Camo Circus

This should be fun to watch...

The U.S. Army;has altered its government-owned Scorpion camouflage pattern to look almost identical to MultiCam, the trademarked pattern the service has been using in Afghanistan since 2010.

On one hand, it follows my thought of keeping the gear and uniforms that are already in the system; however we'll see if Crye thinks it's a little too close to Multicam.

New Camo

Scorpion will replace the MultiCam pattern, currently fielded by the Army as the Operational Camouflage Pattern, making Scorpion the standard issue pattern of the Army, thereby completely replacing the unpopular Universal Camouflage Pattern, first adopted in 2004. The Army will continue to refer to the new Scorpion pattern as OCP. The patterns are very similar so the Army will continue to purchase MultiCam as OCP until the new supply chain for Scorpion is up and running.

I gotta say, while I understand the deep down "why" of Scorpion (the Army already owns it), I still think it would have made more sense to just continue paying some royalties and just adopt Multicam (which there's a crapload of OCIE and uniforms already in the system.)  Maybe they'll just say "close enough" for the existing OCP and let you wear it too?

Image (and really good hard look at what the hell it is) from Hyperstealth

Jumping the Badged Shark

Tru-Spec launched their line of uniforms in the new "MultiCam Black" today, a pattern that Crye says "The MultiCam Black™ pattern was developed to meet the unique requirements of law enforcement officers operating in high-risk environments. It projects a distinctly authoritative presence appropriate for domestic operations. MultiCam Black™ is designed to complement an officer’s existing equipment and present a sharp, professional image for top-tier law enforcement units."

This may come as a surprise to some, since I know there's a certain amount of stereotypes in the gun blog circles about LEOs, and as some long-time readers may know, that's kind of my civilian job.  So here's the rub: While the pattern does look pretty cool, I don't really see the legitimacy of it, especially in an LE environment.  It really is a pure "I want to look cool" product, as it has no concealment abilities, making it pretty useless for SWAT Snipers or Drug Enforcement guys busting grows out in the woods, and camo makes no difference for dynamic entry teams.  (And in my opinion, if you're going for some sort of "psychological edge," I'd think Kryptek Typhon would be the better option.)

All in all, if you want and need camo, get an effective camo.  Otherwise solid black with big white lettering is going to look plenty professional, and clearly identify who you are, and that's more important than looking cool.

So... it's Multicam?

While not official, it seems that SMA Chandler let slip that the new camo will pretty much be Multicam.

…Chandler also told troops that the new Army combat uniforms will likely be phased in starting eight to nine months from now. The uniform will feature different colors for different environments, but the pattern will be very similar to the mottled “multicam” currently used in Afghanistan under the designation “Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern.”

I still say it makes sense, since we've got a bunch of equipment in "OCP" in the inventory already, and it works.  I guess we'll see how true that is in a few months.

New camo?

Much like the last time I was in Afghanistan, it looks like the Army will be announcing a new camouflage pattern before I get home.  I kind of hope that new uniforms will be available fast, and I will be able to toss all my UCP pattern garbage (or maybe burn it in effigy) before I have to go back to drilling once a month.

GucciFlage Nightmare Camo

Heh. I see what you did there.

A-TACS FG

Officially released today.  I've been looking forward to it, and I think it looks pretty good.  I may have to get my hands on some for spring when the green comes back.

Hyperstealth Photos

I mentioned the stuff a while back, and SSD has a couple photos of it.

Too cool if the stuff actually works that well.

Mild HyperStealth SMARTCAMO Update

Looks like it was posted a couple days ago, but I was busy with moving and all that.

This really is looking to be one of the coolest things I've heard of this year.

More on Hyperstealth

From Kit Up.  Seems they got to talk to Guy Cramer at SHOT, and he shed a little more light on the subject.

I first mentioned Hyperstealth late last month, and I'm still pretty excited to see how this stuff develops.

Chamelioline Cloaks? For the Realz?

Hardcore 40k fans will have no doubt read Dan Abnett's fantastic Gaunt's Ghosts series, and will know the Tanith First and Only are famous for their scouting and stealth abilities, the later of course being strongly augmented by their use of one of the Imperium's most underused technologies, Chamelioline.  While never really explained, Chamelioline seems to be a sort of fiber interwoven into their camouflage cloaks that changes color and blends with their surrounding environment.  I can only assume it's a type of fiber, as it is only used in cloth uniforms utilized by certain elite Imperial Guard units, some Assassins, and some Astartes chapters for their scouts.

