“A soldier does not need extra property!” - these words of a famous song may be the motto of those specialists who are developing a set of tools worn by military personnel in combat or in exercises that mimic those.
But with all the minimization of the soldier’s needs, the warrior should have everything necessary to complete the task. This is especially true of the issue of equipping fighters of those units that are called special. Too much depends on their actions.
It turns out that commandos are not so little needed. And the further you go, the more things you need in battle.
All these items, each of which can be used in the most acute moment of the battle, are by and large called equipment.
Concentrated experience
We could assume that the very first item on the list of things needed in battle is given to weapons. This, of course, is true, but machine guns, machine guns, pistols, grenade launchers, flamethrowers and other deadly gizmos are allocated in a completely separate category, and do not belong to equipment.
But the uniform, shoes, hats, satchels, body armor, flasks and much more can be designated with this word. An ordinary ordinary fighter should be dressed comfortably, in accordance with the time of year and the climatic zone in which the service takes place. But there are also special troops. They will be discussed.
Of course, special elite units of any army are required to equip the complexity of their tasks. Spetsnaz equipment is the embodied concentrated military experience of mankind, accumulated over many centuries in conjunction with the latest technological advances.
Suvorov equipment
In ancient times, troops transported everything they needed in carts following army columns. Foragers, marketers, and other heroes of military supply carried out the difficult mission of obtaining and delivering all that the army cannot wage war without. Soldiers on the march, as a rule, carried weapons, a certain amount of ammunition, and a satchel or bag in which simple military belongings were placed. During the Suvorov campaigns, the Russian army, which was particularly mobile, took a slightly different approach. The soldier should have with him everything necessary to survive and even provide assistance to a comrade in distress. The weight came out considerable, but the principle of increased autonomy as a whole paid off. The Russian special forces outfit is formed taking into account the continuity of this tradition.
Special Forces of the war years
The modern equipment of even the most ordinary soldier is much more functional than equipping a warrior of World War II, Korean, Vietnamese, Afghan and most other wars of the twentieth century. In the USSR, the issue of military supply was treated rather simply, believing (and not without reason) that our soldier was already good, and would give odds to any other simply due to his endurance, unpretentiousness and readiness for inconvenience. Yes, the Soviet Army really did without carbide lamps (which were in the knapsacks of every German soldier), toilet paper, condoms, and many other items that were not needed in battle. The bag contained spare footcloths, a change of clothes, some crackers and dry tea (if the procurers were too distant), as well as “letters from the mother and a handful of native land” sung by poets. But even in the difficult war years, special forces equipment took into account special, complicated combat conditions, and special shoes and lightweight clothing were found in it, in which it was warm in cold and cool in heat. After all, the front-line reconnaissance or saboteur most often faced a long, full of danger path through the enemy rear. Every gram was counted, every kilocalorie of food was counted. And it also required stealth and noiselessness.
The main requirement for the equipment of a reconnaissance saboteur during the war years was not its convenience, but the ability to mask a soldier on the ground. A scientific approach to this issue was still being formed, but certain developments already existed.
Post-War Intelligence Services
In the postwar years, the issues of ammunition only increased. Since Stalin's time, a number of intelligence services were created in the USSR, each of which had its own departments, independent of each other. Such an organization of information support for the country's leadership, despite departmental fragmentation, is fully justified. You can compare information obtained from different sources and draw conclusions about their reliability. Today it is difficult to judge which agency was the most effective, but there is no doubt that, along with the all-powerful State Security Committee, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense made a significant contribution to the defense of the Homeland on invisible fronts. Each of these services, modestly called competent, had special units. The requirements for their employees were not just high, they can be called unique. And, of course, the country supplied them with everything necessary for the performance of particularly important tasks. The equipment of the special forces of the Soviet intelligence services was created in secret institutions, and experienced saboteurs who had gone through more than one war served as consultants in them.
Glavrazvedupr
An army intelligence officer can work abroad illegally, with or without diplomatic cover. In this case, he walks in a good civilian suit, speaks the language of the country in which he lives, and without an accent, and tries to resemble her ordinary citizen in everything. Soviet intelligence officers were even forbidden to wear sunglasses in order not to match the cinematic image of the “red spy” in any way. Another thing is if such an officer performs a special mission during the hostilities. The outfit of the GRU special forces depending on climatic conditions and the nature of the tasks was completed in different ways. For example, in the tropics, the so-called "net", woven from a special rope, was an indispensable item of clothing. Mosquitoes, mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects, even piercing clothes with their stings, could not reach their skin, and the air gap contributed to better heat transfer. The shoes were also special, with a heel on the toe, so that they could mislead possible pursuers (of course, not very experienced) regarding the direction of movement. The GRU special forces outfit also included a special saboteur jacket, in the tailoring of which all ergonomic requirements were taken into account based on the vast experience of army intelligence.
