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New US Air Force BDU's

Posted: 2003-10-05 05:59am
by Zed Snardbody
http://www.military.com/NewsContent?file=usaf1_080703

They're just jealous of the USMC getting new uniforms.

Primary reasons why the USMC adopted new cammies

1. Old cammies lacked pockets ideal for field use

2. Old cammies were ill fitting and did not lend themselves to the USMC in the field

3. Cammo pattern increases marine survivability.

Number 3 is also why it was not distributed to other services. It is ideal for short range camouflage. However after 300 meters or so, it lacks effectiveness because those colors all bleed together in human sight. That's why the army didn't use it. The USMC is up in your face in close quarters, where ass Army often has to deal with long range or medium range actions. This isn't a jab at the army, but its true. The old woodland and newer desert work better for army troops.

Now I can understand developing a new camo pattern, or maybe not a new pattern but a better designed uniform in general. The current BDU's all ill designed and have to be ironed with a fucking steam roller with a 50 gallon drum of starch if you want a decent look. The placement of pockets and excessive use of buttons does not lend itself to any solider, marine, airman, or sailor when they are in the field.

But the individual services do not need special uniforms. The only branches that need camouflage really are the Army and the Marines. The Marines have solved their problem, and the Army has solved their problem with desert cammo. The navy really doesn't need one except corps men, and they use marine cammo. Now the airforce. Do they need it? Maybe. Combat Controllers and pararescue could need their own pattern. Blue sure as hell isn't going to blend in anywhere. Pilots eject in flight suits, that maybe best for them. Those things can blend in any where really except for maybe a few desert areas and the arctic.

In all honesty, I think this is just the air force wanting to be shiny. It was a plague to my JROTC unit. The officers were constantly buying the newest stuff to dress the special teams. Look at the new name tag for dress uniforms. They had to go and stand out and have brushed steel and blue inlay for it instead of plastic like everyone else.

Posted: 2003-10-05 06:14am
by Chardok
Could they look any more gay?
Could they possibly be made to stand out more? Woe upon the pilot who crash lands behind enemy lines in that outfit. Good luck hiding pretty much anywhere. Except maybe underwater. :lol:

Posted: 2003-10-05 08:11am
by Companion Cube
Hmm. With that camo the USAF will bear an unusual resemblance to the paramilitaries from that old arcade game...whose name I can't remember at the moment... :?

Posted: 2003-10-05 08:37am
by Mr Bean
The navy really doesn't need one
Quiet you! I'm tired of looking like a escaped convict from Podunck county jail
Bring on the Urban Camo!

(After all we are nearly always in grey ships or in nice grey citys)

BS!

Posted: 2003-10-05 09:12am
by AdmiralTDM
Man! god damned friggen air force CS'ing Fundies!

I am not joining the airforce if they switch to that gay ass'ed "Street Fighter" Camo pattern.... maybe if they switced to old Vietnam SOG/Special forces pattern Tiger Stripe but NOT Blue/Gray/Black pussy shit!

Damnit being an Army Air Borne Officer is looking better and better every day...

Posted: 2003-10-05 10:13am
by Soontir C'boath
....Maybe I'll join the navy instead now.....~Jason

heh

Posted: 2003-10-05 11:03am
by AdmiralTDM
heh...
Navy...
join the Coast Guard! Attack drug lords that have better weapons than you!

Posted: 2003-10-05 11:09am
by Montcalm
Chardok wrote:Could they look any more gay?
Could they possibly be made to stand out more? Woe upon the pilot who crash lands behind enemy lines in that outfit. Good luck hiding pretty much anywhere. Except maybe underwater. :lol:
I thought gays were all in the Navy....still its better than what the Canadian army had in the middle of a desert. :roll:

Posted: 2003-10-05 12:09pm
by Wicked Pilot
The uniform is actually a definate improvement over the woodland BDUs if you don't take into account the color choices. Considering the popular outcry within the Air Force community, I doubt this uniform will ever get past the test phase with the blue intact. Doesn't really bother me that much though, considering I generally don't wear BDUs.

