Soldiers in China Receive New Uniforms

Thursday 05th of July 2007 12:05:43 AM

In an effort to blend in better with their surroundings, soldiers in the People's Liberation Army of China will receive new uniforms that have the ability to blend into various environments including forests, oceans, and urban areas. The new uniforms will also have the ability to be wired throughout so communication devices can be worn easily and comfortably.

"The camouflage pattern resembles a big bunch of flowers from a distance and crushed gravel close up. The digital camouflage pattern can escape the naked eye and counter-reconnaissance in low light and certain wave bands of infrared," said Zhang Xudong, a senior engineer at QEI, the company who developed the new uniforms.

Called the 'digital' uniform, the patterns are made up of pixel matrix designs that confuse the eye and allow soldier to become better camouflaged in various environments. QEI is planning on manufacturing four designs that can be worn under different conditions.

"With the application of pixel-matrix technology, the camouflage functions better as it blurs the divide between different colours. A special dye has been used to maximise the effect. The new fatigues will have four times more wear resistance making them usable for 700 occasions instead of the existing usage of 140 times," said Xudong.

(c)Benjamin Earwicker, www.sxc.hu