---
title: "Russia Says New Combat Suit Will Survive .50 Caliber Bullets"
description: "Russia's new Sotnik combat suit will be able to survive a direct shot from 50 caliber bullets. Learn more about this body armor."
date: "2021-02-02"
modified: "2021-02-12"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-combat-suit-survive-50-caliber-bullets"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "battle armor"
  - "military technology"
  - "the digest"
---

# Russia Says New Combat Suit Will Survive .50 Caliber Bullets

![The next generation of Russia's Sotnik battle armor will reportedly be able to withstand a direct shot from a .50 caliber bullet.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/russia-combat-suit-survive-50-caliber-bullets.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Anton Tushin via Rostec\</em\>*

## Bulletproof

The Russian state-owned military developer Rostec says that its next generation of combat armor will be able to withstand a direct shot from a .50 caliber bullet.

The armor, which will be the fourth generation of Rostec's Sotnik, or Centurion, battle armor, is expected to become the most futuristic set of infantry gear out there, *[Task & Purpose](<https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/russia-sotnik-combat-armor-development/>)*[ reports](<https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/russia-sotnik-combat-armor-development/>), though it's not clear when it will be ready for action. Regardless, the Russian military's ever-improving battle suit systems are a sign that military technology is rapidly progressing toward the goal of giving soldiers [seemingly-superhuman capabilities](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/france-bionic-supersoldiers>) in combat.

## Swiss Army Suit

For now, we know a lot more about [the third-generation](<https://futurism.com/russias-next-gen-combat-suit-is-getting-tech-thats-resistant-to-nuclear-blasts>) Rostec suit, which can survive 7.62mm rounds and comes equipped with night vision, a water filter, an internal communication system, and other high tech gear.

But Samuel Bendett, a Russian military expert at the Center for Naval Analyses told *Task & Purpose* that Russia is "totally serious" about living up to its bold promises for the fourth generation of Sotnik armor.

## Arms Race

Compared to Russia, the United States military's attempts to build high-tech battle armor have lagged way behind.

The U.S. Army has been working for years to [develop robotic exoskeletons](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/army-soldiers-powered-exoskeletons>) that enhance soldiers' physical capabilities, but *Task & Purpose* reports that they're not nearly as advanced — or thoroughly tested — as what Russia has been able to build.

**READ MORE:** [Russia is building a futuristic combat suit it claims can stop .50 caliber bullets](<https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/russia-sotnik-combat-armor-development/>) \[*Task & Purpose*\]

**More on military technology:** *[France Says It's Working on Bionic Supersoldiers Because Everybody Else is Doing it](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/france-bionic-supersoldiers>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)