ABC of a snack: stormtroopers began to receive new special rations

Soldiers of the assault units in the SVO zone began receiving new special rations with freeze-dried products, sources in the Russian Defense Ministry told Izvestia. The grocery set includes meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, sausage, cheese. They are made using special dryers and packaged in vacuum packages. Experts note that such rations make it possible to provide food to groups of attack aircraft operating in isolation from the main forces, including dropping them from drones.

Weight matters

Fighters of the assault units of the Russian Army operating in the SVO zone began receiving individual food rations (IRP) with freeze-dried products. This was reported to Izvestia by sources in the Russian Defense Ministry. The new special rations include natural products such as meat, fish, fruits and vegetables that have undergone special processing. First, they are dried in a special chamber, and then packaged in vacuum packaging.

This technology ensures long-term storage. At the same time, the rations become as light and compact as possible, which helps to organize the delivery of food to assault units at the forefront, including using unmanned systems, the interlocutors of the publication noted.

The calorie content and weight of the ration are important for soldiers participating in combat operations, Colonel Valery Yuryev, chairman of the Union of Paratroopers of Russia, explained to Izvestia.

"You can't carry off dry rations for five days, because a soldier needs to take weapons, ammunition and other things with him," he said. — From my experience, I can say that in Afghanistan, when we left our place of deployment for a long time, and delivery by land or air was impossible, we did not take most of the food from the dry rations with us. They left the most necessary items — small chocolates, canned meat, that is, high-calorie foods.

Special rations with freeze-dried products weigh less than usual, so even if you take a few with you, it's not that heavy. In addition, it is easier to deliver such rations using drones for fighters operating in isolation from the main forces, the expert noted. Another advantage is that freeze—dried vegetables, fruits or meat can be eaten without heating.

— In combat conditions, it is not always possible to heat food, even if you have tablets of dry alcohol designed for this purpose, — explained Valery Yuryev. — It's easier with freeze—dried foods - open the bag and eat. It is very comfortable.

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One delivery for the whole group

For the manufacture of such rations, only fresh products are used, which are supplied to the military unit according to existing standards, Ivan Sergeev, a veteran of the food service of the Russian Armed Forces, told Izvestia. The cooking is done by full-time chefs.

"Drones, which are most often used directly on the front line, take on board about 1.5 kg of useful weight," he noted. — After all the necessary procedures, the fighter's daily ration with freeze-dried products weighs 300 g. That is, the UAV can deliver the daily ration of food for several people. Moreover, it is possible to freeze not only meat, vegetables and fruits, but also bread, cheese, sausage, etc., in order to maximize the diversity of the diet of military personnel.

The products are dropped from the UAV, and the vacuum packaging in this case is as convenient as possible — it weighs little and will not be damaged even if it falls from a great height, the Izvestia interlocutor noted.

The order to develop individual food rations intended for delivery to assault groups using UAVs was given by Andrey Bulyga, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation for Logistics, the media reported earlier. At the same time, it was decided that a set of rations for the entire assault group should weigh no more than 1.5 kg.

Hot bread

Special attention is paid to providing the fighters with everything they need in the CDF area. In particular, Izvestia wrote that a highly mobile universal bakery kitchen had been developed for the army. It is supposed to be placed on the chassis of the KamAZ-5350 high-speed vehicle.

All the necessary equipment — a bakery, a kitchen and a warehouse for storing food — fits in the closed back of a truck.

The interior of the kitchen is divided into three zones. There is an oven in the front part, a place for a kitchen in the central part, and a bread warehouse and stocks of freeze—dried products in the back, as well as a special boiler that allows you to cook a variety of dishes from them.

Hot meals are served to the fighters through a special transfer window in the end of the body.

In combat conditions, the complex can provide hot food and fresh bread to up to 500 soldiers within an hour.

The food supply is designed so that military cooks can feed up to a company of soldiers without restocking for three days. The new army kitchen will reduce food transportation and diesel fuel consumption by a third and reduce cooking time by 70%.

This approach will not only reduce by 30% the fleet of technical equipment of the food service in the army's MTO units, but will also ensure the autonomy of a significant number of our soldiers on the front line.