DRDO to design Army suits to manage climate
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Chennai: The DRDO’s plan to come out with climate-controlled suits for those serving under minus 35 degree Celsius weather has fascinated retired Army officers who have served in high altitude regions and also in the desert areas of the country.
“If they can produce something like that, it will be a big improvement to the climate-controlled clothing that we used during our days,” said Brigadier (retd) Mohan Bharathan, who had served the country in the western sector during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
Noting that it will be a huge enhancement to the existing special high altitude clothing for the Army, Brig. Bharathan said the instances of frostbite at Siachen glacier would come down with such specialised clothing. Further he said lighter suits would increase mobility and comfort level of the user.
Brig (retd) V.A. Subramanyam, who had seen varied locations with extreme climates in his long career, pointed out that reducing weight of the dress using nanotechnology would help Army personnel in a big way.
“We cannot stop carrying arms and ammunition. But at least, if the weight of the dress is lighter then it will enable our men to move faster,” he said.
Further, he pointed out that that camouflaging the Army suit as per the region would also help in hiding the personnel from today’s modern satellite imagery.
“Today due to global warming, there is inconsistency in temperature levels and hence, DRDO’s plan to improve snow and desert clothing is commendable,” he said, adding that if the suits were stitched in sand colour, it would be very useful for those working in deserts.
“While innovation in defence clothing is important, let Armymen also have the will power to sustain any climate,” said Lt Col (retd) Jayakumar, who served at Siachen. Brig. Bharathan added that the Army would never let down people and cited the example of how soldiers produced results at the Siachen glacier whether they had warm clothing or otherwise.
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