How many different ACU patterns are there?

Just asking because i saw this lately:

http://www.army.mil/-images....018.jpg

Before i was only familiar with the "greyish" ACU and the dester-grey ACU.... but this on the pic is new for me....

Looks like normal desert Marpat to me, just brand new so it looks brighter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARPAT

Someone feel free to correct me as western camos arent really my field of knowledge.

Ok, because that confused me....

Also it was posted on the US Army Homepage and should show a Army soldier with the standard issued M4.... very strange...

Marines use M4s too, just not as much as the Army does.

Those arn't Army ACUs. They're Marine desert cammies.

Strange that the army would use a picture of a marine to demonstrate the M4 though.

There's two or three generations of the ACU pattern itself, mostly based upon getting the colours exactly right. For example, the first shade was a bit too bright. For exact numbers, you'd have to ask someone on the inside.

And yeah, that's a Marine in desert MARPAT. They do tote the M4 around, but (as others have mentioned) not as much as the M16A4.

Ok, because that confused me....

Also it was posted on the US Army Homepage and should show a Army soldier with the standard issued M4.... very strange...

Polish army home page shows:

- DP Degtaryev 1927

- RPK 74 (heh, do Poland bought more than 2-3 to tests when we planned use 5.45mm ammo in mid 80's?)

- 203mm howitzer Pion

etc.

Ministry of Defence webmasters should change content of page :] probably in US army too

They're testing out a new variant of the UCP camo called the UCP-Delta

They're also supposedly sent out some Multicam uniforms to Afghanistan as well for evaluation.

They are actually testing several new camo's:

Biggy: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4203122993_1a14c8ea36_o.jpg

And afaik Multicam is now an officially issued camo for the Army.

Do they even need a new camo? The current ACU is sexy enough as it is. :cool:

I'm sure it's wonderful and sexy for armchair commandos -

But may not be all that great out in the real world...

I'm sure it's wonderful and sexy for armchair commandos

Army Couch Uniform :)

More like Army Ice-cream Uniform -

Do they even need a new camo? The current ACU is sexy enough as it is. :cool:

Yes. UCP is awful. It is outclassed in every environment it is capable of functioning in. Besides the camouflage, the uniform is garbage and prone to excessive wear. As a quick comparison:

Rocks and things are the best environment for UCP, but as you can see in these two photos, they're instantly outclassed by Multicam. UCP stands out, Multicam blends in.

UCP-D v UCP.

UCP-D is "better" but it's merely a small improvement on a "fundamentally flawed" pattern. It's like OF:DR. Sure it can be patched, but the game will always suck balls.

They are actually testing several new camo's:

Biggy: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4203122993_1a14c8ea36_o.jpg

And afaik Multicam is now an officially issued camo for the Army.

The Army is always testing uniforms, but UCP-D and Multicam are the only ones being tested as replacements.

Multicam is not an "official" issue for any units outside of the designated test battalions, but it is being worn by many. SOF, DEA, etc.

UCP-D looks like utter shit in my opinion. I'm perfectly fine with UCP (or ACU). And in regards to current camo / color shade. Below's the back of my uniforms jacket.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/anthraxx_2006/dude2.jpg

despite what people think, UCP works

yeah its not the best, but it does work. why it was chosen in the first place? who knows

close up it usually stands out (especially if it is worn and faded) but when viewed at a distance it kind of fades to a neutral grayish green color.

and just think of the history that is being made now :D all those future nerds will know dates, and reason how/why the US army changed its uniform a bunch of times with in a decade :p

UCP-D looks like utter shit in my opinion. I'm perfectly fine with UCP (or ACU). And in regards to current camo / color shade. Below's the back of my uniforms jacket.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/anthraxx_2006/dude2.jpg

UCP-D looks like they smeared some dogshit over the uniform and let it dry. But it's still better. UCP is -terrible-. While playing OPFOR in Robin Sage, we never had any problems finding SF or their guys. Why? Because they couldn't hide. They couldn't ambush. They couldn't escape and evade. My first deployment was ending when the first guys in ACUs started showing up. Compared to us, they stuck out. Compared to the terrain, they stuck out. I'm sorry, but the pattern is ridiculous and falls short. Drastically.

The problem with UCP is that the Army doesn't actually have a defined color set to send to their manufacturers, so the manufacturer has no actual standard. They have to produce runs of uniforms and "hope" their assigned Army QC approves it. You'd be surprised how often the stuff gets turned down and they have to be done over again. This is the reason for some much variation in actual coloration and, unlike the older uniforms, they fade and show wear far quicker.

All uniforms change color with use. I don't know if you wore it, but the tri-color Desert uniform turned a shade of light pink after a few months of exposure.

The Army is always testing uniforms, but UCP-D and Multicam are the only ones being tested as replacements.

Multicam is not an "official" issue for any units outside of the designated test battalions, but it is being worn by many. SOF, DEA, etc.

Hm, i don't want to go into discussion (as you probebly know more then me)..but i though i saw and red in one of the daily pictures on militaryphotos.net a post with a quote like 'first pictures...official....'. If not mistaken it was only one division so far (10th mountain division or something).

Example (wasn't that one i first saw):

Col. Randy George, left, commander of the 4th brigade, 4th Infantry Division, awards soldiers of the 2nd Battalion 12th Infantry at Command Outpost Michigan near the village of Kandigal, in the Pech river valley, Kunar province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009.

Anyway, could be mistaken (well the journalist).

That's 4th ID, and they are the test battalion. 2nd battalion/12th infantry regiment. The same guys that I posted pictures of.

rangers have been testing multicam as well, its also more than one ucp pattern being tested....adding brown wont help that shit uniform any...it just needs to be done away with

rangers have been testing multicam as well, its also more than one ucp pattern being tested....adding brown wont help that shit uniform any...it just needs to be done away with

They aren't so much "Testing" as they are just using it. Most Army SOF is using it for Afghanistan.

despite what people think, UCP works

yeah its not the best, but it does work. why it was chosen in the first place? who knows

close up it usually stands out (especially if it is worn and faded) but when viewed at a distance it kind of fades to a neutral grayish green color.

and just think of the history that is being made now :D all those future nerds will know dates, and reason how/why the US army changed its uniform a bunch of times with in a decade :p

When they were carrying out the initial tests to determine which camo the ACU should have, the pattern that eventually become UCP came last in all tests. Obviously someone's pocket got lined along the way.

Oh, and supposedly the Brits will be getting a Multicam derivative - Link.

Yup MTP, though the more I look at it the more it seems to share with DPM than Multicam. Still developed by Crye though, I thought it looked awful at first but I have to admit its starting to grow on me. :)