All cool and whatnot for the geeky 40k fan like me, but it turns out that there's a company, Hyperstealth, looking to make what they call SMARTCAMO, an adaptive camouflage material that blends in with the surrounding terrain colors.

Guy Cramer, the CEO of Hyperstealth, gave a presentation at the International Camouflage Symposium in Brussels back in October featuring a video of the stuff.

The video was of an actual camouflage cloth around his arm, which could change colors between Desert and Woodland and anything in-between, the colors also showed the ability to become brighter than the desert colors for use in a late fall climate or even snow. Cramer announced at the end of the presentation that the video was to be released on the HyperStealth web site after the conference.

 Apparently since the presentation he has been asked not to release said video by the US Military.

However the release goes on to mention that the material was developed using "fractals" to create feedback loops in the pattern and nanotechnology.

Some seriously cool stuff being worked out.  They also apparently have developed a system for vehicles that not only works as a visual camo, but stealths it out from a large chunk of the electromagnetic spectrum, something the Imperium apparently never figured out (stupid religious views...)

But if all that isn't Science Fictiony enough for you, SSD is tossing some more conspiracy level fodder into the mix.

Then, we find out that Dr. Joseph Resnick, Lt. Col. Timothy R. O’Neill, Ph.D (U.S. Army, Ret.) and Guy Cramer (of Hyperstealth fame) have owned mineral rights for 95% of the side of the moon that faces Earth, the polar regions and 50% of the far side of the Moon since 2007. And that isn’t to mention their mineral rights onMars!

So this has got to be it, they have found some rare mineral on the Moon that makes SMARTCAMO™ work. Now the question is, how did they get it back to Earth?

I see your...

...Couch Ninja, and raise you a Hotel Lounge Sniper.

UCP RIP?

Gear Scout says yes.  Couldn't have happened to an uglier camo.

I'm still around...

Just been busy as previously noted.  I'm hoping to write up a quick review of some gloves I've been using as soon as I get time and the weather cooperates for picture taking.  Plus I want to dive into my cheap vest and how to look good on a budget.

Speaking of which, there's some talks bouncing around the ol' sphere about what exactly looking cool might entail.  I still like the Coyote/FDE family for solids, and I'm warming to Multicam for the ultimate in coolness, although with that finally being adopted by the Army I may start leaning away. (I don't like wearing "Army" stuff when I'm not doing "Army Stuff".)  However the amount of stuff out there in MC and the limited scope of issue by the Big Army makes it a bit more bearable for the time being. (I'm still hoping they'll just ditch UCP and go Mulitcam across the board soonish though.)

Natural Camo

So after climbing activities were done for the day, I ducked into camp to say hi to the Ranger and whatnot, and we were standing by the trading post talking for a bit, right next to this table:

We were standing there chatting for the better part of ten minutes before anybody noticed the little guy under the bench.

I think he was annoyed that we were cutting into his nap time.

Rifle painting - Army Style

PEO Soldier has up a pdf showing the "proper" way of doing things, including plenty of pictures of the masking procedure.  Looks like they put a lot of thought into where you should sacrifice some camo for ease of stripping when it's time to turn it in.

More on Army weapons painting.

Soldier Systems has more up, I'm too sleepy to go into more detail at the moment, so there will probably be some tweaking of this post in a few (12 or so) hours.  Anyway, here's the gist of it.

-And now I'm awake and done with stuff for the day, so I'ma talk.

Looks like the Army has chosen to go with Rust-Oleum Camouflage Spray, which isn't all that bad in my personal experience.  I have an AK I did with their green and black a couple years ago and it's holding up pretty well.  I'm sure it's much easier to remove down the road as compared to Duracoat or something, which is good if you ever find yourself not fighting in a desert or something, and especially since the memo says they must be stripped after two coats or before turn in.

I'm also glad to see that they finally realized that black guns get freakin' hot when you have them out in the sun, and that a tan and brown gun will be much cooler.

Subject: Maintenance Information (MI) Message, TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, (TACOM LCMC) Control No. MI 10-040, Camouflaging Specific Small Arms, Items Affected: M16A2 Rifle, NSN 1005-01-128-9936, LIN R95035; M16A4 Rifle, NSN 1005-01-383-2872, LIN R97175; M4 Carbine, NSN 1005-01-231-0973, LIN R97234; M4A1 Carbine, NSN 1005-01-382-0953, LIN C06935.

