I wanted a good database of commonly used patterns around the world. No single pattern is perfect for every environment but here are some to scan through. Pick a pattern that best suits your likely operational location and environment. This article is a start and will grow, with more pictures being added over time. I thought about this topic while reading Patriots the novel; the cover always irritated the hell out of me because it shows a guy in ACU pattern clothing; while the book they specifically chose the British DPM as it was a good woodland pattern, but different enough from regular and overly common woodland camo as to keep their personnel separate from any other people likely to wander through their area. There are one or two commercial paramilitary patterns but the rest are all current or very recently used. The new pattern will also replace the closely related MultiCam, a pattern previously used for troops deploying to Afghanistan. The original Scorpion pattern was developed by Crye Precision as part of the Objective Force Warrior program more than a decade ago. The Scorpion W2 variant was modified from the initial pattern by Army Natick Labs. In July 2014, the Army announced that OCP could be used in the field by the summer of 2015. The name Operational Camouflage Pattern is meant to emphasize its use beyond Afghanistan to all combatant commands, unlike the MultiCam pattern it is based on. MultiCam First introduced in 2002, MultiCam was designed for the use of the U. Army in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. It is a seven-color, multi-environment camouflage pattern developed by Crye Precision in conjunction with U. If you wanted the side by side for a comparison below are first the new OCP, and second the MultiCam. US ERDL Woodland Woodland Pattern was the default camouflage pattern issued to United States soldiers, Marines, airmen, and sailors from 1981, with the issue of the Battle Dress Uniform, until its replacement around 2006. It was a four color, high contrast disruptive pattern with irregular markings in sand, brown, green and black. MARPAT MARPAT short for MARine PATtern is a digital camouflage pattern in use with the United States Marine Corps, introduced with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform MCCUU , which replaced the Camouflage Utility Uniform. Its design and concept are based on the Canadian CADPAT pattern. The pattern is formed of small rectangular pixels of color. In theory, it is a far more effective camouflage than standard uniform patterns because it mimics the dappled textures and rough boundaries found in natural settings. MARPAT has patterns produced by highly complex fractal equations. The purpose of the digitized pattern is to match the visual texture of typical backgrounds. When compared to a white background the MARPAT does look surprising and would seem to catch attention, but when used in an operative environment, its textured appearance and lack of hard edges make it more effective than traditional patterns. Desert Camouflage Uniform DCU The Desert Camouflage Uniform DCU is an arid camouflage uniform used by the United States Armed Forces. It is nearly identical to the U. Desert Battle Dress Uniform Although the chocolate-chip camouflage became well known during the Persian Gulf War, it was originally designed decades prior, in 1962. Army, believing that it might become necessary to intervene in the Arab-Israeli conflicts, developed a test pattern using the deserts of southwestern United States as a model. The Desert Battle Dress Uniform uses a camouflage pattern known as the Chocolate-Chip Camouflage, Cookie Dough Camouflage, or the Six-Color Desert Pattern. The camouflage received its nickname because it apparently resembles chocolate-chip cookie dough. It is made up of a base pattern of light tan overlaid with broad swathes of pale olive green and wide two-tone bands of brown. Clusters of black-on-white spots are scattered over, to mimic the appearance of rocks. The pattern was chosen after several laboratory and field tests that occurred from 2003 to 2004, although it has recently been established that UCP may well have been adopted without field testing against other patterns. However, UCP was not well received and is likely to be withdrawn after eight years in service. UCP-Delta As a result of a photosimulation study conducted in 2007 by Natick as well as Congressional language directing the Army to provide an enhanced camouflage capability for Soldiers on operations in Afghanistan, the Army undertook a four-phased initiative to explore alternate camouflage patterns for the Army Combat Uniform ACU. Air Force Battle Uniform The first prototype of the ABU was unveiled in the summer of 2003, based on the Vietnam-era Tigerstripe pattern. The early uniform prototypes consisted of trousers, an embroidered undershirt, and a blouse. The new elementary semi-pixelated tiger pattern would trade its dominant blue overtones for a more subdued palette, which still includes some blue tones. However, few of the functional recommendations made by Airmen in the field were implemented into the uniform which remains very similar in design to the older BDU style uniforms. This has been a subject of many complaints from Airmen returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan who had been wearing the U. Army-issued Army Combat Uniform ACU as a temporary issue uniform. NWU-3 Two add
