Russian armor of the X-XVII centuries. Universal soldier: what can Russian fighters in the Ratnik equipment

Drawings by Oleg Fedorov are based on reliable archaeological and scientific data, many of them are created for the largest museums and private collectors from Russia, Ukraine and other countries. We have already talked about the reconstruction in Fedorov's watercolors, this time we will talk about warriors Ancient Russia.

The druzhina culture in Ancient Russia was formed simultaneously with the Old Russian statehood and embodied the ethnic, social and political processes of the 9th - early 11th centuries.

As historical materials show, the Slavs, the main population of the ancient Russian territories, were relatively weak in military-technical terms. As weapons, they used only arrows, spears and axes. The situation changed after the so-called "Rus" came to the territory of Ancient Russia. According to scientists, in ancient times this was the name given to warriors who came from northern Europe. Along with the Rus, progressive for that time items of military weapons and protection appeared.

Children's wooden swords and other "toy" weapons are often found among archaeological materials. For example, a wooden sword with a handle width of about 5-6 cm and a total length of about 60 cm was found, which corresponds to the size of the palm of a boy aged 6-10 years. Thus, in the games, the process of learning skills that should have been useful to future warriors in adulthood took place.

It is important to note that the "Russian" army at the initial stage of its existence fought exclusively on foot, which is confirmed by Byzantine and Arabic written sources of that time. At first, the Russians considered horses exclusively as a means of transportation. True, the breeds of horses common at that time in Europe were rather short, therefore for a long time they simply could not carry a warrior-rider in full armor.

By the end of the 10th century, there were more and more military conflicts between the detachments of the Rus and the troops of the Khazar Khaganate, as well as the Byzantine Empire, which had strong and trained cavalry. Therefore, already in 944, the Pechenegs, whose detachments consisted of light horsemen, became allies of Prince Igor in the campaign against Byzantium. It was from the Pechenegs that the Rus began to buy specially trained horses for the new kind of troops. True, the first attempt of the Russian troops in the battle on horseback, undertaken in 971 in the battle of Dorostol, ended in failure. However, the failure did not stop our ancestors, and since they still lacked their own cavalry, the practice of attracting cavalry units of nomads, which were even part of the ancient Russian squads, was introduced.

Old Russian warriors adopted from the steppes not only the skills of horseback combat, but also borrowed weapons and clothing characteristic of the "rider" culture. It was at that time that sabers, sphero-conical helmets, flails, caftans, tote bags, compound bows, and other weapons for the rider and horse equipment appeared in Russia. The words caftan, fur coat, feryaz, sarafan are of Eastern (Turkic, Iranian, Arabic) origin, reflecting, apparently, the corresponding origin of the objects themselves.

Taking into account the fact that in most of the territory of Ancient Russia the climatic conditions were quite severe, historians suggest that woolen fabric could be used when sewing Russian caftans. “They put on him bloomers, leggings, boots, a jacket, and a brocade caftan with gold buttons, and put a sable brocade hat on his head” - this is how the Arab traveler and geographer of the 10th century Ibn Fadlan describes the funeral of a noble Rus. The wearing of wide trousers by the Rus, gathered at the knee, is mentioned, in particular, by the Arab historian of the beginning of the 10th century, Ibn Ruste.

In some military burials of the ancient Rus, silver, decorated with filigree and granulation, conical caps were found, which are presumably the ends of headdresses in the form of a cap with a fur trim. Scientists argue that this is exactly what the "Russian hat" made by the masters of ancient Russia looked like, the shape of which, most likely, belongs to nomadic cultures.

The need to lead fighting mainly against steppe lightly armed horsemen led to a gradual change in Russian weapons in the direction of greater lightness and flexibility. Therefore, at first, the completely European (Varangian) weapons of the Russian squads from the time of the campaigns against Byzantium gradually acquired more eastern features: Scandinavian swords were replaced by sabers, the soldiers changed from rooks to horses, and even heavy knight's armor, which eventually became widespread in Europe, never had analogies in the works of ancient Russian gunsmiths.

The Russian army is rapidly changing its appearance. Already in November, servicemen will begin to change into a new combat equipment"soldier of the future" - "Warrior". This set of uniforms, means of protection, communications, reconnaissance, target designation and a new small arms is designed not only to significantly increase the chances of a fighter to survive on the battlefield, but also to turn each soldier into an independent combat unit. A kind of "terminator", controlled by radio and video signal, independently orienting itself on the terrain, bulletproof, with great firepower.

The fact that the contract with the Ministry of Defense was signed was announced by the general director of TsNIItochmash Dmitry Semizorov. According to him, the army will receive the first sets of new combat equipment in November. The volume of annual purchases of kits by the military department will be approximately 50 thousand units. By 2015, the army is fully equipped with last word technology, changing not only its appearance, but also significantly increasing its combat capabilities.

