With the objective of countering China in the harsh cold climes of ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh besides dominating Siachen, for the first time the Indian Army has started equipping its soldiers with extreme winter clothing.
Unlike the present bulky jackets and trousers, these three-layered suits can withstand minus 50 degree temperature and are easy to wear.Besides suits, the Army has also placed an order for three-layered modular gloves to prevent soldiers from suffering frostbites and chilblains. The gloves, that have been imported from Switzerland will start coming into the units by December end.
The need for having Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System was felt since the present clothes issued to the jawans were bulky, uncomfortable and hampered operational efficiency.The standard suits used by the jawans, at present, are down-filled jackets and trousers. These are worn by majority of troops operating in altitudes of more than 16,000 feet, officials said here on Wednesday.
These bulky suits have to be worn to withstand extreme cold, but they affect operations like long-range patrolling in knee deep snow, as soldiers get bogged down by the weight of their equipment including rucksacks carrying sleeping bags, rations, ammunition and rifles. Moreover, soldiers have to remove the entire suit after returning to their bases, thereby making the process cumbersome and time-consuming.
To deal with the problem, the Army carried out a detailed study last year and then sent its experts abroad to see how the other armies kit their soldiers to fight in cold weather.Based on their study, the Army then zeroed in on a Switzerland-based firm for supplying jackets and trousers costing $380 (Rs 23,707) and bought 42,000 suits for troops stationed in Siachen, Kargil, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and ladakh five months ago.
These suits have enhanced the flexibility and mobility of troops besides their efficiency as they can put on or remove the three-layered winter clothing according to the vagaries of the weather.While the first layer is made of Polar fleece, the second layer is polyester with kevlar while the outermost layer is made of Gore-Tex material. A soldier can withstand temperatures below minus 50 degrees once clad in the three-layered protective clothing. In slightly less cold weather, the jawan can remove the outer layer.
Explaining the necessity of procuring 65,000 pairs of three-layered modular gloves, officials said most injuries suffered in Siachen and other such places are frostbite and chilblains. If not attended to properly, the fingers and toes have to be amputated to prevent gangrene from setting in.The new gloves costing $170 (Rs 10,621) a pair will prevent frostbites to a large extent as the field trials have shown and the units posted in higher altitudes will start getting them by December end, they said.
Satisfied with the utility of these suits and gloves, the Army now plans to buy them for the mountain strike corps to counter China in Arunachal and ladakh.The Defence Ministry gave the formal approval for the raising of this corps at a cost of more than Rs 70,000 crore. The 50,000-strong corps will have long-range artillery guns, howitzers and helicopters besides the IAF deploying its SU-30 fighter jets close to the operational area of the corps.
Since this corps will operate in altitudes ranging more than 16,000 feet, the Army wants to equip the soldiers with the most comfortable clothing to enable to operate in harsh conditions without falling seriously ill.