Originally developed by Crye Associates for the US Army’s Objective Force Warrior Program, the Scorpion camouflage pattern could be considered the precursor to the popular MultiCam pattern. Earlier this month, Army officials chose to proceed with a transition to the Scorpion pattern via a “soft launch”. Guess it’s not so soft anymore.
I will point out, that although industry is hard at work preparing fabric to begin the process, the US Army leadership has yet to make an official announcement. I have posted this story in order to offer additional information after another website felt they couldn’t wait for an official announcement and posted that the Army had selected Scorpion.
Scorpion will replace the MultiCam pattern, currently fielded by the Army as the Operational Camouflage Pattern, making Scorpion the standard issue pattern of the Army, thereby completely replacing the unpopular Universal Camouflage Pattern, first adopted in 2004. The Army will continue to refer to the new Scorpion pattern as OCP. The patterns are very similar so the Army will continue to purchase MultiCam as OCP until the new supply chain for Scorpion is up and running.
This decision signifies the beginning of the end of a process that has taken four years and millions of Dollars in R&D to select a new camouflage pattern for the US Army. The Phase IV of the US Army Camouflage Improvement Effort that looked at four commercial families of patterns seems to have been abandoned in favor of a single pattern created is support of a S&T effort over 10 years ago. The Army still needs to look at so-called ‘bookend patterns’ for desert and woodland use.
UPDATED – Unfortunately, as the Army was still working on their strategic communication plan, the details most of you will seek are not yet available. For example, exact dates and timelines aren’t firm. I have heard that the Army is working with printers to get fabric rolling and plans to have gear on the shelf by next May with OCP in the clothing bag for new accessions by early FY2016. As it hasn’t been printed in any quantity in several years, industry is going to have to learn how to print it, despite lessons learned from printing MultiCam. Although very similar, Scorpion and MultiCam are different patterns. There’s going to be a learning curve here and we still don’t know if Army is going to restrict the pattern like MARPAT and AOR or make it open source like UCP. If it is restricted, you won’t see it for use in commercial gear. Additionally, although many Soldiers have been issued FR ACUs in OCP, there are currently no issue ACUs in OCP made of 50/50 NYCO which is the fabric for the Army garrison uniform. This makes authorization for wear problematic as the FR ACU is considered a combat uniform. Although, we may end up seeing some local commanders authorizing wear of issue FR ACUs in garrison and local training if the changeover timeline turns out to be too long. According to COL Robert Mortlock, PM SPIE at PEO Soldier, the full transition to the new pattern will take up to eight years considering the full wear out of OCIE. Naturally, clothing bag items will be much quicker.
As a sign that the Army is committed to this Course of Action, the recent deployment of elements of the 173rd Abn Bde to Estonia marks the first RFI issue in OCP for use outside of OEF. This is very significant.
I have heard from several Army sources that Scorpion is being referred to as “Scorpion MultiCam” by leadership. This is incorrect. They are two distinct, yet similar patterns. It is either Scorpion, or MultiCam, not both. In this case, the Army has chosen to proceed with Scorpion.
So far, USAF and SOCOM are sticking with MultiCam but at this point, Scorpion remains etherware. No fabric exists, aside from some random remnants found in storage, let alone finished goods. This may change once Scorpion is actually available.
Specifically, the new pattern is the W2 variant of Scorpion which is a ~2009 modification of the base pattern originally created for OFW. Around the same time, woodland and desert variants were also created but there is currently no indication that those will be considered for use as bookend patterns. Scorpion W2 will still receive a tweak or two to apply the latest IR technologies to the pattern.
I do have details on the upcoming bookend tests (woodland and desert) for Fall but I am going to keep those under wraps for now.
Tags: Scorpion
SSD,
So if Scorpion is the new pattern, any word if CRYE is planning to take the US Army to court since Scorpion was thrown out of the competition for being to close to an industry pattern (MultiCam)?
“Scorpion wins.”
Spot on. You win the internet today.
I’ve been wanting to tell you for two weeks now.
It’s a Mortal Kombat reference, SSD.
Flawless Victory.
Tacticality.
I honestly can’t begin to imagine the amount of money spent to standardize on a camo pattern. They’ve had MC for years; it functions well and frankly any dollars spent could have been invested were there is a marginal return on that investment.