Keep up with the times

Creating the equipment of the “soldier of the future” is a trend recent decades. All recent wars have shown that combat missions will now be solved not by mass armies, but by single combat units, whose actions must be linked on the battlefield with aviation, armored vehicles and artillery. Their orders may come not from the immediate commander, but from headquarters located thousands of kilometers away, and the commanders must not only know where each individual fighter is located, what he sees, but also correlate his position with respect to other participants in the battle. The conduct of such a war is also called "network-centric".

All these possibilities are embedded in the concept of the equipment of the “soldier of the future”. In the USA, work on such a form was called Land Warrior and Mounted Warrior, in Germany - IdZ, Great Britain - FIST, Spain - COMFUT, Sweden - IMESS, France - FELIN. The Russian "Warrior" was first presented at the MAKS-2011 air show. In 2012, the experimental military operation of the Russian kit began during the exercises "Kavkaz-2012". Since 2013, preliminary and state tests of the combat complex for protecting a fighter began in 10 military units of the Ministry of Defense.

No man is an island

commander-in-chief ground forces Colonel General Oleg Salyukov says that in modern conditions of hostilities, the number of items of equipment that is constantly on a soldier is constantly increasing. When creating the Ratnik equipment, the experience of military operations, the results of comparative tests of domestic and foreign elements of combat equipment were taken into account - for example, the French FELIN kit, which the Ministry of Defense purchased from France during the time of Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. However, there is nothing French in the Russian "Warrior". The foreign kit was of interest to the military more from the point of view of the ideology of creating equipment than its functionality. In addition, comparative tests showed the insufficient effectiveness of French equipment in relation to the requirements of the Russian Ministry of Defense, its vision of the development of modern military conflicts and, of course, operating conditions. Nevertheless, "conceptually" "Warrior" is no different from what is being created in the interests of the leading armies of the World.

The basis of the Ratnik kits is bulletproof vests, armored helmets, combat overalls, goggles, a headset with an active hearing protection system, a set of protection for the elbow and knee joints of a fighter, machine guns, sniper rifles, a grenade launcher, ammunition for them, a new combat knife, as well as a round-the-clock aiming complex, reconnaissance devices, unified optical and thermal imaging sights, compact binoculars and other samples. In total, the Ratnik combat equipment kits include 59 items of equipment for military personnel: a gunner, a driver, a scout, and soldiers of other specialties. All of them are conditionally divided into elements of the system of destruction, protection, life support, energy supply and means of control, communications and intelligence.

It does not burn in fire, it will protect from bullets

The current field uniform differs markedly from the "Warrior" uniform in terms of color, cut and structure of materials. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, by 2015 the Russian army will switch to a new unified uniform designed for everyday wear. The servicemen will not need to change into "ratnikov" clothes to use the combat kit - it will be the same for everyone. Aramid jumpsuit "Warrior" is made of fiber "Alutex". Thanks to him, the soldier's uniform is able to withstand a direct hit by fragments of grenades, mines or shells, and also withstand exposure to an open flame for some time. The overalls of the "Warrior" is able to protect the fighter not only in frontal and lateral projections, but also covers others vulnerabilities: neck, hands, and shoulders. The head of a serviceman is protected by a helmet, which can save the life of a soldier even if a Makarov pistol bullet fired from a distance of 5-5.5 m directly hits.

All elements of the kit can be combined. The total weight of the standard version of overalls and body armor of the fifth class of protection is about 10 kilograms, the maximum - with a helmet, assault body armor of the sixth class of protection, body armor for the shoulders and hips - about 20 kilograms. In general, a set of new combat equipment will be able to cover approximately 90% of the surface of a soldier's body.

War on comfort

The "breathable" design of the new set of equipment provides for the possibility of continuous wear for at least 48 hours. The fabric is impregnated with a special composition that allows air to pass through, but retains moisture. A winter version of the equipment has also been designed. It will differ from the summer one in that it provides for elements of insulation and heat supply.

The life support system of the Ratnik kit is supplemented with goggles made of special glass that can withstand a fragment of about 6 mm in diameter flying at a speed of about 350 m/s, a hearing protection headset, a set of protection for knee and elbow joints, an individual filter for water purification , a set of autonomous heat sources and other components. The armored suit blocks radiation in the ultraviolet and infrared spectra, which makes the fighter invisible in the thermal imaging sight.

At the same time, if necessary, the entire set of equipment can be reset in almost one movement in a few seconds. That is, equipment with considerable weight will not drag a soldier to the bottom if he falls into the water. And the body armor created for the Navy is generally a know-how. It managed to combine both body armor and a life jacket. In the event that a sailor who is on watch suddenly finds himself overboard, he will not drown, but will remain floating on the surface thanks to such a bulletproof vest.

