At the conclusion of 2010, the Army announced plans to replace
the current Army Combat Uniform (ACU) camouflage. Introduced with ACU in
2004, the Universal Camouflage Pattern works well in urban and desert
environments but was not effective in the varied terrain of Afghanistan,
which changes from woodlands to desert to mountains. Although UCP ACUs
in Afghanistan are being replaced by those in MultiCam®, the Army's new
camouflage pattern would be used on uniforms globally.
Potential replacements for UCP include MultiCam®, desert and woodland MARPAT, and AOR 1 and 2. Wear and field tests for all patterns began in July 2012. Once a new ACU pattern is selected, production for a new uniform is projected for October 2012.
Tests that began in September 2009 showed that MultiCam®, a gradient camouflage pattern, blends the best into changing environments, seasons, and elevations. With a brown to light tan gradient base, with drab green spotted with dark brown and pink blotches, MultiCam® has a blending effect that tricks the human eyes' perception of color. As a result, the camouflage pattern takes on a green or tan appearance.
MARPAT and AOR, however, are digital camouflage patterns, much like UCP but with black added. Digital camouflage, unlike the seamlessly-blending appearance of MultiCam®, is pixilated, which allows the pattern to have few solid lines, or seem dithered. When tests were first done on digital camouflage in the 1970s, and again in the 1990s, the pattern performed 30- to 50-percent better than solid olive drab and three-color NATO patterns.
Although based on MARPAT, UCP consists of blocks of alpha and foliage green, light brownish gray, and gray-yellow brown; while these colors are helpful for blending into desert and urban areas, the absence of black and strong prevalence of gray make UCP stand out in woodland environments. Woodland MARPAT, which is based on Canadian Army pattern CADPAT, and AOR 1 both include alpha and foliage green shades, some tan, and black. AOR 2 and desert MARPAT, on the other hand, are better suited for desert or urban areas.
In tests for ACU camouflage in Afghanistan, all patterns - MultiCam®, AOR 1 and 2, and MARPAT - performed well and better than UCP. More specifically, desert MARPAT was favored in the southern region of the country, and MultiCam® was preferred in the east; AOR 1 and 2, while not the most favored, came out toward the top in the tests. As testing for a truly universal camouflage pattern is about to begin, results could be similar, and presently, all patterns appear to be strong contenders - on their own or with woodland and desert variations - to replace UCP.
Potential replacements for UCP include MultiCam®, desert and woodland MARPAT, and AOR 1 and 2. Wear and field tests for all patterns began in July 2012. Once a new ACU pattern is selected, production for a new uniform is projected for October 2012.
Tests that began in September 2009 showed that MultiCam®, a gradient camouflage pattern, blends the best into changing environments, seasons, and elevations. With a brown to light tan gradient base, with drab green spotted with dark brown and pink blotches, MultiCam® has a blending effect that tricks the human eyes' perception of color. As a result, the camouflage pattern takes on a green or tan appearance.
MARPAT and AOR, however, are digital camouflage patterns, much like UCP but with black added. Digital camouflage, unlike the seamlessly-blending appearance of MultiCam®, is pixilated, which allows the pattern to have few solid lines, or seem dithered. When tests were first done on digital camouflage in the 1970s, and again in the 1990s, the pattern performed 30- to 50-percent better than solid olive drab and three-color NATO patterns.
Although based on MARPAT, UCP consists of blocks of alpha and foliage green, light brownish gray, and gray-yellow brown; while these colors are helpful for blending into desert and urban areas, the absence of black and strong prevalence of gray make UCP stand out in woodland environments. Woodland MARPAT, which is based on Canadian Army pattern CADPAT, and AOR 1 both include alpha and foliage green shades, some tan, and black. AOR 2 and desert MARPAT, on the other hand, are better suited for desert or urban areas.
In tests for ACU camouflage in Afghanistan, all patterns - MultiCam®, AOR 1 and 2, and MARPAT - performed well and better than UCP. More specifically, desert MARPAT was favored in the southern region of the country, and MultiCam® was preferred in the east; AOR 1 and 2, while not the most favored, came out toward the top in the tests. As testing for a truly universal camouflage pattern is about to begin, results could be similar, and presently, all patterns appear to be strong contenders - on their own or with woodland and desert variations - to replace UCP.
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