Very poor decision making at a time were all branches are crying for resources. Somebody should be embarrassed by this…
I’m gonna write a book on this whole boondoggle.
already done its called the pentagon wars
It could’ve gone better.
But I’ll take Scorpion now over wearing Digital Pattern ACUs for a few more years of waiting on a new camo.
Can we have an Army bake sale or something? $50 per soldier and we’d have enough to buy OCP. (Sarcasm)
It’ll be interesting to see how Scorpion looks on nylon webbing and the like.
So, can we go back to plain green backed sew-on badges? I’ve always hated that they decided to embroider the badges on UCP fabric, makes it look wonky in my opinion.
Dude I am with you.
I wonder if anyone would even care or take notice if every single one of us went to IG on Tuesday and requested an investigation into the Officers responsible for this whole mess. SOLDIERS HAVE DIED BECUASE OF UCP!!! Bunch of fucktards. I swear to God if a man walked up to me and said, “I am the man responsible for UCP”, I will beat the ever loving shit out of him.
I would kill.
Although I didn’t take the time to read every message above, and sorry if this was already mentioned. But, what will they go with for all the nylon TA-50 equipment? SCORPION? COYOTE? and iof they are going to have a jungle, and desert version, then will they also issue matching TA-50 gear for those?
Everything will be OCP.
I don’t see why everyone sees this as a big deal. They look functionally the same especially after a few washings and some training. On the day to day trop level (Tm SQD LDR CO etc) leaders should use some judgement and push towards the new pattern as the standard but allow Soldiers to use their well worn kit until its time for a DX and they can get the scorpion kit. We all know that its going to be a phased integration. Perhaps my fellow NCOs on this board can push this thought around their units. As the article stated Crye made some small changes IOT to patent it after developing it with the Army. Truthfully its aggravating that we (the Army) have had this pattern the ENITRE TIME!! and we have even had to fuck around with the entire double (2004, 2014) selection process.
Remind me to never do business with the Army.
Can’t say I’m 100% happy with the decision, but I am glad the UCP nightmare is finally coming to an end after a decade. Any chance the Army may change the cut of uniform so that it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing a GP medium everywhere I go?
Wear the alternate cut ACU.
Can’t say I’m 100% happy with the decision, but I am glad the UCP nightmare is finally coming to an end after a decade. Any chance the Army may change the cut of uniform so that it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing a GP medium everywhere I go?
Ok, I am a bit disappointed too, but just look at the pictures in this link and tell me that you aren’t even a little happy with Scorpion. It’s close enough to Multicam for me.
http://www.sniperforums.com/forum/misc/419-scorpion-camo-pattern.htmlxq
Here… http://www.sniperforums.com/forum/misc/419-scorpion-camo-pattern.html
If this pattern, or any pattern other than UCP, was chosen in ’02, I wonder how many lives it would have saved…
I wish those responsible for UCP would just explain how it was selected in their own words: “Uniformity is one of the Army’s Unstated Core Values. The DCU/BDU/Olive Drab uniform mix literally made the SMA vomit. Further, MARPAT looked and worked good and one set of field gear worked with both. We extrapolated the works-with-both-is-cheaper concept into universal camouflage. So, we’d heard for years about future combat being in urban population centers regardless of climate, and Iraq was pretty much exactly that. Factor in the sand being grayish, and the black-free pattern doing decent under night vision, and the rest kinda just happened. We considered a revision to correct the UCP colorway to Olive Drab, Concrete Gray and Desert Tan shortly after adoption, but it was good enough for the primary theater at the time, so we ignored it.”
Now its time to lobby the Air Force to follow suit! We can’t be the only ones left in vanity pattern camo!!
You aren’t. The Navy has your back. And don’t tell me aqua-flage was chosen to hide stains. That always sounded like an after-the-fact justification to explain away a stupid, vanity-driven decision.
has there been any word on the results of the latest camo trials (that were apparently ignored)?
No, they were pretty darned quick tho, weren’t they?
200 comments guys! We can do it! 😀 I don’t think we can ask anything else though.. We pretty much covered everything about this. >_> QUICK, MAKE SOMETHING UP.