Issue: This MIM supersedes the information as stated in 2.d.(5) of GPA (Ground Precautionary Action (GPA) Message which put the kybosh on commercial parts and accessories) 09-010 and 2.b.(4) of GPM 07-016 for the specific weapons listed in the subject of this message. The purpose of this message is to authorize at commander’s discretion the application of specific spray paint to be applied to specific small arms to aid in the camouflaging of our warfighters. The only small arms authorized to be camouflaged in accordance with this message are listed in the subject of the message. Additional weapons may be authorized in subsequent messages. Painting of weapons WILL NOT be conducted without the consent of the unit commander. Weapons MUST be stripped of paint prior to turn-in. Only two complete coatings of paint are authorized before weapon needs to be completely stripped.

3. Rationale: Warfighters must be able to conduct tactical operations while reducing/limiting detection by the threat. Camouflage paints provide for reduced visual detection and enhanced Warfighter survivability via neutral, non-reflective, and predominantly non-black colors. Weapon signature reduction (i.e., outline, and contrast with background, texture and color) aids in limiting Warfighters’ battlefield visual signature and makes it more difficult for the enemy to detect the Warfighter’s position. The color, black, is highly infra red reflective and black-colored weapons provide a high degree of visual contrast when carried by camouflaged uniformed Warfighters. Not only is the weapon itself more visible, but the type of weapon and type of accessories are more easily identified providing indicators to the Warfighter’s capabilities and position. Additionally, black color is more conducive to solar-loading (heat retention) than earth-tone colors. Some limited black color in irregular black shapes/patterns does provide for weapon outline breakup.”

Envision a plan: If you have not chosen how you are going to camouflage your weapon, decide at this time. Always start with a plan. Remember, most great camouflage is not pretty. The goal is to blend your weapon in with the environment in which you are operating. If you are operating in an environment that just has light tan sand, then just paint your weapon tan with limited black breakup. If you are operating in a jungle environment using brown and olive drab with limited black breakup may be appropriate for that environment. This procedure’s purpose is not to impress. Its purpose is to provide safety and another tool in defeating the enemy.

NOTE: Allow paint to dry before applying another color. DO NOT spray the paint on heavy. Test the paint on cardboard or a paper towel before painting the weapon so you know how much pressure you need to apply to get a thin coat.

TIPS: Good camouflage can be achieved many ways. Some may want to place netting or foliage such as grass or leaves on the weapon and paint around it to better blend into the environment.

Others may just want to use a blending technique. When using the blending technique coat the weapon with the lightest color you will be using. Next take a darker shade that blends with your environment and paint stripes about 4 inches apart at a 45 degree angle. You can do this with 1 to 2 colors. Next you need to blend it in. Take a dark color like green or brown and from about 6 to 8 inches away from the weapon lightly dust the gun. After that take a lighter color (khaki, or tan) and lightly dust the gun from 6 to 8 inches away. This will blend everything together and dull the finish. Colors will depend on operational environment.

Spray Paint - order spray paint through GSA using the below part numbers:

Part Number

1916830 Black

1917830 Khaki

1918830 Earth Brown

1919830 Deep Forest Green

1920830 Army Green

Army to OK coloring of weapons.

The Army has given the go ahead to paint guns to blend in better(Army Times). Add this to the decision to adopt Multicam for Afghanistan, and it seems like there's at least some people high up in the chain with a few ounces of common sense.

"It sticks out, and we need to give them that ability,” Tamilio said. “We should issue out in the next couple of months an advisory message ... to say, ‘It’s OK to spray paint your weapons, but here is how to do it."

It will be interesting to see what methods and paints are OKed by the powers that be.

ETA: Steve brings up the point that it'll help hide the snipers in plain sight as well, always a good thing.

It's about time!

The Army approves Multicam for OEF.

I never liked the ACUs, I complained loudly about them, as did everyone I knew in the Army, and thankfully was participating in OEF while DCUs were the standard. Maybe if I get back in I can get some free cool camo.

More than I can keep up with.

Soldier Systems has a bunch of A-TACS pictures from Shot.
The more I see it, the more I like it.