What else is meant by the word "equipment"?
There is no bad weather, sometimes inappropriate clothing. This English proverb is quite suitable for the uniform of special forces. Special forces equipment, however, is not only jackets, boots and pants. Conventionally, it is divided into several functional sections, although many of them intersect. So, for example, the “survival knife" can be attributed to weapons, and to means of protection, and to special elements. In addition to clothing, the equipment of Russian special forces and special units of other countries includes means of protection, communications, navigation, life support, as well as a first-aid kit, satellite and special devices. Some of these outfit groups are worth considering individually.
Vietnam experience
In Vietnam, the Americans first put on Kevlar body armor. Films about these tragic sixties, both documentary and fiction, indicate that ordinary “ji-ai” wore dirty green cotton uniforms and metal helmets, sometimes covered with cloth or mesh covers, so as not to glare in the sun. The American special forces equipment was more complex and advanced. The uniform was spotted in camouflage colors, the bulletproof vest protected from fire weapons, the “green berets” had individual communications equipment (ASC), which helped to better coordinate the actions of the units.
Helmet
The helmet, to which everyone has become accustomed since the First World War, was originally intended to protect the soldier’s head from saber attacks and stone fragments, and not from bullets or fragments. The first attempt to give it the ability to withstand the effects of small arms is associated with the world-famous "horns" of the German helmet. On them, German inventors planned to mount additional armor plates. The bullet didn’t take the helmet, but the neck vertebrae could not stand the blow, and the soldier died anyway. Modern special forces equipment includes a helmet made, as a rule, of heavy-duty polymer, it is much lighter and more convenient than a metal one. The experts consider the American helmet Op Score to be the most perfect product at present, taking into account the possibility of wearing safety glasses (also an indispensable attribute at the moment) and headphone with the microphone. This helmet has mounts for infrared night vision and other gadgets. Her replicas are known (for example, the Russian “Armacom”).
Footwear
The equipment of the Russian special forces during the Afghan war left much to be desired. Comfortable sand-colored trousers and jackets were a good solution in southern climatic conditions, but the shoes (boots or heavy berets) in the mountains turned out to be of little use, and special forces soldiers were more likely to wear ordinary sports shoes, sneakers and gym shoes for combat missions. Unfortunately, it was not possible to fully resolve the issue of special boots even today, although there are already good models, light and durable (for example, special footwear of the Russian manufacturer, Faraday firm).
American ACC
In recent years, Russian special forces equipment has become more sophisticated, but so far it does not fully satisfy servicemen in terms of either quality or quantity. In this area, Americans have gone far ahead, the ACU field uniform model developed by CRYE does not constrain movements, has ergonomic pockets. In general, it is just the way it is needed for a fight. The sewn-in knee pads and elbow pieces are very successful, flame-retardant textile materials are used.
A standing collar fits tightly around the neck, preventing dust from falling under the jacket. Pockets are sewn at an angle so that it is more convenient to get the objects hidden there.
Fighters of the Russian special forces are such prudence to their liking. Our form is sewn taking into account foreign experience.
Russian analogues
It should be noted that the US defense budget is several times higher than the financing means allocated by the RF Ministry of Defense. To date, the American special forces equipment seems the most convenient and versatile, but it also costs accordingly. Nevertheless, the military personnel of the special forces of the Republic of Armenia make purchases of the most needed components themselves, knowing that the success of the operation, and sometimes their life, often depends on the equipment.
Thus, the American-style uniform “ACC-U” (translated as “army combat uniform”) in the “Surpat” colors, developed by Russian designers taking into account the color scheme that matches our climate, is best suited for our conditions. "Multicam" camouflage was created in the USA for mountain-desert conditions.
Unloading
Modern full equipment of special forces is impossible without the main means of bulletproof protection - body armor. It consists of two main types of elements, armor plates and a cover containing them, a kind of "sleeveless" with large pockets on the back and chest. In addition, the bulletproof vest is used to mount pouches, additional equipment and accessories. A fighter knows in which compartment he has what it is, it is convenient for him to get machine guns, grenades and other necessary things in battle.
