The modern British uniform is actively used not only in the British Armed Forces, but also by soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and other armies of the world. In this article we will talk about the new pattern of the British army, what British field clothing consists of and the features of some of its elements.
Personal Clothing System: a new era in British uniforms
Historically, British uniforms have lagged behind global trends, which has had a negative impact on the military successes of His Majesty's army. For example, we can recall the Boer War in Africa, where the red uniforms of the British made them easy targets for local soldiers. A similar situation occurred with British soldiers in Afghanistan, where DPM camouflage proved unsuitable. The pattern camouflaged soldiers well in European forests, but did not work in the specific environmental conditions of Afghanistan, where deserts, mountains and forests were intertwined. There was a need to create a whole new uniform.
Since 2010, the new camouflage pattern for the British Armed Forces has become the Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP). It was based on the previous DPM camouflage, combined with MultiCam from the American manufacturer Crye Precision.
MTP is a universal deformation camouflage for all types of terrain, intended primarily for the rugged terrain of Afghanistan. The pattern consists of green and dark brown spots on a light brown background. A total of 6 shades of green and brown are used.
A year later, a new field clothing system was introduced, called the Personal Clothing System (PCS), replacing the previous set of Combat Soldier 95 uniforms, which had been in service since 1995. PCS is a complete field clothing system that provides the soldier with comfort while performing combat missions.
Personal Clothing System includes the following elements:
1) Lightweight Jacket. An outer layer worn over a thermal or sweat-wicking layer of clothing. Can be worn over a plate carrier;
2) Combat Trousers. The model were based on the CS95 trousers, but one of its differences is the more sturdy material, easy access to the contents of the pockets and their durability;
3) Windproof Smock. Top layer of clothing for cool weather. The smock has thermoregulation and provides protection from wind and light rain. Not designed to be worn with body armour;
4) rank slides;
5) helmet cover;
6) T-shirt. A base layer that provides thermal insulation and sweat wicking;
7) underwear;
8) Thermal T-shirt. Microfleece T-shirt with zip fastening;
9) Thermal Smock. Microfleece-lined midlayer, with a windproof and waterproof outer shell to provide increased insulation under the windproof smock;
10) UBACS (Under Body Armor Combat Shirt). Combat shirt to be worn under a plate carrier.
Basic elements of PCS
Below is a brief overview of the British Army jacket, combat trousers, parka and UBACS.
Warm Weather Jacket Combat MTP
An element of outerwear designed to be worn over body armour. Material: 70% cotton, 30% polyester.
It is fastened with zippers and has a windproof strip with Velcro. The stand-up collar with Velcro fastening can take a classic shape if necessary.
There are 4 pockets: 2 on the chest and 2 on the shoulders. The vertical chest pockets inside have organisers for stationery or items of similar dimensions — a chemical light or tweezers.
In the British Army, rank slides are worn centrally on the chest, so an epaulette with a button is provided for this purpose. Surely, if you want, you can attach small equipment to it.
The shoulder pockets are angled for easy access to contents. They are fastened with Velcro and are easily closed by moving the flap from top to bottom. There is protection against contents falling out: thanks to the walls of the pockets, which bend when they are closed, objects placed in it do not fall out, even if it is turned upside down.
Velcro panels are sewn onto the pockets, covered with a firm patches of the appropriate size and colour. Thus, dust and small debris will not collect on them unless you use patches or chevrons.
There are small connectors on the forearms for installing protection against fragments and bruises.
The sleeves are fastened with buttons and are loose enough to wear long, thick gloves underneath. By the way, the buttons on the cuffs are equipped with protection against unfastening or snagging on surrounding objects.
For a comfortable stay in the field, the shirt is treated with Permethrin insect repellent. It is designed specifically for use on clothing and cotton gear to repel flying and crawling insects.
Combat Trousers Warm Weather PCS MTP
Trousers for warm weather, made of cotton (70%) and polyester (30%). The mixture has a loose weave, making the material breathable and quickly withdraw sweat and moisture.
The fly is fastened with a zipper.
The model has 5 pockets: two mortise pockets at the top, as well as lower cargo pockets and one at the back on the flaps. All of them, except the mortise ones, are closed with flaps with protection against unfastening. For easy access to the contents of the cargo pockets, they are sewn at an angle.
The seat panel increases the wear resistance of the product, and the loose fit provides comfort and does not interfere with active movement.
The bottom of the legs is pulled in with drawstring laces, which can be removed if necessary.
An important detail is IRR coating, due to which the product is not visible through night vision devices. As stated in the uniform use instructions from the UK Ministry of Defense, washing and ironing do not affect IRR coating in any way.
Windproof Combat Smock PCS
Outerwear designed for cool weather. In addition to the obvious wind protection, the PCS Smock also provides thermoregulation during high physical activity, and can also protect against light rain. Made from cotton and polyester.
The ventilation system is represented by classic pockets under the arms and a shock cord at the neck. It is important to note that the Windproof Combat Smock PCS and Windproof Combat Smock PCS MK2 do not have mesh lining in the underarm ventilation pockets.
The spacious hood holds its shape well thanks to the sewn-in wire; you can wear a helmet under it.
The manufacturer paid special attention to the pockets — there are 7 of them in this model.
Four pockets with buttons are equipped with protection against contents falling out and unfastening. The lower ones are suitable for massive objects or for warming of hands — and, thanks to the large size of the pockets, hands can easily fit even in gloves.
Under the chest pockets there are vertical zippered pockets with organisers for pens or markers.
Of particular note is the small open pocket on the left chest pocket, designed to hold a compass.
Similar to the jacket, the smock has a zipper with a Velcro windproof flap, and an epaulette for a chevron on the chest.
The shoulder pockets are also sewn at an angle for easy access, and the Velcro panels above them are covered with factory patches.
On the inside there are two laces on each side to tighten the jacket at the waist.
The width of the sleeves allows you to wear thick gloves underneath. The cuffs are fastened with Velcro.
As a repair kit, the manufacturer added two spare buttons sewn on the inside.
The Windproof Combat Smock PCS MK2 has the same features, but differs in a few details.
First of all, there is an internal mesh lining, which the smock is equipped with. Thanks to it, the slit pockets have a mesh bottom, so they can be used for ventilation. In addition, the lower edge can now be adjusted with a shock cord.
UBACS PCS MTP Combat Shirt
The product has a combined colouring: the torso is in olive colour, the shoulders and sleeves are in MTP. In addition, part of the MTP-painted shirt has an IRR coating.
The shoulders and sleeves are made from a mixture of cotton (70%) and polyester (30%), the torso entirely consists of well-ventilated and moisture-wicking polyester.
In the neck area there is a zipper for 1/4 of the torso length. Below it is a windproof strip, which also prevents skin irritation from body contact with the fastener. The same function is performed by a small insert covering the zipper slider.
There are pockets on the shoulders with Velcro fasteners, on top of which Velcro panels are located.
The elbow area has inserts for elbow pads (sold separately).
The buttons on the cuffs are equipped with protection against unfastening or snagging on foreign objects: when fastened, the button is not passed through the flap itself above the pocket, but through a special insert underneath it.
Conclusions
The British PCS MTP uniform includes all the necessary clothing elements for a soldier to be comfortable in combat and field conditions. The breathable material and ventilation pockets of the presented models provide thermoregulation at high and low temperatures.
Some items have full or partial IRR coverage, making the wearer invisible to NVGs.
The universal camouflage Multi-Terrain Pattern hides the user well in different terrain, so this uniform can be used not only in combat conditions, but also for airsoft, paintball or hunting.