I see and hear

One of the most important parts of the Ratnik kit is the means of individual communication, identification, processing and display of information, orientation, and navigation integrated into the suit. It is based on the Sagittarius complex. It allows not only to transmit voice messages between individual fighters during the operation, but also provides communication with command center. Moreover, again, not only by “voice”, but also through special signal commands, through the transmission of photo and video broadcasts from the battlefield, which will allow commanders to more effectively correct the actions of the fighters. The receiving-transmitting device can be mounted on a weapon, or directly to a helmet. The second use case looks like a kind of eyecup. Its use will allow the fighter to hit the enemy from cover without having to have a direct view of what is happening on the ground.

A communicator will be placed on the ammunition of the soldier of the future, which will determine the coordinates of the soldier using GPS and GLONASS systems, which will make it quite easy to solve the tasks of target designation and orientation on the ground. In this case, the location of the soldier on the battlefield will be automatically transmitted to the command post. Thanks to this, the unit commander will not only see where each of his fighters is, but also move them like “pawns” on a chessboard for more effective solution assigned task.

Shooting complex

One of the most important parts of the equipment of the “soldier of the future” is the means of fire destruction. It seems that along with the new kit, the main weapon brand will also change in the army. The AK-74 machine gun of the Mikhail Kalashnikov system, familiar to everyone, will retire. It will be replaced by a whole family of new rifle and grenade launcher systems of the Kovrov Mechanical Plant named after Degtyarev. Changing the "brand" as the "Warrior" itself is a requirement of the time.

Russia no longer needs mass army, - says the editor of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland" Viktor Murakhovsky. - The Kovrov automatic machine AEK-971 is primarily focused on a contract soldier, for whom service is a profession. A distinctive feature of the AEK-971 is an automation system that compensates for recoil with a special balancer device moving in the opposite direction to the bolt group. Thanks to this, when shooting from AEK-971, the first three bullets hit the top ten. Then, as with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, the second and third bullets always deviate to the side.

In addition, the AEK-971 machine gun is equipped with a folding stock. It is equipped with the so-called Picatinny frames, which allow you to mount any night vision sights on the barrel, as well as thermal imaging sighting systems. In addition, the soldier will receive a video module that will allow him to fire from around a corner or cover without leaning out.

In addition, Degtyarev immediately offers a whole family of new weapons for the Ratnik: a modernized 7.62 mm Pecheneg machine gun and a new 5.45 mm Tokar assault machine gun. There will be a new 6V7M sniper rifle of 12.7 mm caliber, a new grenade-machine-gun system with quick-detachable barrels of 25 and 12.7 mm. Outwardly, it is very similar to a portable automatic grenade launcher AGS-30 "Flame", but several kilograms lighter than it, which allows it to be carried by one fighter. A new portable artillery system of 23 mm caliber will also appear to destroy material objects.

degree of expectation

The adoption of the "Warrior" does not mean that work on the "soldier of the future" equipment set has been completed. According to Dmitry Semizorov, the contract with the Ministry of Defense is for 3 years. During this time, the industry must not only produce equipment, but also complete testing and fine-tuning of its individual elements to the requirements of the military. Therefore, the "Warrior" will enter the troops "in parts".

Nevertheless, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces is sure that already now the new set of equipment will not only provide the possibility for military personnel to perform combat missions at any time of the day and under various conditions. climatic conditions. When motorized rifle units are equipped with the Ratnik outfit, the probability of completing combat missions increases one and a half to two times. In the case of the Airborne Forces, the Marine Corps and the GRU special forces, this figure may be even higher, since a specialized set of equipment for a soldier of the future is being developed for these units, taking into account the specifics of their tasks. According to the plans of the Ministry of Defense, in 2014, 5-7 formations will receive the new Ratnik combat kit, and all the rest will be changed over the next five years.

