Pave Low Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 The uniform of the British Army is to be changed for the first time in almost 40 years. The new Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) will replace the traditional four colour woodland uniform known as No.8: Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM). Forces in Afghanistan will start to get the new uniforms in March next year, with the whole army upgraded by 2011. MTP is designed for a wide range of environments, including the volatile "green zone" of Helmand province. British troops in Afghanistan currently use a mix of desert camouflage and temperate DPM, depending on which area they are operating in. There are three main types of terrain in Helmand - desert, the agricultural "green zone" either side of the Helmand river, and residential areas comprised of dusty buildings and mud huts. One soldier said that the mix-and-match was far from ideal and made units stand out, especially in the "green zone". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8422942.stm http://strikehold.wordpress.com/2009/12/18...ern-camouflage/ http://soldiersystems.net/2009/12/18/crye-...tern-for-brits/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics...e-in-China.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WytchDokta Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 There was never anything wrong with the 1959 pattern Denison para smock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I've seen it knocking around, but I didn't know it was designed by Crye? Bizarre! DPM will still be around. Somehow, that 'Ruperts' name didn't surprise me. Toby! DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clone_Ranger Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Nobody picked up that MTP is actually a variant of good old 'Ghost Cam' (MultiCam)? "It is produced by US firm Crye Precision as a derivative of the MultiCam camouflage that failed to be adopted en masse by the US armed forces, who selected UCP (Universal Camouflage Pattern) instead." Armed Forces International Personally - while I usually like we Brits to use British designed gear - I think Americas lose is our good fortune! IMHO MultiCam was always superior to UCP, and although MTP is a slightly modified variant I think its really cool that the British Army will be 'Ghosts'! I do like good old DPM - but the reason that it is being supplanted is that DPM is 'zone specific' - great in the terrain it was designed to be used in (Northern Europe and desert) but useless in multi-habitat geographic regions like Afghanistan. I am also relived that we didn't jump aboard the digi-cam band wagon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabellum Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 The first thing I thought of when the picture started loading was that the new camo looks like MultiCam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR6 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I am also relived that we didn't jump aboard the digi-cam band wagon. Yeah, I never quite understood the digicam thing on current U.S. uniforms - do those small blocky pixelated squares make soldiers harder to be seen than if their camo had smooth edges? (Anti-aliased haha) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteKnight77 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 The premise behind it is to make it harder to find someone in a digital photo. Remember, they are made up of square pixels and when blown up, anything with a digital type scheme will blend in or completely disappear. Same goes for other types of digital optics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Designed by Americans, made in Northern Ireland, assembled in China! It doesn't matter where it's designed thanks to technology, but assembling it in China? Obviously shipping the printed cloth nearly half the way around the world is a lot less expensive than having it asembled in Northern Ireland or anywhere else in the U.K.!!! Bizarre! DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripeyrob Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 It IS based on multicam but unfortunately we have decided to mess about with it and make it look a lot like our current DPM. Shame- original multicam is excellent- and digitalised patterns really do work For some wierd reson it fools the eye for that split second that makes all teh differenc between being spotted and getting away with it! I am personally disappointed that we did not just adopt teh proper and digitised multicam in its true form. Oh well- at least we are moving forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR6 Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 It doesn't matter where it's designed thanks to technology, but assembling it in China? Obviously shipping the printed cloth nearly half the way around the world is a lot less expensive than having it asembled in Northern Ireland or anywhere else in the U.K.!!! Bizarre! Unfortunately your above assumption is wrong DS. It is cheaper to ship material to China and back than to have the uniforms sewn together locally. Although multinationals are moving factories to even cheaper places like Bangledesh, there is still a lot of cheap labour and shady business practices allowed in China that keep sweatshops with 12 year-old girls who have dropped out of school to support their families on pay next to nothing working 14 hours a day 7 days a week making clothes for Wal-Mart. I recently heard about a local businesswoman who sells jeans made with Brazilian cotton (which is apparently very high-end) and for some reason couldn't get the jeans sewn together in Brazil anymore. It was cheaper for her to buy the material and ship it to China to get the jeans made and shipped back than to have them sewn together in Canada. However, the workmanship quality from China was very poor (stitches not as good etc) so she still couldn't sell the jeans to discerning customers. So blame the British government for allowing the uniforms to be manufactured overseas and 1) not supporting local British manufacturers 2) likely getting lower quality workmanship 3) supporting exploitation of cheap labor in China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Unfortunately your above assumption is wrong DS. It is cheaper to ship material to China and back than to have the uniforms sewn together locally. ...you've lost me! Obviously shipping the printed cloth nearly half the way around the world is a lot less expensive than having it asembled in Northern Ireland or anywhere else in the U.K.!!! Bizarre! I can't help think of a comedy scenario like 'Team America', where British troops are involved in a conflict with Chinese troops and, whatever Chinese leader is in power, is sat at desk and presses a large red button. Whereupon, the British troops' combat trousers fall down and they're all taken prisoner in one fell swoop. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 We should be seeing images of MTP soon. UKSF have been using Crye Multicam since early 2007. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 Here's the first photos of MTP in Aghanistan I've found. 40 Commando replace 3rd Battalion The Rifles. MTP You can zoom in on the Chinook loading photo and you'll see a mixture of Lowa and Meindl boots, MTP bergen covers over DPM bergens and a painted U.S. helmet. The latter is possibly air crew, although SF have been wearing them. They're still wearing desert DPM and I think it looks ok with the MTP. I'm sure all of that will be replaced with MTP in time. I bet the Chinese factory's working overtime! DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 Here's some new photos, including the official MOD release; Defpro News. MOD. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Here's the British Forces News report about the new uniform. I think it's interesting that the U.K. and U.S. armies will have an almost identical uniform for the foreseeable future in Afghanistan. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordo_Viper Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 DS; Aussie SOF are using the Multi-Cam now as well mate...just to make things interesting: http://www.defence.gov.au/op/afghanistan/gallery/2010/20100616/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Excellent photos Gordo. It looks like they're wearing full Crye. The fixed knee pads and the leg adjusters. UKSF purchased multi-cam back in early '07. I'm sure they're getting the new MTP. Looking at one of those photos, I didn't realise the Aussies were working alongside the Ghostbusters. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordo_Viper Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 DS, Yeah mate. Apparently the normal Aussie cammo pattern for the regulars is going to change as well. @Ghostbusters comment: That's the local Police force the chicken stranglers work with...they've trained and equipped them to a pretty good standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Yeah mate. Apparently the normal Aussie cammo pattern for the regulars is going to change as well.Blimey, it's looking like a one world army. I'm surprised the conspiracy theorists aren't all over it. I still think it looks out of place in the U.K. and it should be theatre specific like desert DPM. Regular DPM's still the most suitable for the U.K. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Here's a closer look at the new kit being issued. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Here's some videos of a U.S. company called Duro Textiles, that's currently working around the clock to knock out multi-cam material; Fox News WPRI News Boston Globe At least the 'allies' will look the same when they fight the Chinese, Russians and Iranians. DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Splash Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Here's a great video showing most of the deployment kit for British infantry units; DS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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