Back in 2004, the Pentagon decided to abandon the two traditional types of uniforms used, which were used for many years. One of the types of camouflage uniforms was intended for action in the forest belt, and the other in the desert. This is a tricolor forest camouflage BDU and desert DCU. In the announced competition for the creation of a new type of camouflage uniform for the armed forces, all the leading players in the American market took part. As a result, the UCP project won a victory in the competition, though not without questions to the organizers. This camouflage, in the opinion of its creators, was ideally suited for use in any terrain. As a result, currently the US Army uses digital camouflage gray-green hue in all climatic zones of their stay.
According to The Daily Beast, the UCP form did not justify its hopes for universality. In the US Army urgently going to withdraw this form from circulation. According to a number of veterans of the Iraqi campaign, the fabric used in the UCP gave a characteristic creak when it came into contact with various objects, which revealed the whereabouts of the soldiers, especially during night raids. At the same time, participants in military companies in Afghanistan complained that the soldiers were very noticeable in the highlands due to the contrast of colors. For this reason, soldiers fighting in Afghanistan preferred to use the MultiCam form, which also participated in the Pentagon-organized competition, but lost to the UCP, mainly because of the price.
Camouflage UCP
The US military often appealed to the command with a request to turn its attention to the shortcomings of the military uniform, but their demands were heard only after 5 years, when the UCP was already mass-produced and supplied to the military. As a result, the US Congress intervened in this situation in 2009. In that year, a bill was passed that obliged the US Army to conduct new tests on the choice of suitable camouflage for its use in the territory of Afghanistan and to replace the UCP. The newly held competition led to the victory of the already well-known form of MultiCam (Multikam) from the company Crye Precision, which in its development collaborated with the US Army Soldier Systems Center. Multicam is one of the most modern camouflage colors for different types of terrain. At the same time, the military began to conduct comprehensive detailed studies aimed at developing new camouflage uniforms.
At the same time, military experts note that the problems that have arisen with the uniform are far from the only example of not the most reasonable spending of money in the US army. An example is given in 2003, when the Pentagon unexpectedly spent $ 20 billion on the purchase of SUVs to arm the operational units of the ILC. However, it was not possible to send the purchased equipment to participate in combat operations, since the vehicles were ordered without armor plates to protect the crews. According to competent specialists, such a situation in the American army may develop due to the fact that the army leadership and owners armory companies are held together by close ties. For this reason, a series of tenders for the purchase of equipment for the army is becoming a farce.
All this happens to lead to serious setbacks. Currently, the US Army is forced to solve the problem of replacing military uniforms. At the same time, its development and adoption for weapons has already cost the USA a huge amount. The km.ru portal reports that in early June 2014 of the year it was reported that the US military would no longer wear its original gray camouflage, and it would disappear from the army’s cabter without unnecessary noise and dust. The form, which was adopted in 2004, cost the budget 5 billion dollars. This "pixel" during the tests took the last place, but still the military chose it. In fairness it should be noted that the camouflage was pre-finalized, besides, it compares favorably with competitors price. Perhaps this is what tipped the scales in his favor.
Camouflage UCP
Before adopting a camouflage pattern was re-digitized. The main colors of the new American camouflage steel are Taney - Desert Sand 500 (sand), urban gray - Urban Gray 501, and deciduous green - Foliage Green 502 (sometimes referred to as olive green). At the same time, compared to the original version, the black color completely disappeared from the camouflage pattern. In the course of the research it was found that this color in nature in its pure form is extremely rare. At the same time, this color stands out very strongly against the general background and in the infrared spectrum, making the whole camouflage too high-contrast.
Existing views on this camouflage divided. Someone considers its use justified, and someone notes that the new "digital" camouflage was taken in a hurry and at the last moment. Allegedly, the generals felt that the soldiers in this form would "look cool." Currently, this argument does not seem so funny. We live in an era of information wars, where the picture on the TV screen determines consciousness. In this regard, the example of “green men” is indicative, they are also “polite people” - this is one of the best finds of Russian propaganda for all modern history.