The armament of the Russian warrior consisted of a sword, saber, spear, sulitz, bow, dagger-knife, various kinds percussion weapons (axes, maces, bludgeons, six-fingers, klevtsy), piercing-chopping reeds-halberds; various protective weapons, including, as a rule, a helmet, a shield, a breastplate-cuirass, some elements of armor (bracers, greaves, shoulder pads). Sometimes the horses of wealthy warriors were also removed with protective weapons. In this case, the muzzle, neck, chest (sometimes both chest and croup) and legs of the animal were protected.
Slavic swords IX-XI centuries differed little from the swords of Western Europe. Nevertheless, modern scientists divide them into two dozen types, differing mainly in the shape of the cross and handle. The blades of Slavic swords of the 9th-10th centuries are almost the same type - from 90 to 100 cm long, with a blade width at the handle of 5-7 cm, with a narrowing towards the tip. In the middle of the blade, as a rule, one dol passed. Sometimes there were two or even three of these dols. The true purpose of the fuller is to increase the strength characteristics of the sword, primarily the working moment of inertia of the blade. The thickness of the blade in the depth of the valley is 2.5-4 mm, outside the valley - 5-8 mm. The weight of such a sword averaged one and a half to two kilograms. In the future, swords, like other weapons, change significantly. Preserving the continuity of development, at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th centuries, swords become shorter (up to 86 cm), lighter (up to 1 kg) and thinner, their length, which occupied half the width of the blade in the 9th-10th centuries, occupies only a third in the 11th-12th centuries. in order to completely turn into a narrow groove in the XIII century. The hilt of the sword was often made of several layers of leather, rarely with any, more often wooden, filler. Sometimes the handle was wrapped with a rope, more often with special impregnation.
The guard and "apple" of the sword were often decorated with fine workmanship, precious materials and blackening. The blade of the sword was often covered with patterns. The handle was crowned with the so-called "apple" - a knob at the end. He not only decorated the sword and prevented the hand from slipping off the hilt, but sometimes acted as a balance. With a sword in which the center of gravity was close to the hilt, it was more convenient to fight, but a blow with the same given impulse of force turned out to be easier.
Brands were often applied to the valleys of ancient swords, often representing complex abbreviations of words; from the second half of the 13th century, the brands decrease in size, are applied not to the valley, but to the edge of the blade, and subsequently blacksmiths apply brands in the form of symbols. Such is, for example, the "Passaur spinning top", applied to the Dovmont sword. The study of blacksmith marks on blades and armor is a separate section of historical sphragistics.
In collisions with light and mobile nomads for cavalrymen, a lighter weapon became a more advantageous weapon. saber. The saber strike turns out to be sliding, and its shape determines the displacement of the weapon upon impact towards the handle, facilitating the release of the weapon. It seems that already in the 10th century, Russian blacksmiths, familiar with the products of Eastern and Byzantine craftsmen, forged sabers with a center of gravity shifted to the tip, which made it possible, with the same given impulse of force, to deliver a more powerful blow.
It should be noted that some blades of the 18th-20th centuries retain traces of forging (more elongated, "twisted" metal grains are visible in the microscopic analysis of metallographic sections), i.e. old blades, including swords, became "new" in shape in the forges, lighter and more comfortable.
A spear was among the first tools of human labor. In Russia, the spear was one of the most common elements of weapons for both foot and cavalry warriors. The spears of the riders had a length of about 4-5 meters, the foot soldiers - a little more than two. separate view Russian spear was spear- a spear with a wide diamond-shaped or laurel-shaped tip up to 40 cm long (only the tip), planted on a shaft. Such a spear could not only stab, but also chop and cut. In Europe, a similar type of spear was called protazana.
In addition to the horn, a proper name in the sources was given to a throwing spear - sulica. These spears were relatively short (probably 1-1.5 meters) with a narrow, light point. Some modern reenactors add a belt loop to the shaft of the sulica. The loop allows you to throw the sulitz farther and more accurately.
Archaeological finds allow us to say that in Ancient Russia were widespread and pillums, a weapon that was still in service with the Roman legionnaires - throwing spears with a long, up to 1 m, tip neck and a wooden handle. In addition to the striking function, these spears, which pierced a simple shield and got stuck in it, became a significant obstacle to the owner of the shield and did not allow it to be used correctly. In addition, as the armor becomes stronger, another type of spear appears - peak. The pike was distinguished by a narrow, often trihedral tip, impaled on a light shaft. The pike displaced both the spear and the horn, first from the equestrian, and then from the foot weapons. Pikes were in service with various troops until the outbreak of World War II.
Among several types of percussion weapons, the main one in terms of prevalence is axe. Blade length battle ax was 9-15 cm, width - 12-15 cm, diameter of the hole for the handle - 2-3 cm, weight of the battle ax - from 200 to 500 g.
Archaeologists have discovered both mixed-purpose axes weighing up to 450 g, and purely battle axes - coinage- 200-350 g. The length of the handle of the battle ax was 60-70 cm.
Used by Russian soldiers and special throwing axes (European name Francis), which had a rounded shape. Like swords, axes were often made of iron, with a narrow strip of carbon steel on the blade. Due to its low cost, versatility, ease of use and high pressure, developed on a surface that resists impact, axes have become in fact a folk Russian weapon.
A much rarer type of ax was ax- a larger and heavier, up to 3 kg, and sometimes more, battle ax.
Mace also common percussion hand weapon, having a spherical or pear-shaped pommel (strike part), sometimes equipped with spikes, which was mounted on a wooden or metal handle or forged together with the handle. In the late Middle Ages, maces with sharp spikes were called "morgenstern" - the morning star - one of the earliest examples of "black" humor. Some maces had a pyramidal shape with four spikes. It is these tops that are found on the first Russian maces made of iron (less often of bronze). The mace, which had several sharp edges (4-12) in the warhead, was called in Russia pernach. In the 11th-12th centuries, the standard weight of a Russian mace without a handle was 200-300 grams. In the 13th century, the mace was often transformed into a shestoper (pernach), when blades with sharp corners appeared in the striking part, allowing them to pierce more powerful armor. The handle of the mace reached 70 cm. A blow with such a mace, even inflicted on a helmet or armor, can cause serious damage to health in the form of a concussion or, for example, injure a hand through a shield. In time immemorial, ceremonial maces appeared, and later marshal's batons, made using precious metals.
war hammer, in fact, was the same mace, but by the 15th century it had developed into a real monster with a point, lead weighting and a long, up to one and a half meters, heavy handle. Such a weapon, to the detriment of combat qualities, was awesome.
Flail It was a shock part attached to the handle with a strong flexible connection.
Battle flail actually was a flail on a long handle.
Klevets, in fact, was the same mace with a single, sometimes slightly bent to the handle, spike.
Murder weapon with a beautiful Italian name filling It was a battle flail with several shock parts.
Berdysh was a broad long ax in the form of a crescent (with a blade length of 10 to 50 cm), usually ending in a point on the side of the reverse handle.
Halberd(from the Italian alabarda) - a piercing-cutting type weapon, structurally close to a reed, combining a long spear and a wide ax.
