China's cyborg battle suit gives soldiers drone-slinging superpower

China’s Kestrel Defense has unveiled a prototype powered exoskeleton battle suit designed to enhance soldiers’ endurance, mobility, and situational awareness, particularly for drone operators, artillery units, and reconnaissance teams. The suit features mechanical leg supports to reduce fatigue during prolonged crouching or kneeling, a modular backpack housing power and control systems, and articulated shoulder arms for upper-body support. A key innovation is an integrated compact drone-launching system that enables soldiers to deploy and control small quadcopter drones in the field for short-range surveillance and reconnaissance, especially in urban environments. The soldier’s helmet includes a head-mounted augmented reality visor that can display real-time drone feeds, maps, night and thermal vision, and potentially allow interaction via gesture, eye, or voice commands. Additional digital tools such as wrist-mounted screens, health monitors, navigation aids, and encrypted communications are also integrated. Although detailed technical specifications have not been released, the suit reflects a broader global military trend toward combining robotics, wearable computing,