All’s cool at the front

Indian soldiers to go cooler with heat-resistant suits

All's cool at the front

Indian soldiers to go cooler with heat-resistant suits

Indian soldiers can now look forward to fighting battles more comfortably. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing special heat-resistant suits so that soldiers sitting inside battle tanks will sweat less. Called Thermo Electric Cooling Suit, the device can maintain the temperature of a human body at a comfortable level. "The temperature inside a battle tank can go up to an unbearable 60 degrees Celsius. The suit that will be worn like a vest brings down the temperature to 28 degrees," said Chief Controller, Life Sciences, DRDO, W Selvamurthy.

Explaining the device, Selvamurthy said, "Water is used through pipes fitted inside the suit to cool the soldier's body. The pipes run close to the skin with water circulating inside it. It can absorb heat equivalent to emitted by a 200 Watt device and suits the operational requirement of the Army."

The cooling unit which will be fitted to the tank's body weighs around 9 Kg but the vest weighs only 300 grams. The performance of the entire device has already been checked inside various Indian Army tanks and summer trials too will be carried out soon.

Meanwhile, the Army has suggested a few modifications. Instead of a full body suit, it wants a device which will protect the chest, head and back of a soldier. "All the modifications will be integrated later. But so far the tests have proven successful," said Selvamurthy.

Apart from soldiers of the armored core who fight from inside the tanks, the special suits can also be used in Nuclear, Chemical and Biological (NBC) operations. "These suits can be used for long durations and can be modified for several other operations like NBC and decontamination," said the scientist.

To suit field operations, scientists are looking forward to integrate an independent battery unit in the suit to allow long-range human movement. "A 400-watt battery will suffice the purpose after making necessary changes in the initial designs," said Selvamurthy.

MECON, which developed the design of the suit, has been appointed the industry partner and will also participate in the production. "The actual production will start after the trials are over and the user approves the final design," said Selvamurthy.