MultiCam

MultiCam on Army Combat Uniform

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 civilian 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 United States Army Soldier Systems Center.

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 (OEFCP).^[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 color 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 colors 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. The variants are designed for arid, tropic and snow-covered environments, plus a black variant for use by law enforcement tactical teams.^[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]

The MultiCam color scheme in Hex triplet is as follows:(i) Not Black 3B2F23; (ii) Coyote brown 81613E; (iii) Dead Veg A4B167; (iv) Lightish Tannish D6D2B4; (v) Cucumber Slumber 4E693B; and (vi) Light Khaki F0E68C.

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]

The Australian Army decided to standardize MultiCam-patterned uniforms starting in October 2014 called the Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform (AMCU). The AMCU is manufactured domestically by Australian Defence Apparel and Pacific Brands Workwear Group and comes in two variations, field and combat, using a tested Australian Multi-Camouflage Pattern that can operate in bush, desert, and jungle conditions. Previous Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniforms and Australian MultiCam Pattern Operational Combat Uniforms will be worn until all Army personnel have been issued with the AMCU.^[14]

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  Australian special forces in DPCU and DPDU, December 2009.

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  Australian special forces in Multicam, June 2010.

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  AMCU combat uniform and kit in Iraq, 2015.

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.

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  A Chilean Naval Special Warfare Division (Marines-Comandos and Sailors-Buzos Tácticos) unit wearing Multicam.

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  An Air Force Commando wearing Multicam.

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  A Sailor's Uniform.

Georgia

A domestic variant of MultiCam is in use with the Georgian Armed Forces as standard issue for all military branches as well as special units of the MIA. The pattern got adopted somewhere in 2010 replacing the DWC and MARPAT and since has been produced in a slightly altered version that fits better to the local environment.

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  Infantrymen of the Georgian 33rd LIB during mission readiness exercise.

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  A Georgian ranger during mission rehearsal for Afghanistan deployment

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  Georgian troops seen wearing a mix of MultiCam and MARPAT.

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  Georgian officer of the Batumi Separate Light Infantry Battalion in Afghanistan

Poland

A little modificated version of MultiCam has been adopted by the some of Polish Special Forces. It's name Suez (also known as CamoGrom but it's incorrect).

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  From left: Suez>MultiCam>OCP

• 

  Polish camo based on MultiCam pattern, uses by Nadwiślański Oddział Straży Granicznej - WZ.SG14

Russia

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

• 

  Russian FSB officers in December 2010, during an operation in Makhachkala.

United Kingdom

The colors of the MultiCam pattern were also in the development of the British Forces Multi Terrain Pattern (MTP) used by UKSF in Afghanistan. British forces deployed in Afghanistan used Multi-Terrain Pattern from March 2010. The colors used in Crye's MultiCam technology were determined to be the best performing, across the widest range of environments (by a significant margin) when compared with the two existing DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material) designs in use at the time and was subsequently selected as the basis for the new MTP camouflage, combined with the existing British Disruptive Pattern Material base pattern.^[15][16]

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  British Army paratroopers train on Ukrainian weapons, July 2011.

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  British Army Soldier in Full Kit in Afghanistan, February 2011.

United States

MultiCam is currently in use by some units of the U.S. Special Operations Command,^[17][18] and some private military contractors.^[19] 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.^[20] 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^[21] adopted MultiCam as their camouflage pattern. It has impressed soldiers in the field.

U.S. Army officials had indicated that a variation of MultiCam will be phased in as the official U.S. Army uniform pattern in 2014.^[22] In May 2014, it was revealed that the Army had selected a pattern called Scorpion, similar to MultiCam, that would be replacing the Universal Camouflage Pattern. The Scorpion pattern was developed by Crye Precision with the Army for the Objective Force Warrior program in 2002, and the maker made small adjustments for trademark purposes and called it MultiCam. Because Scorpion is similar to MultiCam, the same color Velcro, buttons, and zippers can be reused.^[23][24] Scorpion W2 resembles MultiCam with muted greens, light beige, and dark brown colors, but uses fewer beige and brown patches and no vertical twig and branch elements.^[25] On 31 July 2014, the Army formally announced that the Scorpion W2 pattern, officially named the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), will begin being issued in uniforms in summer 2015. The name "Operational Camouflage Pattern" is to emphasize its use beyond Afghanistan to all combatant commands, with a family of versions including a dark jungle-woodland variant and a lighter pattern for deserts. To save money, existing items such as the Modular Lightweight Load carrying Equipment and Improved Outer Tactical Vest will be over-dyed to create a darker color closely matching coyote brown.^[26] Soldiers are allowed to wear uniforms and field equipment patterned in MultiCam until they can acquire OCP, which is allowed until MultiCam uniforms' wear-out date projected on 1 October 2018.^[27]