There are dozens of other elements of weapons, of course, which were used by Russian soldiers. This and combat pitchfork, and owls, and exotic guisarmes.
The complexity and subtlety of its design strikes the medieval onion, sometimes assembled from dozens of parts. Note that the tension force of a combat bow reached 80 kg, while a modern male sports bow has a tension force of only 35-40 kg.
Protective armor most often consisted of a helmet, breastplate, handrails, greaves and some elements of less common protective weapons. Helmets of the 9th-12th centuries were usually riveted from several (as a rule, 4-5, less often 2-3) sector-shaped fragments, either with overlapping parts on top of each other, or with the use of overlapping plates. Visually monolithic (riveted flush and polished in such a way that it gives the impression of one piece of metal) helmets become only in the XIII century. Many helmets were supplemented with aventail - chain mail mesh covering the cheeks and neck. Sometimes, from non-ferrous metals with gilding or silvering, elements decorating the helmet were made. One type of helmet becomes hemispherical, sits deeper on the head, covering the temple and ear, the other is strongly extended and, moreover, crowned with a high spire. There is also a modernization of the helmet into a shishak - a low, with a height less than the radius, a hemispherical helmet.
It seems that both the helmet and the armor of a Russian, and most likely, a medieval warrior were most often made of leather, made of specially processed leather. Only this can explain such a small number of finds of elements of protective armor by archaeologists (until 1985, 37 helmets, 112 chain mail, parts of 26 plate and scaly armor, 23 shield fragments were found throughout the USSR). Leather, with appropriate processing, in terms of strength characteristics was almost not inferior to low-quality steel grades. Her weight was less than almost an order of magnitude! The hardness of the surface layer of treated leather is higher than the hardness of "soft" steels, some types of brass and copper. The main disadvantage of leather armor was its low wear. Three or four cycles of thermal cycling, sometimes just prolonged rain, was enough to reduce the strength of leather armor by 2-3 times. That is, after 4-5 "outputs" leather armor, strictly speaking, fell into disrepair and passed to a junior "by rank" or by condition.
Those type-setting armor that we see in medieval drawings were primarily leather. Leather pieces were riveted in rings or tied with leather braid. Also, from four to six pieces of leather, a helmet was assembled. It may be objected to this remark: why are the remains of ancient edged weapons so insignificant. But edged weapons were reforged - after all, steel in the Middle Ages was expensive, and most blacksmiths could reforge a sword into a saber, but only a few could make steel, even of very low quality.
Most medieval drawings show us warriors in scaly armor made of leather. So, on the famous "Bayi Carpet" there is not a single warrior in chain mail stockings; Angus McBride - main artist series "Osprey" - in such stockings he "dressed" almost half of the warriors drawn by him in the book "Normans". Out of a hundred and fifty medieval drawings, I found only seven, where the warriors were supposedly depicted in chain mail stockings, most in leather braids and boots. Of course, chain mail stockings, and forged plate armor, and steel helmets with a visor or with a "mask" took place. But only the highest nobility could order and dress them - kings and princes, wealthy knights and boyars. Even a warlike rich city dweller, who went to the militia with pleasure and pride, could not always afford full metal armor - it cost so much and was slowly completed. Steel plate armor spread more and more, but more often as tournament armor, from the second quarter of the 14th century.
An amazing, actually composite in terms of material design was a medieval shield. Between the layers of thick, specially processed leather that made it up, strong thin woven shaping branches, and flat shales, and layers of horn, and the same flat, thin metal flash were placed. Such a shield was exceptionally strong and light and, alas, completely short-lived.
Artels of gunsmiths were respected and popular in the Middle Ages, but the lack of special literature that consolidated the successes achieved for posterity made this delicate production unstable, when the final products, be it a shield or a sword made by a crafty craftsman, were inferior the best examples repeatedly. Difficult-to-achieve, expensively bought strength increasingly gave way to decorative trim, partly turned into a whole artificial science in Western Europe - heraldry.
Do I need to say that dressed in metal armor warriors made an exceptional impression on contemporaries. The artists tried to capture the sparkle of elegant metal forms that struck them on the elegant figures of the nobility. Armor, as an element of pictorial enhancement of the image, was used by almost all the great painters of the late Middle Ages: Dürer, Raphael, Botticelli, Brueghel, Titian, Leonardo, and Velazquez. Surprisingly, nowhere, except for the muscular cuirass on the Medici tomb, did the great Michelangelo depict armor. Restrained by severe religious restrictions, Russian artists also painted armor in icons and illustrations very carefully.
The helmet and cuirass were and remain the elements of lamellar protective weapons that once and for all found their place and passed along with hoplites and centurions, knights and knights, cuirassiers and today's special forces. Although there is a huge distance between the "muscular" cuirass of the 4th century BC and today's "composite" body armor.
Considering the armament of a Russian warrior, one can assume a possible sequence of his actions in an offensive battle. A sword or saber in a leather or cloth sheath hung on the side of the combatant. A sliding blow of a saber with a center of gravity shifted to the point, inflicted by a skillful hand forward and down, was more terrible than a blow with a sword.
At the belt in a quiver made of birch bark, covered with leather, the warrior kept up to two dozen arrows, behind his back - a bow. The bowstring was stretched immediately before use in order to avoid loss of the elastic properties of the bow. The bow required special careful preparation and care. Often they were soaked in special brines, rubbed with compositions, the essence of which was kept secret.
The armament of the Russian archer should also include a special bracer (protecting from a blow with a released bowstring), worn by a right-handed man on left hand, as well as half rings and ingenious mechanical devices that made it possible to pull the bowstring.
Often Russian soldiers used and crossbow, today better known as the crossbow.
Sometimes heavy, and sometimes light long spears served at the very beginning of the battle. If it was not possible in the first clash to hit the enemy from afar with an arrow, the warrior took up the sulitz - a short throwing spear, a melee weapon.
As the equestrian combatant approached the enemy, one weapon could replace another: from afar, he showered the enemy with arrows, approaching, sought to hit with an abandoned sulitz, then a spear and, finally, a saber or sword went into action. Although, rather, specialization came to the fore, when archers showered the enemy with arrows, spearmen "took them into spears", and "swordsmen" worked with a sword or saber to the point of fatigue.
The armament of Russian soldiers was not inferior to the best Western European and Asian models, it was distinguished by its versatility, reliability and the highest fighting qualities.
Unfortunately, the constant modernization of the best samples, sometimes carried out by not the best craftsmen, did not bring them to us, the distant descendants of the warriors who were once armed with them. On the other hand, the poor preservation of the ancient book wealth of Russia and the policy pursued by some influential layers of the Russian medieval state did not even bring us any mention of the production of high-quality steels in Russia, the art of blacksmiths and shield-makers, the design of throwing weapons ...

