M90 (camouflage)
Encyclopedia
M90 camouflage is the camouflage
Military camouflage
Military camouflage is one of many means of deceiving an enemy. In practice, it is the application of colour and materials to battledress and military equipment to conceal them from visual observation. The French slang word camouflage came into common English usage during World War I when the...

 pattern used by the Swedish armed forces
Swedish Armed Forces
The Swedish Armed Forces is a Swedish Government Agency responsible for the operation of the armed forces of the Realm. The primary task of the agency is to train, organize and to deploy military forces, domestically and abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the Realm in the...

. In addition to the standard pattern, desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...

 and jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...

 variants have been developed for the international peace-keeping missions in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 and Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...

. The pattern employs basically a downscaled pattern of what's been used on vehicles since the late 1970's, consisting of hard lined geometric shapes in order to create a camouflage pattern effective in the temperate forests and plains of Sweden. M90 camouflage comprises four colours: dark green, medium green, dark navy blue and light beige. While blue may be a confusing choice for a tactical uniform, this colour was chosen to simulate dark shadows in nature, which are never truly black in colour.

Models

M90 combat clothing entered service during the late 1980s, with widespread use beginning the early 1990s. It replaced the earlier olive green M59 field uniform. The uniform is available in several different models.
  • M90F: the F stands for Fält, Field, and this is the standard uniform for general issue throughout the Swedish armed forces.
  • M90P: the P stands for Pansar, Armour, and this model is issued to armoured vehicle crews. It features padding on elbows and knees, suspenders, a shorter jacket, ankle pockets and penholders on the sleeves. It is also made from a heavier material providing better fire protection.
  • M90H: the H stands for Helikopter, Helicopter
    Helicopter
    A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

    . This is the model issued to helicopter crews. The jacket is bright orange on the inside.


The changing missions for the Swedish armed forces, with a heavier emphasis on missions abroad, has led to two new models.
  • M90L: for forces working in hotter climates. The L stands for Lätt, Light. This uniform is made from thinner fabrics.
  • M90K (Khaki
    Khaki
    This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...

    ) For forces working in desert environments. Similar in appearance to the M90L but the fabric is even thinner and features the splinter pattern in desert colours. The M90K system also includes a smock
    Smock
    Smock may refer to one of the following:* Smock-frock, a coatlike outer garment, often worn to protect the clothes* Smocking, an embroidery technique in which the fabric is gathered with thread or embroidery floss, then embroidered with decorative stitches to hold the gathers in place*Chemise, a...

    due to the fact that nights in desert environments can be very cold.

Reference


http://www.kamouflage.net/camouflage/00024.php
http://strikehold.wordpress.com/2009/04/11/swedish-m90-and-m90k-camouflage/
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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