mike2013 Posted January 3, 2015 Share #1 Posted January 3, 2015 found this flight jacket today can anyone tell me how to decipher the date on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted January 3, 2015 Share #2 Posted January 3, 2015 2001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebuddy Posted January 3, 2015 Share #3 Posted January 3, 2015 Is that a 2001 usaf issue ?? beat me to it Garth !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike2013 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted January 3, 2015 thanks for the reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Thompson Posted January 3, 2015 Share #5 Posted January 3, 2015 found this flight jacket today can anyone tell me how to decipher the date on it On the tag the bottom number CSN 3400-01-8243400 the 01 is the last two digits of the year this run of jackets was done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Survival Posted January 4, 2015 Share #6 Posted January 4, 2015 That looks like a commercial tag with some numbers to make it similar to a military contract number. As I recall 00 and 01 on a stock number (not the contract number) are a code for the country of origin which in this case is the US. The NSN for an A2 jacket should be 8415 01 258 6401 with 01 being the country code. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted January 4, 2015 Share #7 Posted January 4, 2015 I agree looks like a contract over run to sell commecially from Cooper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebuddy Posted January 4, 2015 Share #8 Posted January 4, 2015 Should it be a plain white label , and on the label should it be made by some saddlery maker ? LB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted January 4, 2015 Share #9 Posted January 4, 2015 Cooper is the parent company to Saddlery...USAF A-2s were issued under the Saddlery label with a NSN...first four 8415 indicates clothing either flight or special duty clothing last four indicates size of the A-2...Orange label Coopers are civilian A-2s.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kammo-man Posted January 4, 2015 Share #10 Posted January 4, 2015 Common Army Surplus A2 . owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FtrPlt Posted April 30, 2017 Share #11 Posted April 30, 2017 Just to clarify this a bit. The orange tag Cooper jackets actually pre-date the USAF-issue Saddlery jackets by a few years. I actually bought one of the Cooper jackets at the BX at (then) Castle AFB in CA ~1983/84. Cooper won the initial USAF contract for the re-issue of the A-2 in 1988. The early orange-tag Coppers are very close to the 1988-contract Saddlery jackets. In all likelihood, the USAF-issue Saddlery was verly likely a slightly modified orange-tag Cooper jacket. Same Ideal-branch zip and heavy-duty, purplish knits. Same weight goatskin. I think there was an additional topcoat on the Saddlery jackets -- most have a very shiny/wet-look to them whereas the Coopers are mostly a matte finish. The Cooper's predating the 1988 Saddlery's have a pretty generic label -- just "Cooper" "Type A-2" and the stylized wing. All the verbage about USAF A-2 showed up on the Coopers after USAF adopted the Saddlery jackets. There is/was a second generation of Cooper A-2 jackets which saw quality fall off. Most noticeable was the use of brown, lower-quality knits (compared to the purplish type on the early Coopers and all 1988 contract Saddlery jackets). The Ideal-brand zipper also went from a chrome puller to plain brass. The pre-1988 Cooper orange-tag jackets could be had with or without velcro for a nametag. My jacket was one without -- no traces of any nametag ever attached. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted May 19, 2017 Share #12 Posted May 19, 2017 Pop's Leather in Turkey, had stacks of issue Saddlery and Branded Garments A-2s...they took them in on trade from USAF crews wishing to upgrade to Pop's design...which had hand warmer pockets, under arm gussets and interior pockets and interior pencil pockets..this was 2001 time period which raises a question ... I noticed while on Active duty...observing A-2s and being around aircrews from Travis and Dover.. I noticed Aircrews at Dover and Dover Supply had Saddlery A-2s...and the majority of West coast, Travis crews has Branded A-2s... just an observation and not a scientific study on logistics of A-2 supply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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