FELIN Deliveries Begin to French Army

Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Regiment (1er R.I.) at Sarrebourg are the first to receive the FELIN system.

Deliveries of the Fantassin à Equipements et Liaisons Intégrés (Equipment and Integrated Communications for Infantrymen, or FÉLIN) soldier combat system have begun to operational infantry regiments. The 1st R.I. took delivery of its first systems, designed for disembarked combat, on October 4, 2010. In all, 875 suites were delivered to equip the regiment’s six combat companies, requiring 20 heavy trucks to transport the 250 pallets for a total equipment weight of 24 tonnes.

Each FELIN system comprises battledress, helmet, weapons and various other sensors and equipment in as many as 16 possible combinations ranging from Minimi machine-gunner, section chief, grenadier, etc.

The 1st R.I. will be the first French army regiment to undergo pre-deployment training with its full FELIN equipment in the Spring of 2011, in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan by year-end.