The new camouflage suit for the fighter commando is due to be delivered in 2014. The first studies began in 2005 and development has been underway since 2009. What has happened in that time? And what must a good camouflage pattern actually be able to do?
The emergency may take place in Mali or Chad or somewhere you’ve never heard of before, but preparations for it certainly begin at Franz-Josefs-Kai in Vienna, in the office of Franz Lang, Colonel of the Intendanzdienst, Head of the Personal Equipment Division in Section III of the Federal Ministry of Defense. Lang sits in his first floor office and proudly presents a range of prototypes, fabric panels in various camouflage prints, the results of many years of research and development work. Next year (“if all goes well”, says Lang), the new battle dress of the fighter command will be delivered; the tender for production, printing and manufacture is currently underway – so far there are only mini editions for operations and exercises.
The subject matter is complex, Franz Lang could spend hours explaining it. The tender documents for the insert hat alone comprise 15 A4 pages with detailed information on thread density, maximum tensile elongation, sweat fastness tolerance and the standardized measurement conditions for spectrophotometer colour comparisons. “We are very meticulous,” says Franz Lang, and he has to be. After all, it’s not just about any old sample; it’s about a significant step in Austrian army clothing, about a flexible combat suit for the special forces of the Austrian Armed Forces that can be adapted to a wide variety of operational areas; and ultimately it’s a matter of life and death. Although that sounds clearer than it is. There is always something to weigh up, to offset, to compare. Lang: “Not all camouflage is the same, it depends on what I want to do with it and how much I want to spend on it. I can get the most expensive racing car, but if I’m driving it in difficult terrain, any four-wheel drive vehicle will beat me. The same applies to combat suits. If there was an ideal camouflage print, every army in the world would use it.”
Vice-Lieutenant Thomas Lakatha, instructor at the Langenlebarn Air Force and Air Defense School, is aware of the complexity of the problem, he also says: “There is no philosopher’s stone, no camouflage suit that would be optimal for all armed forces. Camouflage patterns are intended to create a visual homogeneity to the background and foreground, but what camouflages perfectly from one point of view can easily be unmasked from another perspective, depending on the incidence of light, movement, distance or weather. In addition, color matching in the optical range is not enough, I also have to consider modern reconnaissance systems in the thermal, UV and infrared range.” Every development in the reconnaissance area entails an adaptation in camouflage and vice versa: “There are patterns that have become obsolete due to technical developments, such as camouflage patterns with very strong light-dark contrasts. Under certain conditions, these can provide very good optical concealment, but are immediately unmasked by thermal reconnaissance measures because dark and light parts heat up to different degrees.”
The fact that the Austrian Armed Forces will continue to make do with the single-colored combat suit 03 in classic stone grey olive (RAL 7013) does not have to be a disadvantage in terms of camouflage technology. Colonel Lang: “The suit in RAL 7013 creates a very good effect in combination with contour camouflage, especially in the near infrared range, which plays a role in night vision reconnaissance. It doesn’t always have to be camouflage printing. That is a question of philosophy. There are hundreds of studies on this, and everyone is right because everyone has different needs and possibilities.”
Since 1975, when the current uniform color was introduced, the needs of the Austrian Armed Forces and its special forces have changed significantly. In particular, the increase in international missions in North Africa and the Middle East has created a need for action. Lang: “In the past, our desert camouflage was often purchased on the open market from US stocks. However, this resulted in the problem that national identification was no longer guaranteed in joint international operations. In 2009, the General Staff therefore commissioned the development of a distinctive national camouflage pattern that could be adapted for different types of missions and objectives.”
This means that one of the few constants in Austrian army clothing – the RAL shade, which has remained unchanged since 1975 – is now shaky. All other uniform items have undergone a remarkable amount of change over the years. Christoph Hatschek, Deputy Director of the Museum of Military History and Head of the Uniforms Department: “In contrast to the characteristic pearl grey or ‘white’ uniforms of the Habsburg imperial armies, which had been in existence for practically centuries, there has been a veritable diversity of shapes and colors since the reorganization of the Austrian Armed Forces in 1955. In the comparatively short period of just under 60 years, a total of almost a dozen different military “adjustments” were introduced – including the legendary combat suit 57 with five-colored “patchwork” camouflage and white inner fabric for winter camouflage, which was intended to replace the M 56 uniform, which was still worn with a tie, but, no less legendary, was only allowed to be worn for cost reasons in cases of deployment in accordance with § 2a of the Military Act, i.e. in border protection or during major maneuvers.
With the new SEK camouflage suit, the Austrian Armed Forces are now following the international trend towards mission-specific variable camouflage printing in a digital pixel pattern, which has been established since the late 1990s based on the Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT) and the US Marine Pattern (MARPAT). Incidentally, the pixel-like rasterization of these patterns does not have a camouflage effect per se – it merely facilitates the design and printing
adaptation to different types of use and terrain. “Our aim was to achieve international standards, but to find a specifically Austrian solution,” explains Colonel Lang. The result is based on studies that were already carried out in 2005/2006 by the Army Clothing Institute in cooperation with the HTL Spengergasse and tested internationally used camouflage patterns under various conditions.
The findings from this study were used for a further three years – in an interplay between the Army Clothing Institute, the Ministry and the troops – to work on the new print, but also on the cut and material, always treading the fine line between technical feasibility and business sense. Yes, that’s right, Colonel Lang and his team are very meticulous. And, by the way, they are quite satisfied with what they have created, while adhering to all budget requirements and other specifications. The top supplier strokes the prototypes on his desk almost tenderly. The result is something to be proud of. Or, better still, not.
The art of camouflage – a historical outline
The history of camouflage begins in the First World War. “Camouflage patterns only emerged with the modern wars and their new types of weaponry,” explains Christoph Hatschek from the Museum of Military History: “In the Thirty Years’ War, people still went into battle like peacocks.” The first camouflage unit was in the pay of the French army during the First World War: the “Section de Camouflage” provided the troops with hand-painted camouflage patterns and backdrop-like structures (such as artificial trees or bushes) from 1915 under the direction of painter Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola. The patterns used at this time still had a recognizable connection to the visual arts and were reminiscent of cubist painting, which even led Pablo Picasso to claim to be the originator of camouflage himself.
