MultiCam

MultiCam on Army Combat Uniform

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v t e

MultiCam is a Crye Precision camouflage pattern designed for use in a wide range of conditions. Variants of it, some unlicensed, are in use with armed forces. The pattern is also sold for military usage.

History

First introduced in 2002,^[1] MultiCam was designed for the use of the U.S. Army in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. It is a seven-color,^[2] multi-environment camouflage pattern developed by Crye Precision^[3] in conjunction with U.S. Army Natick labs.

The pattern was included in the U.S. Army's move to replace the 3-Color Desert and Woodland patterns, but in 2004 lost to the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) that came to be used in the Army Combat Uniform. However, it was re-commissioned by the U.S. Army in 2010, replacing UCP for units deploying to the War in Afghanistan, under the designation, Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OCP).^[4][5] It had already been used by some American special operations units and civilian law enforcement agencies.^[6]

MultiCam is available for commercial sale to civilians.^[7]

A version of MultiCam has been adopted by the armed forces of the United Kingdom as the Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP), replacing their previous DPM camouflage. MTP retains the colour palette of Multicam but incorporates shapes similar to the previous DPM scheme. After using the Multicam scheme in Afghanistan, Australia has also adopted its own version, like the UK forces combining the colours of Multicam with some of the shapes from its earlier DPCU / Auscam pattern.

On 25 November 2013, Crye Precision unveiled a family of MultiCam variants.^[8]

Appearance

U.S. Army Rangers of 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment wearing Multicam while demonstrating the Future Force Warrior project at Fort Bliss, Texas, in February 2007.

MultiCam has background colors of a brown to light-tan gradient and lime green blending in between, the main part consists of green to yellowish green gradient and finally dark brown and light pinkish blotches spread throughout the pattern. This allows for the overall appearance to change from greenish to brownish in different areas of the fabric, while having smaller blotches to break up the bigger background areas.

A non-licensed copy of the original pattern is slightly darker or with pink or yellow tone and printed on different fabric.^[9] Another non-licensed copy, called Suez pattern, similar to original MultiCam, is used by Polish special forces GROM, BOA and BOR.^[10]

Australia

On 19 November 2010, after trials by Australian special operations forces, the Australian Defence Force announced that Multicam will be standard for all regular Australian Army personnel in Afghanistan. Multicam, it is said, provided "... troops with greater levels of concealment across the range of terrains in Afghanistan – urban, desert and green." Previously, depending upon the terrain, Australian troops had to transition between green and desert colored Australian Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniforms (DPCU or AUSCAM).^[11][12] On 30 May 2011 the Defence Material Organisation announced that they had obtained licence to produce Multicam in Australia for US$4.7 million and Crye would also design a new uniquely Australian pattern for another US$3.1 million.^[13]

Chile

The Chilean Marine Corps, Chilean Naval Special Warfare Division, and the Chilean Air Force Commandos adopted Multicam in 2009. Multicam is the standard issue uniform of the Chilean Marine Corps.

Russia

A version of MultiCam has been adopted by the Federal Security Service and by the Internal Troops of the MVD.

United Kingdom

The pattern is also in use with UKSF in Afghanistan. British forces deployed in Afghanistan have been using a MultiCam variant, Multi-Terrain Pattern, since March 2010. Crye's MultiCam technology was determined to be the best performing, across the widest range of environments (by a significant margin) and was subsequently selected as the basis for the new MTP camouflage, combined with the existing British Disruptive Pattern Material pattern.^[14][15]

United States of America

MultiCam is currently in use by some units of the U.S. Special Operations Command,^[16][17] and some private military contractors.^[18] Several members of the U.S. Army's Charlie Company, 2d Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment were also seen wearing MultiCam when followed by ABC News.^[19] The United States Air Force just recently announced that they will be adopting use of MultiCam for some of their uniforms. In early 2010, U.S. Army soldiers in Afghanistan equipped with the Universal Camouflage Pattern^[20] adopted MultiCam as their camouflage pattern.

U.S. Army officials have indicated that a variation of MultiCam will be phased in as the official U.S. Army uniform pattern in 2014.^[21]

Some local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies also make use of the pattern, including the Drug Enforcement Administration's FAST teams operating in Afghanistan as well as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Special Reaction Team and the Spokane, Washington Police Department.

Users

•  Argentina: All Special Operations, Cazadores de Monte, and Infantry Regiment 1 "Patricios" have adopted the pattern
•  Italy: All Special forces
•  Australia: Special Operations Command and forces deployed to Afghanistan.^[11][12] Also used by Police Tactical Groups.^{[22][23][24][25]}
•  Canada: Seen in use by Canadian Special Operations Forces Command.
•  Chile: Multicam is the standard issue uniform of the Marine Corps and the Navy Special Warfare Division. Also used by the Chilean Air Force Commandos.
•  Czech Republic: 601st Special Forces Group since 2010.
•  Austria: In use by Austrian Army Special Force Jagdkommando.^[26]
•  France: Seen in use with some members of the Commandement des Opérations Spéciales, the French special forces
•  Denmark: Deployment uniform of the Danish military, in the process of replacing the M/84 as the standard uniform.^[27]
•  Georgia: Standard uniform of the Georgian Armed Forces and of some police special forces
•  Hong Kong: Hong Kong Police Special Duties Unit Diver (nickname "Water Ghosts"), Hong Kong Police Counter Terrorism Response Unit (CTRU)
•  Iraq: Emergency Response Battalion, which newly formed by the Ministry of Interior.
•  Jordan: Jordanian Army Special Operations Force Snipers.
•  Maldives: Maldives National Defence Force Special Forces.
•  Montenegro: Standard uniform of the Montenegro military.^[28]
•  Netherlands: Korps Commandotroepen(KCT) and the Netherlands Marine Corps used it on tour in Afghanistan.
•  New Zealand: New Zealand Special Air Service^[29] Will begin to be issued from mid-2013 to the rest of the New Zealand Defence Force.
•  Norway: Forsvarets Spesialkommando(FSK) have been seen using MultiCam camouflage in Afghanistan.
•  Pakistan: The Pakistan Armed Forces are in the process of transferring to MultiCam. ^{[citation needed]}
•  Panama: The standard uniform of Panama National Aero-Naval Services SENAN (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, SENAN.^[30]
•  Russia: Russia's FSB Alpha Group and MVD SOBR Group.
•  South Korea: South Korean UDT/SEAL operators.^[31]
•  Taiwan: Army Special Force, Winter Training Center, Mt. Ho-Huan^[32]
•  Thailand:Seen in use by Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters's Military Police.^[33]
•  Ukraine: Security Service of Ukraine and Alpha team.
•  United Kingdom: Seen in use by United Kingdom Special Forces personnel.
•  United States: U.S. Army, U.S. Navy EOD, Joint Special Operations Command, and U.S. Air Force.^[34]
•  Sweden: Seen in use by the Särskilda operationsgruppen^[35]

See also

• Future Force Warrior
• U.S. Army trial patterns

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MultiCam.

• MultiCamPattern.com
• Crye Precision
• United States patent, number US D487,848 S for Multicam
• Military Morons review and history of MultiCam
• Multicam-Inside.fr, (French) Multicam enthusiasts community.
• "British Army to get new uniforms – turned down by the US and made in China," The Daily Telegraph, Dec. 20, 2009.
• "British Army to get new camouflage uniform," BBC News, Dec. 20, 2009.
• "Camo Delays and Assessment Team Gouge" DefenseTech 29 Dec 2009.
• English Translation of Hebrew article on MultiCam
• Multicam & Multi Terrain Pattern (MTP) compared