Translated material
Change of appearance
The army begins the transition to a new uniform
Starting from 2010, the change in the appearance of the armed forces promised by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense (this is what the army reform is officially called) will take on literal shape - the planned provision of Russian military personnel with new uniforms begins.The military uniform is conservative and not easy to change. Therefore, famous couturiers are invited to invent something new. The artist Viktor Vasnetsov was involved in the birth of the famous budenovkas, long-skirted overcoats with blue and red overlays on the chest. There is a stylization of the attire of Russian heroes. Leading heralds, designers and fashion designers worked on the current military uniform. The main requirement is functionality. Previously, this criterion was not considered the main one: at different times, the Russian military was dressed in uncomfortable shakos, tight leggings, and mentiks. All this was architectural excess for battle.” The main reason for the appearance of a new military dress is a change in methods of warfare and conditions of service. And this entails the use of new technologies.
Making the new mold took more than two years. Specialists from the rear of the armed forces, the military-scientific committee of the Central Clothing Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the Central Research Institute of the Leather Industry, the Central Research Institute of the Garment Industry, and research and production laboratories of enterprises worked on the sketches. Military surveys were conducted.
The collection of experimental forms was approved by the President of Russia in February 2008. Prior to this, the Board of the Ministry of Defense, having considered the military uniform options proposed by domestic clothing developers, chose the color, design and materials presented by Valentin Yudashkin. All items of the new military uniform are patented. The exclusive right to a patent belongs to the Russian Federation, on behalf of which the Ministry of Defense acts.
To study the operational characteristics of experimental samples, pilot batches of promising everyday and field uniforms were produced - a total of 20 thousand sets. They use the best, world-class textile materials, including foreign ones. Military tests of the uniform took place in military units and military educational institutions of the ground forces, airborne forces, special forces, internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and special forces.
The differences between the new form and the previous version are significant. There are now no patch pockets on shirts and jackets. Veterans called them “NATO” (there are indeed similarities) and “Vlasov”. In addition, the pockets were simply non-functional - the serviceman was still forbidden to carry anything in them.
The crowns of the caps became 2 cm shorter, approaching the caps of the 1930s. The general's cap was generally designed by making a copy of Marshal Zhukov's cap. It is quite possible that the shape of the astrakhan fur hat, which was returned for colonels and generals in 2005, will also change. Generals will have gold embroidery on their sleeve cuffs, collar and cap. We had this kind of sewing in the 1970s. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov once admitted that he, then a private, really liked this uniform.
The general's boots became pointed. For the first time in Russian history, officers will have sweaters. The sailors will be given back the white dress uniform, the pilots will be given the blue one and the famous “wings” on their caps. Leather coats will be returned to aviation generals. The leather jacket of a simple pilot will become shorter, but will be lined with fur on the inside, with a fur collar. By the way, pilots are given leather jackets because leather melts at temperatures above 100 degrees. This will make it more likely for a pilot to survive a burning plane. In the advertising photo, the pilot in the new jacket looks very much like an American pilot.
Boots and foot wraps are cancelled. This is symbolic - the Red Army got rid of windings for the first time. The bottle boots will be left only to the Kremlin regiment. The army will also get rid of the subject of many jokes - the famous drawstring pants. On the collars of the outer jackets of representatives of the ground forces there will be a hood and long flaps with Velcro - they will tightly cover the neck. Overcoats will also become more closed - this is the wish of the military personnel who tested the clothes.
A woolen coat for an officer uses drape and cloth, containing up to 90% wool. For women, such coats are completely woolen, and even lightweight. The new form uses up to 10% polyester fibers - “to impart crease-resistant properties and increase abrasion resistance.” The fabrics have a stain-resistant Teflon finish.
It is known that the uniforms of strategic missilemen, who are on duty continuously for six hours, and submariners accumulate static electricity in the compartments of boats. To prevent this from happening, the clothes of these specialists were made entirely of cotton.
The camouflages use fabrics using membrane materials and lightweight synthetic insulation. And the camouflage colors will be different to distinguish a real military man from fishermen, hunters, foresters and other lovers of green stains. The color will now be dark green with small specks. Most field suits are made of mixed fabrics with holofiber insulation. Summer suits are made of cotton-polyester fabric of the “rick-stop” type. Such material is difficult to cut even with a knife.
The special forces uniform consists of four layers. The first is unified special (hygienic, fire-retardant) underwear, including in some cases thermal underwear. The second is anti-allergenic insulating materials. The third one is waterproof. The fourth is camouflage. It is interesting that the “plain” special forces soldiers have 36 items in their clothes, while the mountain ones have 86. The lowland version of the special forces uniform costs 40 thousand rubles, the mountain version with equipment costs 140 thousand.
The fabric of camouflage suits is made using nanotechnology. Lightweight, high-quality cloth, worsted and mixed fabrics with high hygienic properties and increased resistance to abrasion are widely used.
The new shoes are made of high quality soft genuine leather. Field boots - made of soft hydrophobic leather with a lightweight molded rubber sole and antibacterial insoles. Overall, the shoes have become 200-300 grams lighter. The army is being freed from the notorious tarpaulin - a leather substitute (the word “tarpaulin” itself is an abbreviation for the Kirov plant, which sewed army boots from artificial leather).
The uniforms of submariners and submariners differ. For hot regions, sailors will be given a special suit in light blue: shorts, a cap with a visor like a baseball cap. For the upper mooring crews, overalls made of durable synthetic fabrics with water-resistant properties have been developed.
The developer of the new military uniform, Valentin Yudashkin, despite his non-military appearance, served in units of the Military Topographical Directorate of the General Staff in 1982-1984. He says that it was then that he developed a passion for modeling. Even then, the future couturier sewed standard soldier's uniforms for demobilized soldiers, combed overcoats and even added aiguillettes. The designer has not received and does not require royalties from the Ministry of Defense, says the head of the armed forces' logistics department, Deputy Minister of Defense, Colonel General Dmitry Bulgakov. By the way, another famous couturier Vyacheslav Zaitsev created a collection of police uniforms two years ago.
To date, more than 80 samples of new military uniforms have been developed - dress, casual, field, for special forces, special. It is still necessary to prepare a regulatory framework and coordinate with various federal bodies the draft presidential decree “On military uniforms, insignia of military personnel and departmental insignia.” Draft government resolutions, orders of the Minister of Defense “On the rules for wearing military uniforms”, “On the description of items of military uniform for military personnel”, etc. are being developed.
The transition to wearing a new uniform is planned to be carried out in stages, until 2013. It will be issued to military personnel as the existing uniform wears out. The first to wear the new uniform will be the Kremlin regiment, units of the capital's garrison, mountain brigades and special forces.
From 2012, military personnel will no longer receive military uniforms. They will buy it, receiving about $1,000 for this purpose. The final cost of various sets of military clothing has not yet been calculated, but it is much more expensive than before. The last change in the military uniform of the Russian army occurred not so long ago - on May 8, 2005, then President Vladimir Putin approved the current attributes of military uniforms. Two years after Anatoly Serdyukov became head of the military department, the development of a new uniform began. With a million military personnel, this requires a huge amount of money. The Ministry of Defense refused to sew a new uniform in 2009; it required 2.2 billion rubles, but the crisis pushed back these plans.