Like many American decisions in the military sphere, Protective Combat Uniform multi-layer clothing system at one time revolutionized the systematic supply of equipment to military personnel of the ASF.
The creators, taking their roots from the development and production of equipment for professional tourists, managed to overcome the typical inertia of the thinking of military ranks, proving the effectiveness of the layers of clothing separately and the general universality of the system as a whole.
In this article we will not go deep into the origins, the previous iteration of the so-called “first block” has already been described and taken to the core by a variety of resources, so the main attention will be paid to the latest products of the “second block”.
How did it all start?
Back in 2012, an article was published on the main news resource of the American militarists http://soldiersystems.net/ that covered the start of the development of a new PCU concept and some changes that should affect the layers of clothing. Despite the fact that the information was not sufficiently detailed and intelligible, even from this meager text it became clear that serious companies were involved in the development and the main emphasis would be on high-tech materials.
Co-authored systems were seen by Polartec, GORE, MASSIF, Primaloft, Nextec. The authorship of the design of the entire system remained with Patagonia.
Despite the user hype around the topic, materials on it were hardly updated and no longer appeared on any resource. It is likely that this is somehow connected with the features of the US Department of Defense contract itself and the NDA agreement with manufacturers.
However, this only enraged the editors to search for scraps on the project and put them together in pieces into a single puzzle. To do this, it took a long time to track arrays of photos of ASF employees, delve into departmental documents and copy-paste images from rare auctions on Ebay.
What is BLOCK II?
Speaking exaggeratedly, the second PCU assembly became work on system errors and its extensive modernization. In addition to the fact that more technologically advanced and efficient materials appeared on the market, experts came to the conclusion that excessive multi-layering of the system is rather its minus and the “cabbage man” is clearly not a worthy hero. No, they didn’t leave the layers, but some of them were processed in such a way that the variants of one layer began to successfully replace the combination of 2x. Also, great attention was paid to packability, compactness, weight reduction and increased ergonomics of products.
But first things first.
What changed?
Camouflage - The first thing worth noting is that the kit finally acquired a camouflage color, and immediately in 2 patterns. Of course, this is Multicam and AOR. Despite the fact that many users doubted that the monotonous thing would go into oblivion, apparently either military officials did not stint on the budget, or manufacturers found the possibility of budget technology for dyeing fabrics.
Fit - Patagonia has rethought the silhouette of the PCU, one might even say that it is simplified compared to the more detailed products of past generations, the design of which was mainly done by ADS. Now the PCU has almost the same cut so that the elements do not conflict with each other during the layout.
Materials - a huge amount of materials for specialized layers was developed and implemented, many were manufactured according to a separate technical specification, in view of claims to their predecessors. In particular, the development of a new Soft Shell fabric for the 5th layer (the old one wore out very quickly) was completed only in 2015.
Layers - now there are 8 of them (more precisely 9, but the 8th layer remains in the “reserve”
Set Composition
In the modern PCU set, there are more numbering "layers", in addition to this, some received as many as 2 options:
Level 1 (Summer Thermal Underwear)
Top - Changes are minimal in relation to the previous generation, except that the cutting has become more dynamic (athletic fit) and got rid of ¼ lightning in favor of a simple round collar without a stand in order to reduce the volume of the collar zone.
Bottom - No data
Material: Polartec Power Dry
Supplier: Source America
Level 2 (Winter thermal underwear)
The material of the whole set has changed, as Soldier Systems is mentioned, this is some new kind of greed fleece, which has the best characteristics of thermoregulation and packability / compression (2 times smaller and lighter than the previous generation)
Material: Unknown
Supplier: Source America
Photo test sample sweatshirts 2 layers
Level 3
Already 2 (!) New variants of the Low Loft class for various purposes and functionality were introduced to replace the established fleece jacket. This was done due to the fact that the "open" fleece quickly deteriorated: it became dirty, poorly washed and very easily torn. Therefore, its functions as a thermal insulator fell faster than the ruble in 2014.
Level 3A (Insulated Windshirt)
Main purpose: Lightweight packaged jacket for wearing under armor protection
Insulation: Polartec Alpha (was developed by order of the US Ministry of Defense)
Upper Material: Nylon Rip-Stop DWR
Fittings: IDEAL
Supplier: ReadyOne Industries
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This product is a hybrid of a lightweight fleece jacket and a 4th layer windbreaker. Thanks to this arrangement, the insulation is better protected from the negative effects of the external environment and mechanical influences. Still being a representative of the “lower” layers, it has practically no adjustments, pockets on the sleeves and velcro.
Level 3B (Low Loft Jacket)
Main purpose: Insulated, waterproof jacket for general purpose
Insulation: Primaloft Fusion
Upper Material: GORE TEX FAST PACK Membrane | Taffeta
Fittings: IDEAL
Supplier: ReadyOne Industries
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One of the first elements of the new block that appeared on the fighters of the US Special Forces. This instance can already be safely called a full-fledged “outer” layer, since in addition to warming (much larger than 3A, but still smaller than L7), it also provides the necessary level of moisture protection thanks to the unique FAST PACK membrane from Gore. Despite the fact that its performance is lower than the usual army GORETEX, its folding resistance and great elasticity of the canvas, it makes it easy to pack and carry the product without fear of losing its properties with the material.
