US Army Considers new Camouflage for Afghanistan

[[R-CON]ReadMenace]

Lifted from ARFCOM.

Article

Originally Posted by Army Times

Afghanistan is testing ground for new camo

By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Sep 15, 2009 19:17:00 EDT

Soldiers in Afghanistan will soon test two different camouflage uniforms to help the Army find a more effective pattern for the rugged, mountainous country.

After years of soldier complaints about the Army Combat Uniform’s camouflage pattern in the war zones, the Army is trying something new.

Under pressure from a powerful Pennsylvania congressman, the Army will outfit two combat battalions in Afghanistan with two different, alternative camouflage uniforms in an effort to find a better pattern for the expanding Afghan war.

By early October, Army uniform officials plan to give roughly 550 soldiers in Afghanistan new uniforms featuring a camouflage pattern that Program Executive Office Soldier is calling “UCP Delta,” which is the current Universal Camouflage Pattern enhanced with a new color, “coyote brown,” blended into it.

At the same time, the Army will supply the same number of soldiers in another battalion with uniforms in MultiCam, a camouflage pattern already worn in combat by Army special operations forces.

“We are getting two battalion sets out there within 30 days,” Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller, commander of PEO Soldier, told Army Times in an exclusive interview Sept. 8.

The move is part of a larger camouflage plan that Army uniform officials presented to members of Congress on Sept. 11. The briefing originally was scheduled for Sept. 14 but was moved up to Sept. 11, according to PEO spokeswoman Debi Dawson.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, launched the congressional mandate in mid-June, saying that he had heard complaints from “a dozen” Army noncommissioned officers that the ACU’s pattern is ineffective in rugged, mountainous countryside. He gave the Army until Sept. 30 to come up with a new pattern.

UCP Delta

Pretty interesting.. UCP-Delta is hideous IMHO.

-REad

[[R-CON]Snares]

Looks like they're taking some cues from the Germans.

[Sidewinder Zulu]

Very interesting.

One day, definitely within all our lifetimes, the US Army (or perhaps another army) will develop a camoflauge that can be digitally changed in combat.
But that's another story.

Yeah, I agree that it looks kinda bad.
But I mean, which would you rather have, a dumb looking uniform that just might keep you alive?
Or a better looking uniform that might get you killed?


Interesting article though.
Anyone knwo why the orange color seems to only be on the sleeves and not on the chest?

EDIT: Oh, nevermind, I see he's wearing a Kevlar in the other pic. oops.

[casiNo]

Yea the unit thats going to be using the multicam is the 173rd Airborne Brigade
MultiCam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[[R-CON]ReadMenace]

I'm not seeing the Flecktarn comparisons that are being made. It is still the UC Pattern, with the addition of coyote brown (taking up approximately 30% of the overall pattern.)

Flecktarn is not a digital pattern, nor does it have the narrow palette that UCP & UCP-D have.

*shrug*

Originally Posted by Sidewinder Zulu

Interesting article though.
Anyone know why the orange color seems to only be on the sleeves and not on the chest?

It is a standard UCP IOTV vest. One of the advantages for the Army to go with the UCP-D pattern is that they can continue to use standard UCP items like the IOTV without there being a huge clash. If it was a Mutlicam ACU, then a UCP IOTV, the vest would disrupt the Multicam, reducing it's overall effectiveness.

-REad

[Silly_Savage]

Bleh. You weren't kidding when you said it wasn't good looking. Looks like someone threw up all over it and then rolled around in some mud.

[Rambo Hunter]

Yuck.
Though I like the idea of having different color schemes of UCP and keeping the standard UCP gear.

[charliegrs]

I dont get it, why doesnt the army have a dedicated desert camo anymore? I know that acus are supposed to be a single solution for all enviroments, but I dont get why, was it to save money? I bet the marines arent complaining about their desert marpat.

[Skodz]

Make me think of ww2 german uniform...

Whats wrong with actual US camo ? They are nice.

[Colonelcool125]

That UCP-Delta is some bad looking camo.