Americans themselves say that UCP was not the most convenient form because of the abundance of unnecessary details and features of its cut. The masking abilities of this form did not fully justify themselves. Here is the problem of universality. Versatility was originally conceived as a means of saving. In itself, the idea to create a single set of forms that could be used in winter and summer, in the desert and in the forest is at least interesting. However, the hedgehog is clear that the specialized (sharpened for a specific area or time of year) camouflage will always be better than universal.
Camouflage MultiCam
It should also be noted that the modern American army is not sharpened by a contact melee. Her main fad is contactless combat operations, when the destruction of detected targets occurs at the maximum possible distance of defeat. And to guess the silhouette of a soldier in UCP camouflage, like in any other slightly suitable camouflage, even at 300 meters is a nontrivial task. This is an important clarification, given that in most of the meetings of American soldiers with the Taliban in Afghanistan, the average distance of a firefight was approximately 500-800 meters. While the problems of camouflage UCP emerge at close range combat.
One way or another, the US military decided to reshape it. They did not spare 4 a billion dollars for this. The army goes to such expenses at the time of austerity, by the standards of the American army, of course. The spice of this situation is added by the fact that before 2002, the US Army soldiers could choose from two camouflage options available to them. But the global war on terrorism forced the US military to tighten and tighten their belts. It was then that work began on the creation and implementation of a single set of forms, including for savings. In this case, the strangeness of the American military system can be attributed to the fact that the United States simply does not have a structure that would be responsible for creating and supplying a uniform form, since each branch of the military takes care of itself independently.
Colonel-General Tim O'Neill noted: “It would be better if everyone in the army wore the same uniform. However, the Marines do not want to look like an army; the army does not want to look the same as marines; while none of them want to look like "squid". (In the United States, this is what naval sailors are called.) However, only inventory management of various types of camouflage costs the US military in tens of millions of dollars annually.
Camouflage MultiCam
In search of a replacement for UCP, the US military leadership opted for a very successful camouflage for Multicam, a Crye Precision product. Although this camouflage at one time lost to the UCP, it was very much appreciated by the American special forces. Currently, it is very popular outside the United States, not only among the security and military structures, but also among enthusiasts. Despite the fact that at one time this camouflage was not put into service, it continues to be produced in large volumes. Currently, this form is used by a number of units of the US Special Operations Command, as well as employees of private military companies, and is also used in some units of the US Army (but not in line units). In 2010, the military department purchased the Cartoons for soldiers serving in Afghanistan, worth 40 million dollars. At the same time, this camouflage was not adopted by the Pentagon primarily because of its high cost.
It is very expensive to sew such a uniform for the whole army (even excluding marines, air force and navy), by 20% more expensive than in the case of the UCP uniform. The manufacturer received a patent for a camouflage pattern and demanded that the military commission for printing the pattern on the form. The military did not like it, and at the beginning of 2014, they stopped negotiations with the company. At the same time, a proposal was made to buy a patent for 25 million dollars from the company, but this proposal was rejected for political reasons. It is not in the interest of the country to ruin Crye Precision, workers would lose their jobs, and the army would lose one of the suppliers.
As a result, the US military remembered that even 12 years ago, the same company Crye Precision presented a coloring called "scorpion", which was developed for the project of equipment "warrior of the future." The rights to this camouflage belong to the Pentagon, while it differs slightly from the MultiCam only in the color gamut. This camouflage always received slightly lower marks, but the savings eventually outweighed it, it was on him that the US military chose.
Information sources:
http://russian.rt.com/article/16841
http://www.km.ru/economics/2014/06/10/ministerstvo-oborony-ssha-pentagon/742113-spryatatsya-zadorogo-skolko-stoit-zak
http://forum.strikefighter.ru/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=2426
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