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| New camouflage for British Army | New camouflage for British Army |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| The uniform of the British Army is to be changed for the first time in almost 40 years. | The uniform of the British Army is to be changed for the first time in almost 40 years. |
| The new Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) will replace the traditional four colour woodland uniform known as No.8: Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM). | The new Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) will replace the traditional four colour woodland uniform known as No.8: Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM). |
| Forces in Afghanistan will start to get the new uniforms in March next year, with the whole army upgraded by 2011. | Forces in Afghanistan will start to get the new uniforms in March next year, with the whole army upgraded by 2011. |
| MTP is designed for a wide range of environments, including the volatile "green zone" of Helmand province. | MTP is designed for a wide range of environments, including the volatile "green zone" of Helmand province. |
| British troops in Afghanistan currently use a mix of desert camouflage and temperate DPM, depending on which area they are operating in. | British troops in Afghanistan currently use a mix of desert camouflage and temperate DPM, depending on which area they are operating in. |
| There are three main types of terrain in Helmand - desert, the agricultural "green zone" either side of the Helmand river, and residential areas comprised of dusty buildings and mud huts. | There are three main types of terrain in Helmand - desert, the agricultural "green zone" either side of the Helmand river, and residential areas comprised of dusty buildings and mud huts. |
| One soldier said that the mix-and-match was far from ideal and made units stand out, especially in the "green zone". | One soldier said that the mix-and-match was far from ideal and made units stand out, especially in the "green zone". |
| Not perfect | Not perfect |
| Lt Col Toby Evans - a military advisor with the Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory - told the BBC the new uniform was a compromise between having a uniform that was perfectly suited to a specific environments and one that would work well across a wide range of conditions. | Lt Col Toby Evans - a military advisor with the Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory - told the BBC the new uniform was a compromise between having a uniform that was perfectly suited to a specific environments and one that would work well across a wide range of conditions. |
| Why armies switched from colours to camouflage uniforms | Why armies switched from colours to camouflage uniforms |
| "We've realised that Afghanistan is more complex - especially Helmand - than, say Iraq, which was predominantly a desert background or north-west Europe, which was predominantly green," he said. | "We've realised that Afghanistan is more complex - especially Helmand - than, say Iraq, which was predominantly a desert background or north-west Europe, which was predominantly green," he said. |
| "The new camouflage is optimised for all the Afghan background colour sets and in doing so we never reach a point - which we did with the old colours - where it is actually wrong. | "The new camouflage is optimised for all the Afghan background colour sets and in doing so we never reach a point - which we did with the old colours - where it is actually wrong. |
| "It may not be quite perfect, but its good enough for everything," he added. | |
| The Army's Infantry Trials and Development Unit and the government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory tested a number of different designs in the UK, Cyprus, Kenya, and Afghanistan before selecting the MTP design. | The Army's Infantry Trials and Development Unit and the government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory tested a number of different designs in the UK, Cyprus, Kenya, and Afghanistan before selecting the MTP design. |
| Developed by Crye Precision, MTP is developed from the firm's MultiCam pattern, currently used by some special forces units. | Developed by Crye Precision, MTP is developed from the firm's MultiCam pattern, currently used by some special forces units. |
| 'Looks good' | 'Looks good' |
| Corporal Adrian Gibbs, from The Grenadier Guards, told BBC News his first impressions of seeing the new MTP uniform. | Corporal Adrian Gibbs, from The Grenadier Guards, told BBC News his first impressions of seeing the new MTP uniform. |
| "I think it's good - when you see it compared to the green and desert DPM I think it will work well both on tour and within the UK itself. | "I think it's good - when you see it compared to the green and desert DPM I think it will work well both on tour and within the UK itself. |
| "This new uniform will make it harder for us to be seen and so much easier for us to do our job." | "This new uniform will make it harder for us to be seen and so much easier for us to do our job." |
| The MoD say the dark green DPM uniforms will slowly be phased out and replaced by MTP. However the current No.5: Desert combat dress will remain in service and be used along side the Multi-Terrain Pattern. | The MoD say the dark green DPM uniforms will slowly be phased out and replaced by MTP. However the current No.5: Desert combat dress will remain in service and be used along side the Multi-Terrain Pattern. |