How much does PLA soldier's individual equipment cost? (5)

"Liberate" the Liberation Army

A 95 rifle that costs about 4,300 yuan (US$698.75) is the most expensive equipment for Wang Fujian. This price is lower than that of an iPhone6 which the soldiers have been talking about these days, but it does not stop the soldiers from loving the 95 rifle.

"It is so cool! It just makes you look very much like a special operation member!" The soldiers like the 95 rifle, because it is "much cooler" than the 81 rifle that has been popular for 30 years.

Of course, the fascinating 95 rifle is more than beautiful. In terms of the gun design, the U.S. military requires a gun to be able to kill the enemy from the longest distance possible, while the former Soviet Union emphasized a weapon's durability so as to launch continuous attacks. The 95 rifle has combined both the American-style and the Soviet-style design concepts, so to speak, and is more accurate and reliable in operation.

The 95 rifle has been among the top chat topics of the soldiers since Wang Fujian joined the army, only second to the topic of pay rise. He had thought that he would leave the army only with a bullet shell of the 95 rifle and regret. Fortunately, he had the opportunity of carrying a 95 rifle on his chest before he left the military barracks.

Though he had touched the 95 rifle that he had been earnestly longing for, Wang Fujian was not happy. In his eyes, the undersized trigger guard alone would lead to a fatal defect of the 95 rifle in an actual combat.

"It's acceptable for those soldiers in tropic zones and temperate zones, but for those in Tsitsihar of Heilongjiang Province who wear thick cold weather gloves and perform duties under the temperature of minus 40 degrees centigrade or lower, the designer has given them a tough choice. Should they take off their gloves?"

Such problems are not exclusive to guns.

To carry such articles as grenade bag, haversack, chest ammunition container, gas mask bag, canteen, knapsack and fire arms, a soldier may need to put a dozen of shoulder straps on his shoulder.

These straps not only interfere with each other, but also need to be readjusted if the soldier needs to take a sip of water, which is "like a nightmare" for the old soldiers of that generation.

Before the 1990s, there was no such thing as design for the outfit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), not to mention human engineering or system engineering. However, individual outfits not only should ensure carrying of supplies, but also guarantee that the soldier's movements are not hampered.

"The things you carry will not fall to the ground while you run, and you can take out what you need quickly and accurately. It is not easy to achieve this goal, which is very challenging," said Ma Baoming, head of Military Affairs Section of a PLA troop.

The PLA soldiers have typical military review images, such as straight posture and raised chest, but they have a motley variety of combat dressing and do not have a unified image, and there is no military standard for individual outfits, a military officer of Combined Service Force Department told the reporter.

In the eyes of those professionals who care about the development of military equipment, the PLA has long been focusing on "strengthening national defense research and development of high-tech weapons and equipment", which has had an impact on the development of individual outfits.

"It's necessary to develop high-tech weapons and equipment," said Ma Baoming. "China’s main weapons and main equipment have caught up with those of the top countries, but what about our individual equipment? It not only concerns soldiers' vital interests, but affects the outcome of a war to some extent," he added.

Changes are taking place now, little by little. The 07-style carrying outfit developed by the PLA is liberating the soldiers of a new generation. The number of ropes that used to tie a soldier has been cut from a dozen to less than five, and Wang Fujian's recruits will no longer have to suffer the pain of "being tied up".