Our friends at Frag Out! have provided us with a bit of info on the ongoing efforts by the Polish military to adopt a new camouflage pattern.
An official agreement has been sighed by the Polish MOD and Army Textiles Institute – WOBWSM to test new camo patterns that might replace the current Wz. 93 ‘Pantera’ pattern:
Photo credit: http://wobwsm.wp.mil.pl/pl/1_23.html
MAPA-A (light green variant)
MAPA-B (dark green variant)
“LAMPART” (from top-secret “TYTAN” future-soldier systems project)
Photo credit: http://wobwsm.wp.mil.pl/pl/1_23.html
This agreement was signed last November, with testing to proceed through June 2018, with pattern selection possibly taking place as early as July 2018. The Fall test have already occurred, with “Snowless Winter” tests currently underway.
Photo credit: FragOut! Magazine
Tests are being conducted by WAT (Military University of Technology in Warsaw) and WITI (Military Institute of Technical Engineering), as well as MASKPOL S.A., a holding company of PGZ, the Polish state-owned armaments group.
Photo credit: FragOut! Magazine
WAT and WITI are conducting a decade-old testing methodology originally developed by WITI, which focuses on long distance recognition, where effectiveness of a pattern is judged by a group of 3 to 6 officers using 7×45 binoculars at ranges between 700m to 1400m.
Photo credit: FragOut! Magazine
MASKPOL’s testing methodology is new, and focuses on combat distances of 25m to 300m, using a group of 15 to 30 soldiers making individual comparative evaluations with the naked eye. This testing also incorporates night vision and aerial drones.
Photo credit: FragOut! Magazine
Additionally, IWP (Polish Institute of Industrial Design) is also participating in the testing process. Based on photographs taken during the first two tests, they are using eye-tracking techniques with a large sample of participants to analyze effectiveness of the individual patterns.
Photo credit: FragOut! Magazine
Alongside MAPA, a new line of individual equipment, code-name “DROMADER” is also being developed, regardless of final camo pattern chosen.
Photo credit: FragOut! Magazine
Additional information: www.defence24.pl – The army compares four types of camouflage. In mid-2018, the Ministry of National Defense will select a new one. (Machine translated to English)
