Russia develops stealth 'suit' for combat soldiers

Sharing with RT, HiderX co-founder Artyom said that since the start of the special military campaign, the company has been supplying drones to Russian fighters on the front line. What is special is that they are completely camouflaged from the enemy, using a thermal imaging mechanism.

In November 2022, together with its partners, HiderX decided to develop several sets of "invisibility suits" and start production. Prior to that, the company had carefully studied domestic and foreign experience in this field, and hired a team of developers and technicians.

The main product of HiderX is an invisibility cloak weighing about 300 grams. This is a convenient camouflage for soldiers, suitable for wearing in field conditions and allowing soldiers to conveniently use all available weapons. The cloak can be folded and put in a pocket or backpack. According to Artyom, Western media have repeatedly written about the development of HiderX as a new means of deceiving the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Since March 2024, the Hider X company has been supplying the military with another, more advanced product - the stealth suit. It is well adapted to fighters that need to maintain high mobility. The total weight of the suit is about 400 grams. HiderX also produces raincoats, awnings, and heat-resistant tarpaulins for weapons and soldiers in the field.

Talking about the mechanism of thermal camouflage, Artyom said that there are two main approaches to creating a stealth suit. The first involves retaining the heat emitted by the human body. To do this, camouflage suits with many layers and quite heavy. They often cause discomfort even when moving not too vigorously and take a lot of the soldier's strength, especially in warm weather. In addition, such suits must be periodically treated with special sprays to maintain their thermal properties.

The second approach is based on shielding, that is, the reflection of light from tactical clothing. For this purpose, a special coating is applied. The composition of the material from which it is made is also of great importance.

"Strictly speaking, it is impossible to achieve complete invisibility of a soldier. However, modern camouflage means can indeed significantly reduce the possibility of detection from the enemy. Especially if the soldier carefully disguises and camouflages his weapons. In this case, the silhouette of the suit seems to blend into the surrounding environment. Therefore, the soldier needs to have a high level of tactical training, and be proficient in using the stealth suit," said the co-founder of HiderX.

According to Artyom, the Russian special military operation in Ukraine has profoundly changed the combat technology of reconnaissance and target detection. During the day, it is almost impossible to concentrate on the attack at the line of combat contact. The average darkness is 12 hours. During this time, artillerymen, attack aircraft, snipers, reconnaissance officers, drone crews, commandos and doctors wear thermal camouflage for combat.

Therefore, HiderX also plans to develop a chameleon suit that can change color depending on the environment. Mr. Artyom believes that the modern military battlefield requires the widest possible distribution of thermal camouflage means./.