It would be nice to know if I can continue wearing my OCP stuff when I get back and not have to pull my UCP stuff out of the closet.
So long Murthacam, we hardly knew ye….
I would like to see a investigation in regards to how the hell UCP got selected in the first place, when it was against much superior patterns. Millions wasted on a pattern that works great on gravel inside the fob, and in the office where you don’t have to press and starch it. Quality is shit poor too. Fabric fades differently on pants or tops. Heck. If a private company ran a decision making process like the big army does it would be long out of business or under federal investigation.
Lets not forget the fucking pants crotch ripping, i mean come on. Great when not wearing underwear and your balls are hanging out in front of Iraqi kids.
Ditto on that.
Guys guys guys. Lets talk about whats important, UCP looked like shit. This looks better… that means more girls.
Who gives a shit about field suitability, IR identification, blah blah? Women will like this pattern more which is what really is important. GJ army, more people will get laid because of this decision.
I mean, why take the item that is off the shelf and chosen by multiple forces around the world? instead lets wait the six months+ to get the textile restarted.
Really I think this is just a way to get around paying crye, idk what the costs would be verse re-starting this style.
Kind of to little to late. I do not want to think about how many US soldiers were killed because their UCP pattern sticks out like a ugly red headed step child. I mean fucking grey and blue shit? great for night time/dusk and shadows, but bright sun in Iraq streets or Afghanistan mountainside?
Well i guess we shall never know.
Yeah I’m sure all the fat colonels will be the first ones posing for pictures with hooters girls. Great for photo ops. Let’s be honest. These decisions are never made based on what works, it’s on who it works for. I’ll give my first new born to bet that UCP decision was based on some lobbying and pogs choosing what looks cool instead of what works. More call of duty than real life.
Also. UCP looks fucking great…… As a power point background.
For those interested in the exact pattern differences between Multicam and Scorpion, US design patent D487848 describes Scorpion, and D560915 describes Multicam.
In 10 more years and the Army will rediscover the classic woodland camo as the new jungle Scorpion variant.
Nothing would surprise me
Like i said before, this is to little to fucking late. It’s disgusting. Great the war is over and we fought for TEN YEARS with a shit camo pattern that got people killed. spent a shitload of money on a pattern that lasted a decade, which happens to be the same decade the US was at war.
Yet the military won’t put a gas piston on a the M family, which will help with jamming a bit.
we load infantry down with PPE bullshit, yet the pattern they wear does not work well.
Now finally, a somewhat acceptable pattern is chosen after how ever many people were killed.
At least the Corps changed with the environment somewhat quickly.
remember the burn victims from the Humvee’s, the corps at least issued coveralls to their guys facing IEDs.
Same story different times. South Africa created the first MRAP style vehicle in the 80’s, IEDs were a threat to Israel during their occupation of Lebanon.
Nothing is learned unless a shit load of people die.
It’s not that they don’t learn it, they just don’t want to pay for it. It’s cheaper to minimize the problem until it gets to a point they can’t ignore it.
This is quite literally the biggest circle jerk in the history of circle jerks. They did all this fancy testing and other BS just to end up selecting something that was on the shelf used for conceptual design. This was a cluster fuck that ended up being a circle jerk.
I’m amazed. But glad that just for one, the Netherlands might actually do a better job with it’s current camo program; we should be getting the NFP pattern around 2016. Unless ofcourse we follow the US way of things and select the flecktarn-like pattern we developed in the late ’80s.
Based on info contained in article;
1. This will be a long slow roll out process.
2. Announcement officially hasn’t been made and finally pattern is yet to be finalized re tweaks mentioned.
Conclusion, don’t lose your UCP’s yet……
SSD, do you have any pictures of Scorpion W2?
Thanks
the army times is reporting that the pattern is Scorpion W2, not the original Scorpion pattern. This one Natick modified apparently?
In his write-up on Scorpion, even Guy Crammer isn’t sure if one of the pictures of Scorpion isn’t actually Woodland Scorpion. Leads me to believe that Scorpion W2 is one of the woodland patterns from the 2004 test and that Woodland Scorpion is closer to Multicam than the original Scorpion. Look at the 2009 test graph halfway through the article and you can see how closely Woodland Scorpion scored to Multicam in “cropland” and “sandy desert”.