Significantly more details are already present on this layer, for example Velcro QueitLoop and pockets on the sleeves. Cuffs with sewn-in elastic, no adjustments. The hood, by analogy with 3A, is missing.
Level 4 (Windbreaker Windshirt)
Main purpose: Windproof jacket with primary moisture protection
Main Material: Brookwood Ecology 40D 1.5 oz
Fittings: IDEAL
Supplier: ReadyOne Industries
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The first question that arises when looking at this product is WHY? The fact that the layer presumably has 2 modifications again, with and without a hood, also causes genuine bewilderment. In addition, walks and cut. From a simple hoodie like the one pictured in AOR, to a more complex Arcteryx product in Multicam. But the products still have a common tone, this is a minimum of parts and pockets.
Level 5 (Soft Shell Suit)
Perhaps the most recognizable of the PCU elements, the fifth layer of the current generation has lost its versatility with the advent of hybrid outer layers. In addition, the materials and the concept of this layer were introduced later than most of the other elements of the kit.
Куртка (Level 5 Soft Shell Jacket)
Main purpose: Wind-proof moisture jacket
Main material: Nextec Softshell 70D | Agility
Fittings: IDEAL, Propel
Supplier: ReadyOne Industries
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A product very close to the previous generation, with the exception of the fact that the cutting was maximally simplified. Instead of patch pockets, sleeves were made set-in, the hood is missing as a phenomenon. Also, by analogy with 3B, Velcro panels are placed on the sleeves.
Due to the overall cut of the kit, this jacket is very often confused with 3B, but they can be distinguished by the presence of cuffs for adjusting the diameter of the cuff.
Jacket 2 (Level 5 Flex Jacket)
Main purpose: Windproof and waterproof jacket with increased wear resistance
Main Material: Durastretch Tweave
Fittings: IDEAL
Supplier: ReadyOne Industries
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An almost complete copy of the main jacket of the 5th layer, with the exception of the size of the velcro panel on the sleeves and the material of manufacture. The name "Flex" implies the elasticity of the fabric for the sake of greater dynamics of movements.
US Army Armies SF. On the far left is the 1st version of L5, on the central near - FLEX L5
Pants (Level 5 Soft Shell Pant)
Main purpose: Windproof pants
Main material: Nextec Softshell 70D | Agility
Fittings: IDEAL
Supplier: ReadyOne Industries
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Trousers of the 5th layer have undergone some changes, although in general they are similar to iterations of the 2nd generation of the 1st block. Now all the available pockets are equipped with zippers, since both Velcro and buttons are out of the confidence of the military in cold climates. The front pockets on the hips are surprising in their shape and small size and are most likely designed for some specific things. The leg calf has changed to an elastic cord and is adjacent to a vertical zipper, which facilitates putting on trousers in shoes. Braces remained.
One of the most pleasant innovations is the built-in internal knee pads, for which there are external pockets.
Level 6 (Cold Weather/Rain suit)
Main purpose: Moisture-proof Suit
Main material: Nylon | Goretex Rainshell Membrane
Fittings: IDEAL
Supplier: Little River Apparel
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The 6th layer has not changed much. According to experts from SPEAR, in its current form it fully meets the requirements, but they do not leave attempts to find less dense and lighter membranes with similar properties.
In general, this product is very close in appearance and materials to its relative from the ECWCS Gen III combined arms kit.
Level 7 (Extreme Cold Weather Insulated Suit)
Main purpose: Suit for extremely cold weather
Insulation: Climashield APEX 3.6 oz
Upper Material: Nextec Peak 40D Ripstop Nylon 2.1 oz
Fittings: IDEAL
Supplier: Massif
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7ka is a layer that was truly reinvented. The specialists from MASSIF have succeeded greatly in the field of reducing the weight of the kit, its compression properties and ergonomics.
Level 9 (Temperate Combat Uniform)
One of the most sensational and controversial layers. It was adopted to replace the already familiar kits from Crye Precision, but it has a more organic functionality. It is likely that the military needed to adopt the mandatory charter kit of field uniforms so as not to draw up endless contracts for small purchases.
Combat shirt (L9 Temperate Combat Blouse)
Main purpose: Combat shirt for a hot and temperate climate
Main material: NYCO Rip Stop 50/50, Polartec “Dry Out” Jersey
Hardware: Propel, Patagonia
Supplier: ReadyOne Industries
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| AOR | Multicam |
Combat Pants (L9 Temperate Combat Pants)
Main purpose: Combat pants for hot and temperate climates
Main material: NYCO Rip Stop 50/50, Durastretch Tweave
Hardware: Propel, Patagonia
Supplier: ReadyOne Industries
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Modular Glove Suite
A special mention is worthy of the new modular glove system, the creation and supply of which was completely given to Outdoor Research.
Source: https://vk.com/@sorm_tv-pcu-block-2-ii-novyi-koncept-ussocom-spear
Author: https://vk.com/sorm_tv