Some local, state and federal law enforcement agencies also make use of the pattern, including the Drug Enforcement Administration's Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Teams (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.

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  An early prototype Scorpion pattern uniform on display at the Pentagon in May 2002.

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  DEA FAST agents in Afghanistan, in June 2008.

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  U.S. Army Special Forces in Farah Province, in April 2009.

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  U.S. Army soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division in Logar Province, in January 2011.

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  U.S. Army soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in March 2011.

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  A U.S. Air Force Combat Controller operating in Haiti as part of Operation Unified Response, in January 2010.

Users

•  Angola: Used by parachute units of Special Operation Brigade of the Angolan Army.^[28]
•  Argentina: All the Guarnicion Militar Buenos Aires, Guarnicion de Ejercito City Bell & All Special Forces. In June / September will be the Standard of the Argentinian Army. As of August 2015, the entirety of the Argentine Army has the uniform as standard issue.
•  Brazil: Used by Comando de Operações Táticas of the Polícia Federal.^[29]
•  Italy: All Special forces
•  Egypt: All Special forces
•  Australia: Special Operations Command and forces deployed to Afghanistan.^[11][12] Also used by Police Tactical Groups.^{[30][31][32][33]}
•  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.^[34]
•  Finland: Seen in use with some members of the Special Jaegers of the Utti Jaeger Regiment
•  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.^[35]
•  Georgia: Standard uniform of the Georgian Armed Forces and of some police special forces
•  Germany: KSK, GSG9
•  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.
•  Lithuania: Lithuanian Special Operations Force.
•  Maldives: Maldives National Defence Force Special Forces.
•  Montenegro: Standard uniform of the Montenegro military.^[36]
•  Netherlands: Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) and the Netherlands Marine Corps used it on tour in Afghanistan.
•  New Zealand: New Zealand Special Air Service^[37] In mid 2013 the New Zealand Army was issued with MCU (MultiCam Uniform), a digital pattern uniform using Multicam colours. This will eventually be issued to the rest of the New Zealand Defence Force, with RNZAF groundcrew being issued MCU for overseas operational use in the mean time.
•  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.
•  Panama: The standard uniform of Panama National Aero-Naval Services SENAN (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, SENAN).^[38]
•  Poland: Polish Jednostka Wojskowa GROM, Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego, Biuro Ochrony Rządu and Jednostka Wojskowa Komandowsów units uses "Suez" (also known as "CamoGrom"), a little modificated MultiCam pattern.
•  Russia: Russia's FSB Alpha Group and Vympel and the MVD's SOBR Group.
•  South Korea: South Korean UDT/SEAL operators.^[39]
•  Spain: Spanish Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (Spain) ^[40]
•  Taiwan: Army Special Force, Winter Training Center, Mt. Ho-Huan^[41]
•  Thailand:Seen in use by Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters's Military Police.^[42]
•  Tunisia:Seen used by USGN in Raoued operation.^[43]
•  Turkey: Seen used by Su Altı Taarruz (SAT) commando personnel.^[44][45][46]
•  Ukraine: Security Service of Ukraine and Alpha team.
•  United Kingdom:
  • Multicam: Seen in use by United Kingdom Special Forces personnel.
  • Multi-terrain pattern (derived from Multicam): On general issue to the Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), British Army and Royal Air Force
•  United States:
  • Multicam: U.S. Army, U.S. Navy EOD, Joint Special Operations Command, and U.S. Air Force.^[47]
  • Scorpion W2 (derived from Multicam): Adopted by the US Army for issue in 2015.
•  Sweden: Seen in use by the Särskilda operationsgruppen^[48]

See also

• Scorpion W2
• 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