Scorpion W2 was the modification of the original Scorpion pattern. woodland and desert were created from that as colorway variants.
So woodland and desert were created off of W2 or W2 is the woodland variant?
The first.
Did you read the entire story?
I really hope the Air Force follows suit! We can be the only ones left wearing vanity pattern camo!
Why not just have the whole military switch to MARPAT, one woodland pattern one desert pattern and UNIFORMITY across the armed services like we used to do in the 70’s
Costs too much
You mean because the existing stock of UCP and OCP OCIE can be issued out? Otherwise I’m not sure what you mean by “costs too much”
To issue two different uniforms to everyone in DoD? It’s simple math.
Two of each instead of four of one. I mean my math skills aren’t great…
Thanks SSD. Top quality journalism on SSD throughout. (It’s been a long, strange ride.) From what we hear from the users, I think most of the community would agree with this statement,
“Thanks Crye Precision, for EVERYTHING you’ve done for our troops… including Scorpion, but especially Multicam.”
How this effort allegedly cost the Army three thousand million dollars ($3B) is difficult to comprehend. I would have chosen Multicam a long time ago. One smart call years ago would have saved American time, money, and lives. Sucks, but the past is past. We’ll pour out some Budweiser for Crye Precision tonight. Keep up the good work guys. It’s appreciated!
Forgive me if any one asked this question, but what color gear will the soldiers be wearing with the scorpion w2.will it be a solid standard color similar to what the Marine Corps has with the coyote brown ( not using the same color ) or will it be UCP or OCP?
OCP. One more time. The Army will refer to the new pattern as OCP.
SSD I know you said you’d like to keep the bookend stuff under wraps for now but I’ll go crazy if I don’t ask this…..
In a previous post you complained about the possibility of the army mixing and marching camo patterns between kit and uniform. Is that what we have to look forward to. scorpion kit with AOR combat uniforms?
I think the truth is already in print if we read between the lines. The military.com story in late feb stated that the army was considering a digital transitional pattern to replace UCP. Scorpion, just like it’s beefed up cousin, multicam, is a digital pattern. It’s just not pixelated. Additionally, col morlock (sp?) commented that past 50 meters, the colorway, not the pattern counts (I disagree somewhat). Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that either woodland and digital marpat or nws ii and iii (aor 1 and 2) will be utilized as our bookend patterns. Geometrically matching patterns be damned. This coa will pretty much follow the intent behind whatever the ndaa2014 was supposed to accomplish.
I think the selection and issue of the bookend patterns is pretty far out in the future, and with a good transitional camo, like Scorpion, we’ll need them less. Multicam was the right choice for Afghanistan, but it’s also a good choice for much of Africa, Asia, and Europe. If the Scorpion W2 is as similar as I think, we’ll be fine until we end up in some really green jungle in SE Asia and parts of Central/South America. I’m happy with where we’ll be in a few years (or sooner).
How about just give Infantry guys the multiple camo patterns? POGs can just have scorpion, but combat arms get multiple uniforms to use at their discretion.
The ACU was a great pattern for the POGs, they blended very well on the gravel.
Does someone who never leaves the FOB, or during a conventional war in the rear really need a new camo pattern? At the expensive of giving grunts something that would save their lives.
Everybody conducting contingency operations should be given the appropriate camouflage in any specific operational environment, regardless of what their support to the mission is. What is a support element who regularly patrols with the infantry or ODA’s supposed to do when he is only issued one set of uniforms? That is very INFANT minded thinking.
It is not infant minded. The riggers from my unit that worked on college when they were off shift from packing pallets… they did not need the same camo uniforms. The commo and MI guys that came out and worked with us needed to look like us and they did.
Priority for camo kit goes to Combat Arms, Combat Support and slecect Service Support personnel as needed. When I was a PFC 11B at Fort Campbell in 2003 getting ready for what became OIF I, our unit was one of the last on post to get desert uniforms and gear I had DCUs that were 2 sizes too big and boots one size too small… COSCOM, MEDCOM, Division HQ and all the other random support people got stuff that fit. I had to walk from Kuwait to Mosul in ill fitting gear. Somebody needs to apply common sense and prioritize. Not every Soldier is a warrior.