History has almost no evidence of the upbringing of future warriors in Russia, although it is known that the art of war among the ancient Slavs was extremely developed, this was noted by the ancient Greeks, Romans-Byzantines and even the Romans.

The testimonies of strangers and the conspiracies of grandmothers-whisperers have come down to us, speaking of the many dangers that lay in wait for the boys: “Otherwise be safe: from an ax, from a squeaker, from Tatar peaks, from a red-hot arrow, from a wrestler and a fist fighter ...”

Testimony of foreigners

The Roman writer Publius Tacitus in the 1st century testified that the tribes of the Wends ( Eastern Slavs) "carry shields and move very quickly on foot." So that main force Slavs were detachments of foot soldiers armed with spears and shields.

The emperor of the "Romans" Mauritius the Strategist in the VI century pointed out: "The tribes of the Slavs ... are not inclined to obedience, they are extremely brave and hardy ... their young men are excellent at weapons." The Byzantine commander of the 10th century, Nicephorus Foka, attributed his success on the island of Crete, when his elite army defeated the Arab pirates, to the participation of "well-trained Ross and Tauro-Scythians" in the sortie.

Historians are inclined to believe that until the 10th century, the state structure of the Slavs was military democracy, everything was decided by the council of elders, the general assembly, and during the war - the prince-commander.

The Romans pointed out the difference between the Slavs and the Roman army: among the Slavs, every man was a warrior, and there was only one division by age - the soldiers were divided into youths and veterans.

Such a division reached the 10th century: the princely squad was divided into a paternal squad and a junior squad. The youngest was recruited from youths of 10-12 years old, in peacetime teenagers served older soldiers, in wartime they gained experience and gradually replaced their fathers.

Education began with tonsure

It is known that the upbringing of the future warrior began at the age of two and coincided with the rite of tonsure - when the boy's hair was touched by scissors for the first time. On this day, the child was put on a horse for the first time and watched how he behaved: the future brave warrior had to cling tightly to the horse's mane so as not to fall.