Posted: 2003-10-05 12:17pm
by Mr Bean
I thought gays were all in the Navy
Long as you just refering to the bubblehead branch of the Navy and not to the Navy in general we won't have a problem

Otherwise I may have to send ET2 Bubba your way

Posted: 2003-10-05 12:21pm
by Frank Hipper
The concept behind this is an old one:
Image
Image
Image
Those are examples of WWI German 5 color "Lozenge" camouflage used on aircraft, same principles apply here, albeit updated, improved, and more effective.

Posted: 2003-10-05 12:59pm
by TrailerParkJawa
Wicked Pilot wrote:The uniform is actually a definate improvement over the woodland BDUs if you don't take into account the color choices. Considering the popular outcry within the Air Force community, I doubt this uniform will ever get past the test phase with the blue intact. Doesn't really bother me that much though, considering I generally don't wear BDUs.
I dont think they look too bad. Although, if it really is not needed we should not waste money on it. The USMC program on new utilities was a great example of how projects should go. I hope all the other services dont go overboard with having to be distintive and different and we end up with uniforms that cost more than tanks. ( bit of hyperbole, yes )

Posted: 2003-10-05 01:12pm
by Lonestar
Montcalm wrote:
I thought gays were all in the Navy....:

Well, you know what we say;

"It ain't gay if underway, it's queer if by the pier"

Posted: 2003-10-05 01:26pm
by Nathan F
Looks like a modification of the old tiger stripe camo to me. And yes, it is butt-ugly. I doubt that this will get very far...

Posted: 2003-10-05 02:04pm
by Frank Hipper
Nathan F wrote:Looks like a modification of the old tiger stripe camo to me. And yes, it is butt-ugly. I doubt that this will get very far...
You can't really judge it's effectiveness from a photo like the one in the link. The tendency of the eye to take an amorphous shape and form patterns, or more to the point, disregard patterns in a chaotic background, is what the designers of this stuff are counting on.

Take an impressionist painting, for example. Up close, it's just dots of color, at a distance, it's a picnic scene. This stuff is also made of blobs of color that are meaningless up close. The tendency for the eye to make patterns where they're only hinted at makes this stuff ideal for concealment.

But it will only work well in the right conditions of light and color.

Remember how Lowell saw "canals" on Mars? Another example of optical games our minds play that is somewhat related to what they're trying to achieve.

Posted: 2003-10-05 02:07pm
by CmdrWilkens
For the record the new USMC cammies offer improvement in camo for all ranges. Both start to blend completely at roughly the same ranges. The difference remains that the USMC cammies are still virtually invisible up to roughly 50-75m wheras the old cammies were easily visible at the 75m range if you looked.

Posted: 2003-10-05 02:09pm
by Raptor 597
Haha, the Air Force is just asking to be sucker punched by the Army. :lol:

Posted: 2003-10-05 02:55pm
by Wicked Pilot
TrailerParkJawa wrote:I dont think they look too bad. Although, if it really is not needed we should not waste money on it.
It definately is not needed. More types of uniforms require more money. When it comes deployment time, airmen will still need the woodland or desert BDUs.
The USMC program on new utilities was a great example of how projects should go.
If they developed the uniform with the other services for the benefit off all, then I would agree. But they didn't.

Posted: 2003-10-05 03:03pm
by Sea Skimmer
Anyone else suddenly reminded of some of those Palestinian government paramilitary units that run around in bright blue cammo patterns? For the terrain it's basically anti camouflage.

Posted: 2003-10-05 08:06pm
by CmdrWilkens
Wicked Pilot wrote:
TrailerParkJawa wrote:The USMC program on new utilities was a great example of how projects should go.
If they developed the uniform with the other services for the benefit off all, then I would agree. But they didn't.
Bah we already had this whole jibber jabber over in the Mess

Posted: 2003-10-05 10:57pm
by RogueIce
CmdrWilkens wrote:
Wicked Pilot wrote:If they developed the uniform with the other services for the benefit off all, then I would agree. But they didn't.
Bah we already had this whole jibber jabber over in the Mess
Really? PM me the link. :)

Posted: 2003-10-05 11:21pm
by Vympel
Gah the chick is butch.

Posted: 2003-10-06 12:13am
by Howedar
CmdrWilkens wrote:
Wicked Pilot wrote: If they developed the uniform with the other services for the benefit off all, then I would agree. But they didn't.
Bah we already had this whole jibber jabber over in the Mess
I think we had it in the HAB too.