New Battlesuit is Under Development Confidentially

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The US Special Operations Command has been quietly working on a high-tech battlesuit. Known as the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS), it aims to succeed where previous American initiatives geared towards enhancing the abilities of soldiers in combat using human-portable and worn technology have stalled.

The TALOS program is designed to develop a suit that’s energy efficient — able to function at peak performance without recharging for significant periods of time — and low profile, allowing ease of movement and maneuverability, according to militarytimes.com.

TALOS will also be able to provide wearers with heightened situational awareness while streaming in huge amounts of data and information from other platforms, including drones, reconnaissance aircraft, land-based and naval sensors, etc.

One of the problems that has haunted the US military for decades upon decades was the weight borne by soldiers in the field. In addition to their weapons and ammunition, soldiers can sometimes find themselves toting more than 60-70 lbs of additional gear and personal protective equipment. By integrating light armor plating into the chassis of TALOS and including force-multiplying motors, the new suit could allow wearers to carry even more weight without feeling a thing.

Also expected to be included are life support systems that monitor the wearer’s vitals and health. Aside from improved night vision and a more compact communications suite, an upgraded audio reception capability is arguably one of the cooler features of this already badass suit. 3-dimensional sound pickups will not only allow the wearer to determine the source of incoming fire, vehicles, etc. It will also allow special operators to covertly listen in on enemy ground movements and gather actionable field intelligence.

The move comes over the backdrop of Russia’s efforts to refine and field its Ratnik combat armor suit, designed for frontline infantry usage. However, unlike Ratnik, TALOS will exclusively be used by USSOCOM’s special operators, and not Army and Marine Corps infantry units. USSOCOM will be the first to field TALOS on operational deployments 9-10 years from now.