"This
vest has been designed for naval infantry as well as for
seamen serving on combat ships," Maj. Gen. Alexander
Kolpachenko told the Echo Moskvy radio on Saturday.
The
general said that despite its heavy weight the vest was
perfectly floatable and could easily support the wearer,
his weapons and ammunition in water.
"It
[the vest] surpasses all types of body armor worn by servicemen
in the Ground Forces," Kolpachenko said, adding that
the delivery of the new floating bulletproof life vest
to naval infantry units would start in 2011.
As
part of the Russian Navy, the naval infantry, which has
a total of about 12,000 personnel, consists of three brigades,
two independent regiments and two independent battalions.