Army Aircrew Combat Uniform or A2CU is a non combustible combat uniform.

It increases crew comfort (military equipment/drivers/pilots)

and provides protection against fire during preflight preparation, refueling,

during flight and when performing other operations in aviation.

Jacket as sports coat is fastened with a metal zipper. It has a stand up collar.

The shoulders of the jacket have pads reinforced.

Mortise pockets are with metal zipper and flap closures with Velcro fasteners.

Patch pockets on the sleeves are with flaps with additional zipper.

It has the reinforced layer on the elbows. Adjustable waist is used with a belt sewn into the jacket,

its fixation is with Velcro fastener. On the chest there are two pockets for pens (pencils).

Pants have seven pockets: two thighs, two outer pockets on the legs (for tools),

on the left thigh - a pocket for a knife and two side hanging pockets.

Adjusting the waist is made with slings and additional loops under the waist belt.

For sewing the A2CU uniform, they use Nomex fabric (Nomex), which includes 92 percent of Nomex meta-

aramid fibers, 5 percent of Kevlar and 3 percent of P-140 antistatic fiber.

Nomex fabric has a low thermal conductivity, providing protection

against burns of II and III degree, stable antistatic and ergonomic effectiveness.

The flame-retardant and heat-resistant properties of the fabric, laid down

at the molecular level, are constant and persist throughout the lifetime.

In addition, Nomex has such a property as self-damping; it does not burn, does not smoke,

does not melt and does not form smudges, and it tolerates washing and dry-cleaning.

Kevlar, which is part of the fabric, improves the resistance of the material to rupture

during sudden flashes of flame and at the same time increases the level of human protection.

Under the influence of heat, the pores of the fabric are closed.

And it reduces the penetration of hot air inside.

With prolonged exposure to heat, the fabric is compacted and forms a strong charred

surface that continues to provide optimal thermal insulation of the body.

Composition: 92% Meta-Aramid, 5% Para-Aramid and 3% Conductive Fiber

MULTICAM camouflage was developed by the American company "Crye Precision"

together with "U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center”.

The latter is also known as the US Army Natick labs laboratory.

The creation of colors took more than eight years of expeditions, scientific work,

summarizing the data and practical "field" checks.

This drawing was created as a single universal camouflage for the American army.

The need for its creation has become apparent after the operation "Storm in the Desert" conducted in Iraq.

The camouflage patterns used at that time, both for the woodland (Woodland) and

specially created for desert operations (Tri-Color Desert), did not provide the necessary camouflage of the fighters.

Each operation still required special camouflage. This greatly hampered the work

of the supply services and reduced the security of the soldiers.

Even with the start of operations in Afghanistan and the new company in Iraq,

after the introduction of the new universal digital camouflage (Digital), the situation has not been changed radically.

It became obvious that there is a need for a new single universal pattern that allows

you to hide a fighter in any terrain and at any distance from the observer.

It should mask equally well both against the background of vegetation,

and against the background of desert or rocky terrain.

It is equally good to shelter against the background of urban buildings or ruins, and under different light

conditions. It is used well both in any climate zone and at any time of the year.

How does it work?

It seemed that with all desire, such a drawing is simply impossible to obtain. But the creators went to the trick.

They used the weaknesses of human vision and the imperfection of the eye design.

In theory, in order the camouflage to cover at a great distance, it should consist of large blurry spots.

At the closest distance, and especially against the background of foliage and vegetation,

when the human eye especially clearly sees small objects,

the drawing should be made of small rounded elements of the prevailing background.

The developers noticed that the prevailing background in almost all regions of the globe is very similar.

These are gradients green and brown.

The discovery for them was the fact that there is no black color in nature,

although it is commonly used in camouflage drawings in most countries of the world.

By combining the data, and conducting a computer simulation with the overlay of more

than a thousand layers of images, the developers got a picture, which is known as “MULTICAM”.

It takes shades of the environment.