Experimental USAF Urban Camo seen at Guardian Challenge 2001

[Flecktarn92]

I recently came across these photos while doing a bit of searching. I saw someone posted one of the pictures in a thread about the Urban T pattern but was curious if anyone has any other information about it. Seems like the only instance of these popping up was during this event back in 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

[kammo-man]

Vintage productions wrote an article on these uniforms for a Japanese magazine.

 

owen

[Martinjmpr]

Looks like the commercial "urban camo" pattern that first popped up in either the late 80's or early 90's.

 

I'm assuming the facilities that print camo pattern cloth can probably be configured to use whatever colors you put in there - our local "surplus" store has been selling "camouflage" BDU-pattern clothing in a variety of outlandish colors: Red, orange and black, purple, blue. black, and the "urban camo" where some of the traditional BDU colors are replaced with black, white and gray.

 

IIRC the "urban camo" was briefly popular in civilian clothing in the early 2000s as well. I have a motorcycle jacket that uses an "urban camo" pattern on some of the panels.

 

So I don't think this is so much a case of the USAF developing some new or experimental camo as it is a case of them buying off-the-shelf commercial products and using them (from the photos provided, at least) not as a real 'camouflage' but rather as some kind of promotional/public relations thing.

[Flecktarn92]

I've heard of buying urban camo for different reasons, saw a few pictures of LOE 1 in 1998 with Marines wearing the more popular white urban woodland camouflage that appears to be the off the shelf commercially available one. This one just seemed a little different and being that it wasn't for a specific operation or exercise seemed a bit odd. Throw in the fact that only a select number of Airmen are wearing it makes it a little stranger.

 

kammo-man would you happen to know where I could find that article? I'd love to read up on it a bit more and if it covered any other aspects of it that would be extra interesting.

[kammo-man]

Yea boyieeeeeee

Don’t believe the hype !

Oh yea

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Flecktarn92]

Well that seems a bit different though compared the the above pattern? I know that bright white urban was popular and used by the Marines before they trialed the Urban T pattern but just the Air Force using these seems a bit odd. The Marines were training in urban combat and so wore an urban type of camo but the Air Force wearing a different version seems strange but perhaps it was for a promotional or PR type reason.

[Martinjmpr]

Well that seems a bit different though compared the the above pattern? I know that bright white urban was popular and used by the Marines before they trialed the Urban T pattern but just the Air Force using these seems a bit odd. The Marines were training in urban combat and so wore an urban type of camo but the Air Force wearing a different version seems strange but perhaps it was for a promotional or PR type reason.

 

When the "urban camo" pattern first came out they used the same shapes as the Woodland BDUs but they changed the colors. One of the colors they used was a bright white. When it was pointed out that this wasn't really much of a 'camouflage' the white was swapped for a gray in some patterns which I think is what the LT is wearing in the picture above. I remember seeing both patterns sold at the US Cavalry Store and similar military clothing outlets in the 1990's.

 

It seems a little silly to me to change the colors of the woodland BDU but to keep the shapes. After all, the shapes of the various colors on the woodland pattern were supposed to represent shapes that might be seen in nature. If they're changing from "woodland" to "urban" colors, it makes more sense to change to "urban" shapes which are more square and blocky (like the "T-pattern" experimental camo pattern.)

 

I concur that what the photo represents is likely not a true "experimental camo pattern" but likely some kind of promotional, PR or recruiting uniform.

 

[kammo-man]

I was only joking with the public e pic.

 

 

There is a test run of these uniforms........

 

Bob found his.

[vintageproductions]

After Owen called to remind me that I had these I had to go pull them out.

 

This is the C model test sample for the US Navy NWU series camo. I also have the trousers for them.

 

Judging from the photo it looks like somehow the USAF got a hold of a few pieces also.

 

I wrote an article a few years ago for the Japanese magazine COMBAT about all the experimental / test patterns for the Navy but I can't remember which issue it was in.

 

[bravo_2_zero]

I would guess these are not experimental but event uniform for a team. The people wearing them are wearing some sort of shark apparel which would say to me this is almost like a sports tracksuit. The BDU's they are wearing are off the shelf by propper and are the subdued urban rather than the Navy stuff.

[bravo_2_zero]

The navy stuff didn't appear till 2004 on mass issue and by that time USAF were on with the blue Nam print non digital tigers in 2003.