At the age of four, the “uncle” began to take care of the prince’s sons - an experienced warrior, combatant of the prince, who was responsible for his upbringing and often became a mentor to the boy instead of dead father. AT simple families The children were taken care of by the father and older brothers.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" tells how Olga's son, Prince Svyatoslav, participated in the campaign as a child: he threw a spear at the Drevlyans, but it, having flown "between the horse's ears", fell under his feet, "for Svyatoslav was still a child." The commanders Asmud and Sveneld hurried to the rescue of the young man, supporting the boy’s decision: “The prince has already begun; let's follow, squad, for the prince.

From wooden swords to weapons

Children were accustomed to weapons from childhood, which is confirmed by the finds of archaeologists who find children's wooden swords in the excavations of ancient settlements, the shape of which repeats adult weapons. It can be assumed that it was wooden weapons that were used to teach children and adolescents.

In addition to the children's sword, the boys' toys were a horse, boats, tops, sleds and balls - all this developed dexterity and strength. The boys were also given real weapons and did it quite early - a child could receive the first sword or dagger at the age of 6–7. They were taught horseback riding, archery, wielding a spear, sword, throwing knives and axes. Writer Sergei Maksimov believed that even feast could serve as training for young warriors.

Agility developed in games

The creator of the Slavic-Goritsa wrestling, Alexander Belov, who studied military culture in Russia, noted that children's amusements played a training role: playing King of the Hill, capturing an ice fortress, fistfights, swings, bast shoes and riding downhill brought up endurance, strength, dexterity and the ability to take care of yourself.

Another Russian fun that taught the young man to war was hunting, which many families lived on. Hunting taught to read tracks, choose a place for an ambush, use natural shelters, wait patiently, sitting in the swamps among midges, quickly kill even a large and strong animal. It was a special valor to go to a bear with a horn - a thick spear with a sharp and very long tip.

Don't sleep and rely on God

Of course, the strongest survived in battles, and many young fighters died in the very first battles. But those who survived learned quickly and became strong and very cautious warriors.

The Kyiv prince Vladimir Monomakh recalled that in his youth, the tours overturned him twice with his horse, a deer and an elk gored him with their horns, another elk trampled on his feet, a boar tore his sword from his hip, and a bear, jumping on a horse, knocked him down together with prince and bit his leg. Many times the prince fell from his horse, broke his arms and legs, "but God saved him."

In "Teaching Children" the prince said that he made 83 military campaigns, captured 300 Polovtsian princes, executed more than two hundred, and set a hundred free. He urged the children not to be lazy, not to indulge in drinking or gluttony, to place guards themselves at night, to go to bed next to the soldiers, to get up early, to keep weapons at hand, to beware of lies and always and in everything to rely on God.

It would seem that quite recently a new system of combat equipment "Warrior" came to the army, and the military is already initiating the development of next-generation kits. Of course, the Ratnik, which has been supplied to the Russian army since 2014, has been improved and supplemented all this time. And the kit that will replace it, already called the Centurion, will not be a completely new development. It will become a logical continuation, in which a number of modern technologies, for example, it is possible to use an exoskeleton, and the elements that have proven themselves in practice will remain the same. Rostec has already begun development work on the creation of Sotnik in 2020. It is assumed that the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering of the Rostec State Corporation will become the lead enterprise of the project.

Armor of the future

Personal military equipment in the realities of modern armed conflicts continues to play an important role. Gone are the days of gigantic armies, today the focus is on compact, well-armed and equipped elite units controlled by digital systems. All the leading powers of the world are moving in this direction. Russia also did not stand aside: in the 2000s, defense companies began to develop elements of equipment for the “soldier of the future”.

A set of combat equipment "Warrior" for a scout and a protective kit for the crews of armored vehicles 6B48 "Warrior-ZK"

For the first time, a new outfit called "Warrior" was shown in 2011. According to the results of military tests, the "Warrior" received high marks from the military and was recommended for mass production. New kits began to arrive in active military formations in 2014. On the this moment delivered about 200 thousand sets. The creation and commissioning of the Ratnik equipment became part of a large-scale renewal of the Russian army.

If at the initial stage the "Warrior" was perceived as a new uniform from modern materials, then later the concept changed, and today the kit includes several dozen elements. It is important to understand that the "Warrior" is a modular complex, and its various parts can be combined with each other depending on the type of troops, tasks of the unit, season or place of use. The modular nature of the "Warrior" allows you to replace its parts without losing the efficiency of the whole. Since its inception, the kit has not ceased to change and improve. Some elements become obsolete and are updated (for example, means of communication), some leave, new ones appear. Now the second generation kit is being supplied to the army, and they are preparing to launch work on the creation of the third "Warrior".

Details of the "Warrior"

The outfit of the "soldier of the future" combines the most advanced solutions and technologies that are used today in military uniforms. The tasks of the "Warrior" are to provide the fighter with high efficiency and maximum safety in any conditions, as well as continuous communication with the command. These tasks are solved with the help of five interconnected subsystems: destruction, protection, control, life support and energy supply. This includes everything you need to conduct modern combat: from shoes, clothes and weapons to high-tech means of protection, aiming, surveillance, target designation and communications.

