This starshyi soldat - the rough equivalent of a US private first class - is wearing a common version of the MM-14 pixel pattern combat uniform — This starshyi soldat – the rough equivalent of a US private first class – is wearing a common version of the MM-14 pixel pattern combat uniform (Picture: Alamy)

Ukraine

When pixel isn't perfect: Ukrainian armed forces to switch to MultiCam-style uniform

Members of the Ukrainian armed forces will be abandoning their digital combat uniforms in favour of a new MultiCam-style design.

Ukrainian news reports quoted government agencies as saying the existing pixellated MM-14 uniform would be retired within some units and be replaced by a new pattern called MM-25.

Military clothing manufacturers have been urged to contact the Central Directorate for Material Support Development in order to familiarise themselves with the new design.

While the MM-25 design has not yet been shown to the public, it is believed to draw inspiration from the US-designed MultiCam – variations of which are in use around the world.

No explanation for the change was immediately available – and changing uniforms is expensive in terms of production costs and time, as well as presenting logistical challenges.

Camouflage is meant to make the wearer blend in with his or her environment, and shape and silhouette are two of the six main reasons why things are seen.

Despite using blocky outlines – straight edges being uncommon in nature – digital camouflage was meant to provide the wearer with a better degree of protection than previous types of pattern.

The US Marine Cirps' Marpat uniform is available in Woodland and Desert versions, this being Woodland (Picture: US Department of Defence) — The US Marine Corps' Marpat uniform is available in Woodland and Desert versions, the one being worn by this decorated Marine being Woodland (Picture: US Department of Defence)

One benefit was the supposed ability to break up the human shape better in a wide variety of environments rather than being terrain-specific – the same aim as MultiCam.

Another was to rely on the pixel pattern to confuse technical surveillance devices such as drones.

In practice, while some forces have adopted and maintained their digital camo patterns, others have not, a good example being the US military.

The US Marine Corps has a digital pattern called Marpat – Marine Pattern – which is still in use with the corps.

The US Army had a similar digital camo uniform called Arpat, Army Pattern, but while the USMC has hung onto Marpat, the US Army chose to ditch Arpat.

US Army soldiers now wear the Operational Camouflage Pattern uniform (Picture: US Department of Defence)

Arpat started to be phased out in 2016 as the Army started to issue a new design called Operational Camouflage Pattern.

The option the US Army went for - and what the Ukrainians will be wearing - are variations of MultiCam.

MultiCam was developed by US firm Crye Precision and, like digital camouflage, it was designed for use in a wide range of environments.

This infanteer with her GPMG is wearing MTP uniform - which is worn by all three services — This British Army infanteer with her GPMG set up for blank firing is wearing MTP uniform, which is used by all three services (Picture: MOD)

Numerous variants of MultiCam are in use with forces around the globe, some officially licensed and some merely copied.

The UK Armed Forces wear a camo called MTP – Multi Terrain Pattern.

This is similar to the US Army's OCP and MultiCam, but also pays homage to the old DPM pattern in terms of the shape of the swathes of colour and the tiny dots surrounding them.