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Uncover your potential', indeed! Once you stop ogling the girl, though, you might notice that this Australian Special Air Service (SAS) recruiting poster shows Australian Disruptive Pattern Camouflage to very good effect. [Image courtesy Brad Turner collection.]

3-colour Australian Desert Pattern
Commonwealth of Australia

Known variously as 'auscam' or 'ozcam', 'bunnies', 'bunny ears', 'hearts and bunnies' and even 'jellybean', the Australian Disruptive Pattern Camouflage employed on the current Australian Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) has been designed and developed based on information obtained from detailed analyses of likely combat scenarios. It is a five-colour 'duck hunter' style of camouflage pattern, and features spots of dark green, medium green, red-brown and tan printed on a sand-coloured background.

Since its introduction, 'auscam' has become internationally recognised as the Australian pattern and, as such, it is also an aid to the identification of Australian personnel on operations. It was for this reason that the Chief of Defence Force mandated its use on the recent Australian Desert Pattern Uniform (ADPU).

Unlike the original 'auscam', this first version of the Australian Desert Pattern is a three-colour camouflage, which retained only the red-brown elements of the original Australian Disruptive Pattern Camouflage. Light grey and a neutralised desert pink were substituted for the colours of the other disruptive elements and background.

Allegedly this particular desert camouflage pattern was adjudged to be so 'ugly' that it was dropped in favour of the five-colour Australian Desert Pattern, pink variant.

kamouflage.net is grateful to Damien Ewin, for his invaluable contribution to this article. Please visit his Web site, Cool Kit Australia.

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