kamouflage.net camouflage data

Lithuanian soldier from the Multinational Brigade, on foot patrol in Kosovo. He wears U.S. 4-color woodland pattern camouflage, presumably because Lithuanian camouflage was too similar in appearance to local camouflage patterns. [Image: NATO.]

U.S. woodland pattern camouflage
United States of America

In February 1967, a new camouflage uniform, based on the pattern devised in 1948 by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratory (ERDL) was issued to special units of the U.S. Army in Vietnam. The uniform was so successful that it was also issued to the United States Marine Corps (USMC) after 1968. Two versions of the ERDL camouflage pattern were eventually produced: a predominantly green 'lowlands' version (also known as 'Lime' ERDL) and a predominantly brown 'highlands' version (also known as 'Brown' ERDL).

Also known as 'leaf pattern', examples of both 'lowlands' and 'highlands' ERDL camouflage were shipped to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, where they inspired the where they inspired the three-colour camouflage uniform (трёхцветная камуфлированная одежда, trans. tryokhtsvetnaya kamuflirovannaya odezhda, TTsKO) family of camouflage patterns.

In the United States, too, the original ERDL pattern continued to evolve. Its most recent evolution was the U.S. woodland camouflage pattern, which was introduced, in 1981, with the new Battle Dress Uniforms (abbrev. BDU).

In fact, the U.S. woodland camouflage pattern is little more than an enlarged version of the original ERDL design. It is a four-colour pattern, comprising large brown and medium green swathes, and smaller black 'branches', on a light khaki background.

The U.S. woodland camouflage pattern is, arguably, the most widely-recognised camouflage pattern in the world. It has been adopted by the armed forces of many American allies, and has even inspired a number of 'knock-off' patterns, such as the Russian «NATO» camouflage pattern.

The four-colour M81 BDU is authorised by wear by all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces — Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy. In 2002, however, the USMC issued its own Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform Pattern (also known as MARPAT™), which is scheduled to replace completely the BDU by 2006.

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