One of the beauties of the digital age of camouflage is that patterns can easily be recolored if needed. There seems to be a lot of interest in the Dispersal pattern by CROPS that we showed earlier in the week but we received several comments that it was too this or that.
This new variant is intended for Alpine use. But it might be the ticket for some of you guys looking for something to blend in with concrete environs, although I find the best urban camo is to dress like the natives.
We recently ran across an interesting new hexagon-based camouflage from British company CROPS and asked them for some information to share with our readers.
History & Background:
I have been obsessed about camouflage ever since I was a child, back then I used to hide in the back garden using material which had been painted and died to make my own camouflages, this all thanks to my mother’s everyday role as a textiles specialist.
As an adult in the military I would buy ‘arctic cam whites’ and once again spray paint, screen print and stencil my own camouflages. Only this time for a more serious role than that of hiding in the back garden!
Having designed and developed a number of rural based technical equipment, optical platforms and more recently three variant low-profile rigs and the technical CROPS combat pant. www.crops.uk.com
Current times:
Now working alongside the UK based manufacture ARKTIS, we (CROPS) continue to be innovators within the tactical clothing arena.
Approached by a small overseas Special Forces unit with the following brief, “we require a new, never seen before camouflage print which would aid concealment at distances between 100 – 150 metres in an urban environment. This then was to be made into a technical coverall consisting of a number of set features required of the tactical team”.
Urban concealment concept:
The first stage was to identify the correct colour pigments required to blend into the domestic and industrial urban back drop, I remembered years ago I stencilled an urban print on to my ‘arctic cam whites’ using the following colours. Pale sand, baby powder blue, pinks and dark purpley-red blends with a deep orange. These colours where stencilled in the same way as a WW2 German camouflage known as ‘Lozenge’ a basic hexagon-base camouflage typical for night operations. Once happy with the colour pigments, the next stage was to arrange them so that they worked together creating the overall effect.
We started playing around with a number of designs trying to add a 3D concept on flat fabrics, introducing artificial trapped shadows, fake textures and colour bleeds. After a number of tests and trials, so was born the latest in urban concealment fabric concepts, DISPERSAL.
DISPERSAL:
The DISPERSAL camouflage design is an optical effect that you will notice works in several ways; at greater distance its cuts up the outline of the wearer, mimicking broken rubble and harsh masonry lines. Whilst at shorter distances the ‘blurring effect’ fools the eye making it seem like its merging with the environment.
So effective the print has been at fooling the human eye, factory staff working to cut and machine the design, have had to be taken off the line complaining of dizziness and blurred vision!
Trials:
Remembering the original brief which was concealment between 100 – 150 metres, I drove around looking for as many different back drops I could find to test the print. Once convinced that the product worked I needed to test it on a real target location, this was to be a fully operational construction site.
The aim was to insert and slowly move as close to the workers as possible until compromised! With a college situated on the boundary armed with a camera and powerful lens, I started my insertion been photographed at stages. I achieved a distance of 10 metres before running out of rubble and only left with the option of standing up and walking out, this confirm the DISPERSAL as nothing short of awesome.
I emailed some images to a friend who had not seen the print and asked him to find me, 50 metres nothing, 25 metres nothing, and at 10 metres with a hint did he find me.
The Future:
After all this hard work the unit in question failed in their commitment, so the DSP print is up for grabs, CROPS is interested to hear from specialist units who have a requirement for this one of a kind camouflage.
What’s next:
The DISPERSAL is now in the trial stages for operations in the Rural, Arctic Mountain and Arid environments. All prints will be available in time from our on line store as well as our other specialist products which have been designed for the tactical and surveillance professionals. The store which will be going live very soon can be found at www.thesurveillancestore.co.uk
Written by: Ben Wall – CROPS School of Rural Surveillance
Due to several decades of operational application during “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, the British developed an excellent standard in covert rural surveillance. CROPS UK offers a manual on covert rural surveillance.
“Covert Rural Surveillance” is a tradecraft manual dedicated to modern military techniques and covert tactics for rural surveillance operations. With over 560 pages, in excess of 1500 color images and diagrams, it offers unrivaled insight and quality to this unique subject. This manual has been designed, to enable the reader to carry it under the ‘top flap’ of their CROPS Bergen or other pack for immediate reference should it be required. It also contains a number of blank documents such as: Surveillance Logs / Reconnaissance Report Template / Replenishment Cards / Sketch Sheets and File Notes used on operations that can all be photocopied and used during your surveillance.
The rural environment is by far the most challenging, requiring the utmost of personal discipline and the aim of this manual, is to make your operations successful every time. The content of this manual has been taken directly from the author’s Covert Rural Surveillance Course syllabus.
Subjects covered:
• Introduction to surveillance
• Planning & Preparation
• Clothing & Equipment
• Rural communications
• Navigation
• Field Craft
• Patrol Skills
• Rural hide construction
• Logging & Reporting
• Triggers (static follow)
• Sketch Maps
• Panoramic Sketching
• Observation Skills & search
• Close Target Reconnaissance
• Methods of Resupply
• Digital Still & Video Imagery
• Deployment of Covert Camera Systems
• Eavesdropping
• Operating from Buildings
• Winter Operations
• Law & Legal Issues
Covert Rural Surveillance is a highly recommended tradecraft manual, which is currently been used by a number of overseas specialist units as the comprehensive training guild for this subject available anywhere.
www.crops.uk.com/training-manual
Edgar Brothers was awarded the 2013 International Distributor of the Year award by Blue Force Gear. Above, we see BFG President Ashley Burnsed presenting the award to Edgar Brothers’ Lord Mike Newman and Paul Ainsworth.
In another upset, Lord Mike Newman and Paul Ainsworth were both awarded the coveted International Man of the Year award.
Congrats to all!
The new Field Chassis series (Urban Strike and Field Strike) were designed for use in the sporting markets and instances where those in military/LE are looking for a lower cost version of the Cadex Chassis system. The core is a little bit stripped down from the full chassis but at half the cost, it’s an attractive option. It also allows the user to assemble their own custom rifle solution. There are models for Remington, Manley, Savage 10, Stellar , Sako, Tika T3 and McMillan actions. Users can also add a AR style receiver extension to accommodate a fixed or collapsible stock. However, the Field Chassis does not include a full length upper rail or the ability to add Picatinny rail sections all along the integrated handguard.
Happy Boxing Day to our British Friends. A tip of the beret to you.
According to HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp, the US4CES family of camouflage developed for the US Army’s Camouflage Improvement Effort is on display at the Logistik Unicorp booth # 216 at the Soldier Systems Showcase at the Ottawa Convention Centre today Dec. 10th and tomorrow Dec. 11th. US4CES transitional is not available for Canadian Regular Forces who do not require a transitional pattern but it is being offered for use by Canadian Special Operations Forces. All four camouflage patterns from the US4CES family are on display on their table.
For more information see:
Brigadier-General, Larry Lashkevich, OMM, CD, P.Log (Retired) at the Logistik Unicorp booth or Master Corporal, Matt Pitre, Canadian Special Forces (Retired) at the show.
I first noticed the TAT 3D targets in photos from the recent MiliPol expo in Paris. Two things struck me. First, they don’t look like anyone in particular. No one is going to see there and be offended. Second, they are modular. A combination of self sealing foam and steel plates, TAT 3D targets can be posed in many positions. Additionally, the foam panels on the head and chest can be removed so that the target will be a more traditional steel construction offering audible feedback.
TAT 3D Targets will see their US premiere at SHOT Show. Look for a live demonstration at the 3rd annual FirstSpear range day, January 13th.