Head-mounted monitor

The Ratnik helmet is made of composite materials and protects against bullets from a Makarov pistol from a distance of 5 meters, as well as fragments of mines and grenades. It is recognized by the international community as the lightest in its class. The second generation bulletproof vest can withstand 10 hits of armor-piercing incendiary sniper bullet and bullets of the Kalashnikov AK74 from 10 meters. The vest is based on ceramic-composite armor panels, which have high strength and low weight. In the basic version, "bronik" weighs only about 7.8 kg. Assault equipment is complemented by protection of the inguinal and lateral zones and weighs approximately 15 kg. It is worth noting that the body armor is at the same time life-saving, providing the soldier with buoyancy. An important feature is that the vest is made quick-detachable, which is critical for prompt assistance in case of injury.

Also, the protection kit includes clothing made of ballistic armid fabric, goggles, knee pads and elbow pads. To distribute the weight of the equipment and its convenient storage, a transport modular vest with an adjustable number of pockets and fasteners is used.

Electronics for "smart" army

The main thing that brings the "Warrior" closer to the soldiers from science fiction films is, of course, the electronic filling. Here everything is run by "Sagittarius", a complex of intelligence, control and communications (KRUS), in fact - a personal computer adapted for ease of use in reconnaissance and combat. The components of the complex with a total weight of 2.4 kg are distributed over the transport vest, the control device in the hands of the fighter is a tablet. A more complex and functional tablet is used at the command post. The exchange of information takes place continuously over a secure channel. The soldier can transmit text data, coordinates, photos, videos. The commander on his tablet sees the location of all the fighters, can coordinate their actions, plot routes, receive data on the position of the enemy, and much more. At the same time, combat management is reminiscent of computer game, and information and the speed of its transmission become the most important components of the battle.

Commander's personal tablet computer system "Sagittarius"

The Ratnik helmet has a universal mount that can be used to hang various equipment, and it also integrates with the KRUS and participates in the exchange of important information. The video module developed by the Central Research Institute "Cyclone" of the State Corporation Rostec, consisting of a sight and a helmet-mounted monitor, allows firing from cover. A variety of sighting systems and thermal imagers can also be used. The night vision system helps to fire in low visibility conditions.

The life and energy systems of the Ratnik include backpacks of various types, seasonal camouflage kits, watches, a flashlight, a multi-tool knife, a sapper shovel, a water filter, chemical protection and control equipment, first aid medical care, autonomous heat source, battery, food appliances, tent and sleeping bag. In total, the "Warrior" has more than 50 elements. The average service life of the kit is 5 years.

third generation soldier

At the exhibition "Army-2018" a possible appearance of the "Warrior" of the third generation was shown, which reminded many attack aircraft from the saga " star Wars”, or a robot police officer from the film of the same name. The new set, which has already received the name "Sotnik", may include "mine" boots, an "anti-thermal" suit that hides the soldier from infrared sensors, and an anti-radar suit.

AT automated systems tactical level management plans to introduce micro-unmanned aircrafts. The image from the drone's camera will be projected onto the helmet's visor or goggles. It will also be possible to project control commands, maps of the area and other data onto electronic glasses.

In Sotnik, it is planned to use the chameleon electrically controlled material - the development of the Roselectronics holding. Electrochrome is able to change color depending on the masked surface and its environment. For the first time, a helmet with this unique coating was demonstrated at the Army-2018 forum.

Another novelty of Sotnik may be an evaluation module physical condition fighter. With the help of sensors, it registers and collects together data on the pulse, breathing, heart rate, pressure of the fighter in real time. In the event of a loss of combat capability, data on the state of the military and the nature of the injury or wound are transmitted to the commander and the medical brigade. Thus, the chance of quick first aid and rescue of a fighter increases, and the command can quickly make up for the loss of personnel.

The most anticipated part of the "soldier of the future" suit may be a passive exoskeleton. It has already been tested in real combat conditions and proved its effectiveness. exoskeleton increases physical abilities fighter, provides protection for the joints, spine and can be adjusted in height and completeness to a specific soldier. Development as part of Rostec is carried out by TsNIItochmash together with GB Engineering.

The exoskeleton made of lightweight carbon fiber unloads musculoskeletal system when carrying cargo weighing up to 50 kg (raid backpacks, special equipment, weapons and ammunition) during long marches or during assault operations. The product is a lever-hinged mechanical device that mimics human joints.

A passive exoskeleton, unlike active ones, does not have power sources, servos, electronics, and various types of sensors, which makes it more reliable, lighter (from 4 to 8 kg, depending on the configuration), completely autonomous and easy to maintain. Such an exoskeleton can be used not only during combat, but also in the rear - for maintenance and repair of equipment, construction and other tasks.

Thanks to the use of innovative materials and the combination of the functions of individual elements, the weight of the kit will be reduced by 20% and will amount to about 20 kilograms. Deliveries of the new Sotnik complex to the army should begin in 2025.