I don’t disagree with that sentiment. What you’re describing is in stark contrast to what the initial statement outlined, infantry gets the multiple camouflage patterns while all others are only issued the transitional pattern. As long as the individuals who are operating outside the wire are uniform, it’s fine by me. But somebody who regularly patrols and is supporting the mission shouldn’t be shafted out of receiving the proper equipment because they didn’t come through sand hill.
I hear you Rob,
Also the UCP has great silhouette performance, which is what you want when getting in and out of vehicles, walking near roads and stuff like that which which might not be that exotic circumstances for a regular soldier.
But sure I agree that UCP could get you killed out in the “spinach”.
Is this just a possible stop gap until a DOD wide camo selection is made?
There is no “DoD” pattern coming. The USMC lobby in the Senate stripped the 2018 deadline from the Enyart amendment in Conference committee.
People can kinda point to the Marines again and say that they have fucked over all the other services and the country due to their excessive pride on camouflage.
It’s sad to see the whole, U.S. camo fiasco continuing.
Even with the mighty U.S. and our emphasis on leadership, we still do not have one “DoD” wide pattern family, yet alone a next generation pattern within our services currently.
Shit, the CADPAT TW pattern that some of our services have recolored and are currently using, is a pattern almost 20 years old. We should be looking to the future, using and developing the latest enhancements in camo so we have the best pattern out there before everyone else.
Now, it is true, the Army is going through a coa that provides a much better camouflage pattern than UCP, but it’s 10 years too late. Using A old pattern that has been slightly modified and doesn’t even use the primary advancement in camouflage that was discovered in CADPAT (texture matching micro) is unacceptable. That may have been acceptable 10 years ago, but now.
While this may be one of the best options the Army was able to do legally within the restrictions (which they could have avoided), it still disappoints me that all that effort from CIE and the other studies have been wasted for the most part. All it will do will help guide the Army on how to pimp out the obsolete scorpion pattern in terms of color and IR.
Sigh…
If Multicam is the pattern of choice for SOCOM, where they get to choose whatever works best, then that should tell us something.
If Multicam, AOR1 and AOR2 are the patterns of choice for NSW, where they get to choose whatever works best, then that should tell us something.
I do not see where either SOCOM or NSW picked Scorpion, nor do I see any reason for them to do so in the future, unless they want to sanitize and appear to be other than SOCOM or NSW. If a pattern works best for an environment, then every one of our service personnel should wear that pattern, with differentiation provided only by insignia and branch of service tapes that are discernible within bayonet range.
Sometimes, going with the lowest bidder, or what appears to be the “lower cost” option in the short run, incurs other unanticipated costs elsewhere in the long run. Those costs include those captured, wounded and dead because they were detected easier by opposing forces, or who suffered heat and cold injuries because of inappropriate clothing design or uniform wear regulations.
Except you are forgetting one key, salient point. Multicam was available in the quantities needed for fielding via commercial purchase. Scorpion never has been available for purchase and was never produced for anything outside of testing. I bet USASOC does pick up Scorpion-because they will get it through their parent service without having to COTS purchase Multicam.
I get what you’re saying, but the methodology and thought process is flawed.
I’m not happy that we took the cheap option again, but people can’t seem to see the forest through the trees—-it’s not UCP, so now we’re splitting hairs.
USASOC is looking at it but some of their OCIE is service common and some is SOF issue SPEAR. Just because it is offered in a particular pattern doesn’t automatically make it service common.
And say what you will about solid-color OCIE being inferior, but USASOC’s solid brown and solid green SPEAR equipment have taken them through all of the silly camo changes.
But the science shows that it doesn’t work as well as matched kit.
I’m not disputing the science, but it’s been an 80% (totally made up number) solution to the Army’s neurotic camo decisions.
The terrible PIP testing is hardly ‘science’.
Well I guess second best is good enough for the Army.
Do we know what this scorpion W2 looks like?
I have always wondered if the US Army came up with the UCP pattern to save money by not issuing 4 sets of BDUs and 4 sets of DCUs. They could just issue 4 sets of ACUs for everyone and save cash. The UCP pattern was more or less an urban camouflage pattern. They figured we would be in Iraq and Afghanistan for a while. Then when it was found that it worthless in Afghanistan they back tracked and brought in the multicam.
