STRIKE-HOLD - the international military and tactical blog

Introduction of Multi-Terrain Pattern Camouflage Uniform for UK Armed Forces

From official MoD information:UK Armed Forces will be issued with combat clothing in a new camouflage optimised for operations in Afghanistan and across a wide range of environments. It will be issued to all personnel deploying on Op HERRICK from March 2010 then issued more widely to the UK Armed...

AOR camouflage comparisons

A big thanks to Mike from OC Tactical for these photos:AOR 1 and AOR 2 Cordura NylonMARPAT and AOR 2MultiCam and AOR 2Different Prototype Colourations of AOR 2CADPAT-TW: “one pattern to rule them all, and in its pixels bind them” 

The Riddle of AOR Camo Solved

After months – if not years – of speculation and rumour, it seems that we at last have resolution to the questions of what AOR camouflage is and who will wear it.  I’ve seen several different names and descriptions pop up for AOR camo during this time – such as...

UK selects 7.62 mm Sharpshooter weapon for Afghan ops

From Janes DefenceUK forces are to receive a semi-automatic 7.62 mm x 51 mm ‘sharpshooter’ weapon to combat Taliban forces engaging beyond the maximum effective range of the 5.56 mm L85A2 assault rifle.In a USD2.5 million deal the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has contracted Law Enforcement International (LEI) to...

Official Lauds Yemeni Government for Taking on al-Qaida

WASHINGTON | The Yemeni government deserves praise for taking on the al-Qaida threat in that country, a Defense Department official said here this week.The Yemeni government took full credit for strikes against al-Qaida hide-outs and training sites Dec. 19. U.S. officials have been concerned that al-Qaida has been increasing in...

Lithuanian troops enter standby in NATO Response Force and EU Battle Group

The Trilateral Baltic Battalion (BALTBAT) manned by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia began duty in the 14th rotation of the NATO Response Force (NRF-14) on January 1. On the same date Lithuanians will also enter half-year standby period in the EU Battle Group.130 personnel of Lithuanian Contingent in the EU Battle...

Is Terrorism Returning to the United States?

The attempted attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 (December 25, 2009) by a would-be suicide bomber is a rude reminder of the trend that has been emerging for some time, and is evidence of renewed efforts on the part of al-Qaeda and its affiliates to attack the United States on...

Testing the new Multi-Terrain Pattern camouflage – DSTL article

A big thanks to Dom Hyde for bringing this to my attention. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the Ministry of Defence civilian scientists, working with the MOD Defence Clothing Project Team, has tested and trialled new multi-terrain camouflage clothing that has been proven to improve mission effectiveness across...

Other variants and derivatives of MultiCam

As far as I’m aware, the UK is the first country to be in the process of officially adopting a MultiCam-derived camouflage pattern as standard for all of its ground troops.However, the distinction of being absolutely first to the field with a MultiCam derivative of course goes to the Poles.  Their...

More about the UK’s new MTP camo uniforms

Just saw a news item about this on the BBC News 24, and here are some links to further news coverage:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8422942.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8421768.stmhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/6844734/British-Army-to-get-new-uniforms—turned-down-by-the-US-and-made-in-China.html* UPDATE *The MoD released two photos today that show the MTP pattern in close-up, and in a terrain suitability match with DPM-Woodland and DPM-Desert.  Also, check out Dom Hyde’s article...