the smart bullet leaves the barrel, it drops a small protection pan, after which a miniature accelerator and guidance system are activated.
Such kits greatly simplify not only sniper firing, but also any defeat of given targets with a change in the position of the shooter and spotter, who directs the laser target designator at the object. The use of smart high-precision ammunition in various combat units determines the acceleration of training snipers. The main role in the performance of a combat mission goes to the operator-gunner. The final result will directly depend on his preparedness and professionalism. According to experts, the shooter in 10-15 years is focused on technical aspects of the preparation of the operation (delivery of the kit, its preparation and implementation of the shot, followed by fixing the target’s defeat).
Interesting Facts
Requests, similar to the “armor of the future”, are often given in search engines by various electronic and other innovative methods of protection and firing in a completely new perspective. This indicates that armor protection, in its usual sense, is fading into the background. The decisive role will be played by electronic components and nanotechnology.
Already at the current stage of improving small arms, ammunition has been developed and is being produced that significantly simplifies the performance of assigned combat missions. A priority and difficult area of work in this regard is the manufacture of adjustable charges, the so-called smart bullets, able to eliminate targets at distances inaccessible to standard analogues.
There are several misconceptions regarding the ammunition in question. The main one is the proposal for the conversion of conventional cartridges and shells for high-precision samples. The fact is that an active-reactive laser-guided bullet, identical to a cruise missile, is several times more difficult to design, manufacture in the required quantities, providing all the necessary characteristics.
Power armor of the future
If the prospects for the development of personnel protection are more or less clear, what about armored vehicles? Here, science also does not stand still. For tanks developed several stages of passive defense.
One of the promising areas is intellectual armor. The system includes a set of sensors that are capable of detecting a full segment of strokes, dividing them by type. There are three groups of indicators:
- Electrical contact versions with discrete spheres and printed metallization patterns.
- Fiberglass analogs that work by controlling the attenuation of transmitted light flux when it breaks.
- The use of polyvinylidene difluoride, the sheets of which generate voltage under control exposure.
Throwing type plates
The system of influence of the specified defense on an attack projectile with a kinetic type is identical to the reaction of the built-in dynamic defense. They differ in that the supplied energy of bringing plate elements works due to electrical impulse signals, and not explosive composition.
It is worth noting that an attack on an attack charge previously detected by indicators can not be carried out directly in contact with the armor, but on its approach, which is essentially the effectiveness of protection. Launched by the electromagnetic method, the elements of striking consist of plates of homogeneous, composite armor or parts of dynamic defense.
