Our Next Boondoggle

[mikoyan29]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...ort-finds.html

This ship has been the subject of Proceedings for a while. Now I appreciate what they are trying but maybe the same thing is happening with this that is happening with the F-35, you can't make one vehicle be everything.

[mikoyan29]

And while on the subject of military stuff....Why does the US military have 10 different styles of camoflage?

[Kheldarson]

The ship...well, that's a rant I hear from my bro a lot. He likes talking about how the military funding goes to the wrong things.

As for the camo, well, the purpose of camo is, of course, to blend in with the environment. So different color patterns for different areas.

[mikoyan29]

The ship...well, that's a rant I hear from my bro a lot. He likes talking about how the military funding goes to the wrong things.

As for the camo, well, the purpose of camo is, of course, to blend in with the environment. So different color patterns for different areas.

I'm not a hater of the military by all means, I just don't like to see them piss away money especially when we are asking so many other entities to make sacrifices.

As for the camo, I'm talking about the fact that each branch has their own style of camo.

[Kheldarson]

Different needs. Best I got.

I'd try to paraphrase my bro's rant but I'd get it confused, honestly. But it boils down to "quit giving air and sea money and equip my infantry, damn it!"

[Tanasi]

The Marines developed their digital cammo and then the other services wanted their version but they didn't want the EGA on their versions. It came down to a fight within the DOD between the Army and MC and the Army won in that they can print the same or nearly the same pattern for their uniforms but do not have to include the EGA. The MC just wanted their way because it would be a poke in the eye to the Army.
If I'm not mistaken the Army is going away from the digital pattern and back to the woodland pattern. Personally I think the services should be more interested developing a low IR cloth and then worry about adopting a break-up pattern. I've worn the Army's wood-land pattern but personally I think commercial patterns produced for hunters are better. When in the woods most patterns are vertical (trees grow up and down) when you see horizontal pattern then that's some to check out as being potentially shootable.
The Navy as well as the other branches have a long a well established pattern of designing, developing and producing equipment that doesn't do it's job. I don't see that changing any time soon.

[s_stabeler]

The Marines developed their digital cammo and then the other services wanted their version but they didn't want the EGA on their versions. It came down to a fight within the DOD between the Army and MC and the Army won in that they can print the same or nearly the same pattern for their uniforms but do not have to include the EGA. The MC just wanted their way because it would be a poke in the eye to the Army.
If I'm not mistaken the Army is going away from the digital pattern and back to the woodland pattern. Personally I think the services should be more interested developing a low IR cloth and then worry about adopting a break-up pattern. I've worn the Army's wood-land pattern but personally I think commercial patterns produced for hunters are better. When in the woods most patterns are vertical (trees grow up and down) when you see horizontal pattern then that's some to check out as being potentially shootable.
The Navy as well as the other branches have a long a well established pattern of designing, developing and producing equipment that doesn't do it's job. I don't see that changing any time soon.

Tanasi, military camoflage ISN'T suposed to make you difficult to see. it's designed to break up the outline of a human soi you can tell something's coming, but think it's an anima of some variety. it's why camo works best in low light.

[Gravekeeper]

But don't you see? Congress thinks the military needs more tanks. Even if the military doesn't. Gotta keep spending on tanks. Keep those jobs in their home districts. The free market only applies when it affects other people. ;p

[mikoyan29]

I appreciate the idea of different types of camo...but camo on a ship? Or an airfield. Heck, the Air Force camo doesn't even work, they have to use other versions.

[s_stabeler]

the only camo I can think of that could be useful is the ship itself being painted with camo, and that stuff actually works. ( it's about changing what the ship looks like on radar/at a distance. basically, it's designed to make your warship look like something other than a warship.. That's why it looks ridicukous close-up.) As for Air Force, again, it depends. airfields have been disguised very effectively before, while Special Forces would need camo.

[HYHYBT]

The kind designed to make something, not hard to see, but hard to identify, can be *very* effective. I can't forget the day I was wondering about the funny-looking load on the trailer in front of me on the interstate and suddenly realizing I was looking down the main gun of a tank.