Felin comes in five versions (clockwise from top left): street patrol, NBC, light ballistic, high-intensity combat and heavy ballistic. Credit: CHRISTINA MACKENZIE/DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL PHOTOS

France's soldier modernization program, known as Felin (Fantassin a Equipements et Liaisons Integres), an acronym for "infantryman with data-linked integrated equipment," is ready for mass production. At least until it has to be modified by 2013 because someone in the defense ministry -- or perhaps the finance ministry, nobody is really sure -- decided the defense ministry had to sell off some military wavebands, including the 802-862-MHz. band used by Felin.

Lt. Col. Laurent Barraco, Felin program manager at the French procurement agency DGA, doesn't comment on the glitch, but the look on his face speaks volumes and he admits that changing the 802-862-MHz. wavelength to a higher frequency will increase program cost, though he does not know, or will not say, by how much.

When pressed as to whether the added cost could be more than the expected income from the sale of the wavelength, senior management at Sagem, Felin's lead contractor, vigorously denies that additional costs will be significant. Pascal Brossard, Sagem's marketing manager, says "the software which manages the network and communications will stay but part of the electronics to emit and receive will have to be changed, although this can be done without changing the form."

The change will have to be effective on all 22,588 systems that Sagem will deliver by 2015. Meanwhile, four regiments will receive 1,000 systems each in 2010 using the current 802-862-MHz. wavelength. So far, 358 preseries systems have been delivered to the army for experimentation, and 250 systems have been used since the beginning of the year for tactical evaluations in Djibouti under hot, dry conditions and in French Guiana in hot, humid ones.

Felin is "a human-centric system for the network-centric battlefield," says Barraco, and an effective way of equipping today's soldier. "You don't go to war with Felin as you do with current equipment," he says, adding that some of the older soldiers find it more difficult to adapt to than the younger ones "who were raised with Game Boys and mobile phones and are more at ease with digital technology." The Felin system is recharged at a section level, with mobile battery rechargers and vehicle integration kits. Felin is integrated on three key infantry platforms: the new wheeled VBCI and VAB armored fighting vehicles and the tracked AMX 10P.

The main challenges in developing Felin, Barraco says, were weight, power consumption, human-factors engineering, and cognitive and physical issues. "We have been evaluating prototypes since 2007," with particular attention paid to assault rifle sights, clothing and C4I (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence), which means every soldier is connected and situated. Forty systems were delivered in 2008 for evaluation at individual, squadron and platoon levels, "and we got lots of feedback," he says. This year the program was stepped up and 250 systems have been used for tactical evaluation.

Barraco says there are areas that "need to be mastered." These include greater familiarity with day channels on the weapon sights and their luminosity, field of vision and sector observation, although this "could be a question of doctrine of use." Work is also needed on accurate firing when dressed in full heavy protection gear.

In July, journalists met infantrymen of the Chad regiment as they were evaluating Felin at the army's new urban warfare training center in Sissone, France. Their feedback will be used to give the system final tweaks. One soldier who tested the equipment in French Guiana said, "I prefer having Felin in my hands rather than knowing it is in those of my enemy." Another soldier who tried the equipment in French Guiana commented that in the thick jungle undergrowth the radio didn't transmit as far. He was concerned that "the higher frequency [in use after the current one is sold] will carry even less far in the jungle." In normal conditions the radio's operational range is up to 1,000 meters (3,280 ft.) in open terrain, 600 meters in urban areas and 100 meters indoors.

A soldier from the 13th Mountain Battalion who tried the equipment in -25C (-13F) conditions, said that although the batteries took more time to recharge than in temperate climes, "we'd rather our enemy was not equipped with Felin."

The most basic change for the French soldier wearing Felin is a modification in the combat uniform. Whereas the trousers and jacket of the current gear are close-fitting and even elegant, Felin's are baggier but apparently more comfortable. The cloth is water- and mosquito-repellent and fire-resistant, plus it reduces infrared signature. The NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) version has a ventilation system that pulses filtered air into the mask, enabling the soldier to remain operational for longer periods. The ventilation system, however, is audible from about 50 meters.

Felin has 150 components, including 73 items of basic gear. A fully-equipped soldier, with the Famas assault rifle and supplies of food, water and ammunition, will carry an average of 70 items weighing 26 kg. (57 lb.). Following demonstrations of soldiers running, crouching, crawling and firing weapons, the infantrymen said the equipment weight is not an issue because "it is extremely well balanced." One soldier explains that "until now most [equipment] weight was on your back, so if you fell down it was hard to get up. But with Felin, the weight is well-distributed."

Another soldier appreciates the fact that the bullet-resistant pads slip into zippered slits on the front and back of the combat jacket. "When you run, the protection stays with you, contrary to the vests we had to slip over the top of the combat uniform, which would jiggle up and down as you ran and hit you under the chin and at the back of the head."

No concessions were made to a woman's curves with the bullet-resistant vests. "We tried shaping the panels but discovered that wherever they curved, there was less protection, so we opted for a flat version for all," Barraco says.

This 5-ft., 5-in., 132-lb. journalist tried on the combat jacket and, although my knees initially buckled under its weight, I did get used to it quickly and it was not uncomfortable.

The protection is modular and can be tailored to different missions. Not only can a soldier's torso be protected but also the neck, pelvis, knees, elbows and shoulders. The vest supports up to 11 portable electronic units such as a battery computer case, radio, man-machine interface, tactical information system and soldier information network. These fit into pouches the soldier places wherever they are most comfortable, and can accommodate left- or right-handed preferences. The jacket also carries eight batteries for power supply.

There are 13 items of headgear which include the helmet, antilaser goggles, antishrapnel visor and jaw pad, eyepiece for around-the-corner rifle sighting, night-vision gear and osteophone headband (which enables a soldier to "hear" orders through the bone near the ear, leaving his ear free to hear sounds around him) with microphone.

Soldiers can also carry their own water supply in a pouch on their back equipped with a thin, flexible tube.