A day of border defense company practicing with new integrated individual system

Armed soldiers assigned to a border defense company under the PLA Xinjiang Military Command stand in formation at a recent fitting ceremony of the new-type equipment. (Photo by Xiang Xudong)

On an early winter morning, the temperature on the Karakoram Plateau at about 4,500 meters above sea level dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius. A sudden whistle broke the silence of a training ground on the plateau, where service members of an artillery command company of a regiment under the PLA Xinjiang Military Command equipped with a new type of integrated individual system began to maneuver quickly towards the designated area more than 10 kilometers away.

Recently, the regiment has been equipped with the new integrated individual system, which includes new-type helmet, multi-function night vision goggles, portable computer, individual load carrier, assault rucksack and others. With a variety of equipment included, the system can help service members adapt to different regions and environments and meet the needs of diversified military tasks.

"Compared with the previous load carrier, the new system has many advanced features. It is more convenient to carry with and provides better protection. Integrated with informatization and intelligence capabilities, the system is a more battle-oriented device. It allows the commander to know about the dynamic of each individual and have a comprehensive picture of the mission," said Wu Shengnian, commander of the company. The new integrated individual system has improved the previous tactical vest and assault rucksack, added with a passive identification card, water purification system, oxygen generation system and accessories for other functions. The system therefore can better meet the needs of individual soldier to carry out diversified tasks.

When carrying out drills on the extremely cold plateau, lack of oxygen and water is the major difficulty faced by the service members. "The oxygen generation system and water purification system of the new integrated individual system have effectively solved the difficulty," Luo Qiang, head of the radar station, introduced delightedly.

The Karakoram Plateau is a place where oxygen concentration is half of that on the plain and wild wind and sandstorm strike frequently. Training under such environment is a serious challenge for every service member. Fortunately, with the distribution of the new integrated individual system, they can take in oxygen at any time on the oxygen-deficient plateau and move more easily, even with nearly 30 kg materials loaded.

During the daily training drill in late November, after marching for more than 10 kilometers, the company conducted a tactical drill in the predetermined area. After using UAVs to carry out reconnaissance, they separated into several groups to encircle the mock enemy and successfully subdued all targets under close cooperation among various squads.

During the lunch break, Wu Shengnian drank warm water from a multipurpose kettle. As he introduced, the newly distributed multipurpose vacuum kettle is made of pure titanium material and uses electricity to keep water warm. Thanks to the new kettle, they can drink warm water anytime and anywhere, despite the extremely cold conditions.

After a short break, they maneuvered a long distance with heavy load to attack another group of mock enemies. On the way, they had to deal with all kinds of special situations. Before treating the simulated wounded member, Private First Class Ren Hang, a medical corpsman of the company, quickly took off the tactical vest and assault backpack off the "wounded" by simply pulling a rope. After that, he carried out timely battlefield rescue with a first-aid kit.

When encountering a small group of "enemies" in the drill, Luo Qiang quickly located and reported their position, and gave orders to properly deal with the situation. All these were done on his newly-distributed portable individual computer.

By the end of the routine daily training drill, the service members have had a better understanding of the performance and application of the newly distributed system. According to Wu Shengnian, commander of the company, the company has worked out a new equipment training plan after the distribution of the system, took the initiative to communicate with the manufacturer many times, explored the operational performance parameters of the new system in live-fire training, and adjusted the matching components in line with the practical task, task type and combat position. Obviously, the plan has effectively improved the operational efficiency and combat capability of the border defense troops.