NZN Impi Armour

From Anno Astra,

New Zulu Nation Impi Armour

The NZN's standard infantry armour offers a lower degree of protection than the typical infantry hardsuit in general use. It was designed to be light and flexible, offering ease of movement at a low cost, and tailored to NZN tactical doctrine. The armour is basically a permeable, vacuum-rated skinsuit with ballistic polyamide soft armour pads. Webbing attachment points for pouches, belts & other gear are liberally scattered over the soft armour. A thicker, stronger, soft-armour vest, leg and arm protectors are worn over this. A rigid breast- and back-plate made of cermet composites is worn over the vest, providing additional protection to the upper torso. Cermet plates also protect the neck and groin. The collapsible helmet is a mix of soft armour and rigid cermet plates, with its electronics built into the rigid portions, and is connected to a breather system built into the rigid backplate via tough synthetic hoses. The breathing mixture fed through the hoses enhances an NZN soldier's ability to run long distances for long periods of time and permits him to survive hard vacuum for approximately 15 minutes. The breather system also draws additional oxygen from the atmosphere to supplement its internal supply. The footwear is designed for long-distance running and is tough, yet comfortable. NZN soldiers are specially trained for long-distance running, taking advantage of genetic modifications made to the Zulu people, which incorporate greater lung capacity, long legs and an enhanced cardiovascular system.

NZN infantry also carry a light composite shield made of foamed cermets. These are large enough to cover a soldier's entire body when crouched, and have a built-in optic sensor that plugs directly into the soldier's helmet imaging systems. The shield can stand by itself by means of a folding stand, and a cutout in the shield's side is designed to support the standard-issue infantry long-arm.

All equipment is geared towards economy and ease of manufacture with native industries. The most sophisticated parts integral to the armour are the optronics and imaging systems built into the helmet's faceplate. The sensors are of average quality, roughly comparable to commercially available mid-range systems for civilian use.