In recent years, more and more countries have been switching to digital camouflage patterns. The idea is that the “old-fashioned” analog camouflage pattern provides less effective protection for military troops. However, the South African Defence Force seems to prefer an analog pattern for its new equipment. And if you delve deeper into this, it’s actually quite understandable.
American Woodland set the trend
Until the early 2000s, practically all military forces in the world used an analog camouflage pattern. This was created by hand and consisted of various large patches in different colors. One of the most well-known was Woodland, which was first introduced in America in 1981.
This print quickly spread to Italy, the Philippines, Brazil, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. In some countries, Woodland was used only occasionally. For example, Germany had been using Flecktarn, their own pattern, since the 1990s, but opted for Woodland on certain missions. There were also countries that created their own camouflage patterns, but were inspired by Woodland. For instance, Russia used Flora in the 1990s, a print that strongly resembled the American Woodland but differed in color and layout. China also experimented with various similar prints during this period.
From the twenty-first century onwards, several countries began researching the effectiveness of analog camouflage. They discovered that it no longer adequately suited modern technology and the changing environment. Night vision technology made it easy to spot soldiers, and the camouflage was no longer effective in the environments for which it was designed. Cities and landscapes change, and therefore the camouflage patterns had to change as well.
Currently, countries such as the United States, India, Turkey, the Netherlands, South Korea, Italy, and Ukraine use digital camouflage patterns, either entirely or partially.
Digital camouflage print is not always a priority
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been working on developing new military equipment, including a new camouflage pattern, for several years now. Since 1994, they have been using the analog Soldier 2000 pattern. Although the organization itself does not share press releases about the development of the new uniforms, the media and people involved in the process have shared photos showing the tested uniforms.
These photos show that the SANDF tested four different camouflage patterns and, based on the pictures of the prototypes, they have opted for an analog pattern. If I am to believe Daily Maverick South Africa, which also published photos of the new uniforms, the camouflage pattern is not one of the most important aspects of the rollout of the new clothing set. The financing of the project, in particular, has been a point of discussion for years. The package will cost R55,000 per person, which is equivalent to approximately $3425. For comparison: in 2021, a clothing package for an American soldier cost between $1600 and $2400. But that’s not surprising, considering that South Africa has to clothe 55,000 soldiers, while the US has 1.4 million.
Developing a digital camouflage pattern is also expensive, especially for South Africa. There are few local manufacturers with experience in this area, and having the clothing produced elsewhere would only increase costs (and dependence). Furthermore, they don’t benefit from collaborations like those within the EU, meaning that coordinating with other countries on new uniforms is less of a priority. And let’s not forget that previous experience has shown that digital camouflage isn’t necessarily better than an analog version. Practical experience in certain climate zones shows that analog patterns are still effective, particularly in semi-arid or savanna regions like large parts of South Africa.