As for the ACU wasting billions remember that is not completely accurate. Those uniform and equipment have been getting issued and worn out for years. By the time the new cammo comes on line ACU gear will be worn out over time. My BDUs and DCUs were worn out after just a year or so and were constantly being replaced with new sets. Body breach anyone?
Now how many lives the UCP cost will never be known. That there should be the most important argument.
The Army never issued both BDUs and DCUs to everyone.
How different is this version of Scorpion from the one submitted in OFW?
Is this the Natick submitted design that got canned during the Phase IV trials?
It’s slightly different and yes.
SSD, is the Army permitted to change the coloration of the Scorpion? If so, they can make it look like the MC in the latest camo trials, as no one owns a patent on colors.
Wouldn’t it then violate the NDAA?
That I don’t know. I asked Guy Cramer and he says since the government owns the rights they can use different color palettes if they choose. There may be a gray area they can exploit.
If they could do that then why didn’t they just recolor UCP?
Don’t know. They may can work around it with the SecDef authorization.
Do you actually believe the SecDef is going to give anyone a waiver to introduce new camo considering the budget environment they are in?
Odds are against it, but the unexpected can still happen.
I love how the rumors are running rampant. First the announcement of scorpion camo, then talk about scorpion w2, then hints of a scorpion digital pattern. Does anyone really know what the next pattern will really be?
Seriously? Sit down and shut up. Don’t post anymore. This isn’t a rumor. It’s Scorpion. Scorpion W2 to be exact. It’s not digital.
Let me get this straight –
1. Army conducted trials way back when which included UCP and Scorpion; in a stroke of genius we picked UCP until Murtha, “Let’s rethink this stupidity”
2. Army gets Multicam, which is improved Scorpion
3. Army puts out contract for new camo; piffles about with the results last year citing “budget concerns”
4. Enyart amendment strolls in killing any chance of using even better camo than previous stuff (RIP US4CES, my personal fave).
5. Army tries to buy out Multicam but balks at the price tag, and like a petulant child tries skirting the purchase by making pixelated Multicam.
6. Army backpedals even harder and returns to multicam’s PREDECESSOR – will likely tout this as a major “victory for Soldiers”
So US Army – what do you have to say for yourself? Wasted money and time of other companies who researched superior patterns only to go back to pattern we should have picked nearly a decade ago. If you are giving each other high-fives at PEO-Soldier then I ought to take a baseball bat to your knees.
Throw in some RAL 7013 vertical slugs and it’ll be fine.
I think Crye would sue the pants off the Army if they tried
How’d that be? Does Crye Precision have a patent on vertical slugs?
I don’t think Crye has a claim to vertical geometry nor changing colorways
My mistake – if they did toss the vertical slugs on there, would it be an NDAA violation?
Depends on when they did it. But, this pattern is already debatable. It was never issued. I could see Congress yanking a knot in the Army’s chain, especially if they do too much with it.
Wow, I am beside myself with all the bitching and complaining people are making. We have a uniform that works and will soon replace one that doesn’t; why are you people getting your panties in a wad?
Agreed!
All things considered Scorpion within a few years is better than UCP. I’m just glad they finally made a decision. I’m hoping its available for wear before May of 2016. I refuse to retire in UCP. If the Army is smart, which I doubt, they will allow those with the OCP FRACU to wear them. The UCP FRACU can be worn in garrison so why not the OCP version? The difference in pattern between the current OCP and Scorpion is so small that it really won’t make a difference. When my brother was in the USMC from 77 to 83 he wore the old green dominant ERDL uniform, the brown dominant ERDL, the RDF cammo, and the BDUs. You could see all of those uniforms in the same formation and the sky did not fall. Soldiers will be wearing a mix of OCP and UCP items for years to come. And while in CONUS it really does not matter.
Some people have commented on whether or not the Army ‘has exclusive rights’ to Scorpion. The way I understand copyright law, works created by govt agencies using public funds cannot be copyrighted or trademarked because they are technically owned by the people. This is why MARPAT is only patented and not copyrighted (and iirc, that patent expires in 2015).
Does anyone with knowledge in this area know if this also applies if the design is purchased from an outside company?
That would all depend on how the contract read.