Tiger Stripe Product
Interesting reading from "Tiger Stripe Products" website about the new ABU--what I'm wearing in this shot.
"October 2002
Air Force tasks Tiger Stripe Products to assemble private sector project team. TSP instructs AF Clothing Office (WPAFB) in taking project from idea to production. TSP assembles team from several different areas of textile industry and begins project.
TSP redesigns our copyrighted Original Vietnam Tiger Stripe™ pattern for Air Force tiger stripe pattern. Air Force given several different color schemes including combat ready camouflage colorways. Against our professional recommendations, Air Force Leadership chooses blue/gray colorway which is soundly rejected by Air Force personnel.
Pattern Design Rejected
June 2004
Tiger Stripe Products offers Air Force our copyrighted pixilated tiger stripe pattern, TIGERPAT ™, "The First Pixilated Tiger Stripe". This pattern was offered in blue/grey colorway as well as real combat ready colorways.
Our combat ready, fully pixilated, tiger stripe pattern, based on our copyrighted Original Vietnam Tiger Stripe™ pattern, had been in development since Jan 2004 and was completed in early May 2004.
Pattern Design Rejected
September 2004
Tiger Stripe Products offers Air Force our newest proprietary, 21st century (3rd generation), pixilated tiger stripe designs all based on our copyrighted Original Vietnam Tiger Stripe™ pattern.
Several variations offered but none considered.
Pattern Designs Rejected
October 2004 through March 2006
Air Force announces this semi-pixilated tiger pattern as the new "test" pattern. This pattern merely adds jagged pixel-like edges to the pattern.
Pattern colorway is Gray, Green, Tan, and Air Force Blue.
NOTE: Numerous more advanced, tiger and non-tiger patterns were offered with the current colorway, flightline colorways, or other true "All Terrain" colorways. Air Force did not request to have a test uniform made from any of these far superior advanced patterns. 21st century Air Force research and development at its best.
17 March 2006
Pentagon, HQ U.S. Air Force announces Airman Battle Uniform ABU finalized for production.
US Air Force Leadership announces the production of the new uniform for the 21st century USAF. This uniform has been designed with the mission of the majority of AF personnel in mind.
It utilizes a simple ragged edged version of a tiger pattern and its primary design function is not as a front line combat uniform.
Topping USAF Leadership's design feature list; ease of care (wash and wear), durable yet comfortable fabrics, individual male and female sizing, pocket design and placement to undertake office and general work tasks.
Air Force blue can be seen in the pattern design which USAF Leadership specifically wanted to distinguish the uniform as "Air Force". Camouflage effectiveness was a very low ancillary issue.
USAF Leadership chose to adopt this elementary ragged edged tiger like pattern over any of our far superior advanced Battle ready tiger stripe designs.
Note to the ranks: When we started the uniform project in 2002, USAF Leadership informed us that 97% of AF personnel did not need a Battle uniform but rather a barracks utility work uniform. Leadership ultimately received exactly what they asked for. The resulting uniform is that barracks utility work uniform.
The name actually does apply if one takes into consideration the Battle activity that USAF Leadership says is the mission of the majority of today's Air Force. As determined by USAF Leadership, advanced Battle features like easy entry slanted chest, arm, and leg cargo pockets, elbow and knee padding pockets, improved neck closure to keep debris out and to protect from body armor, gusseted shoulders for ease of movement, and most importantly... an authentic Battle ready advanced pixilated Tiger Stripe pattern and colorway are not needed for the 21st century U.S. Air Force.
Besides making the connection between the Air Force and the pattern; why is blue one of the pattern colors? Besides the sky or ocean, how often does the color blue occur in deserts, forests, jungles, or urban settings? This uniform does not seem to fit the definition of an advanced Battle uniform. This is evidently a new style of Battle uniform.
We're sorry. We wished we had the opportunity to give you an authentic Battle uniform with all the relevant features plus an effective camouflage design. At the very least you could have had a uniform with a State-of-the-Art pixilated Tiger Stripe pattern and colorway.
The men and women of the Air Force have our undying support for the difficult jobs that are performed for our country. Is this new adopted camouflage and uniform design an Airman Battle Uniform or an Airman Barracks Uniform? Maybe it's just according to your own definition. Judge for yourself.
The ragged edges surrounding the solid areas do little for the visual break up of the pattern elements.
The key to a good digital camo effective pattern is that visual break up is achieved at near and far distances. Very little break up is achieved here but it's not really required for a simple barracks work uniform. This pattern and colorway are mainly for show.
Numerous more advanced pixilated tiger patterns, for real world applications, were recommended but all were rejected. This is a new type of Battle uniform that does not utilize advanced battle features like easy entry slanted pockets, etc., or an authentic Battle ready camouflage pattern and colorway.
Unfortunately for the Air Force, Leadership decided that an authentic Battle ready advanced pixilated Tiger Stripe camouflage pattern and colorway was not worth the few extra cents per uniform."
Tiger Stripe Product
Interesting reading from "Tiger Stripe Products" website about the new ABU--what I'm wearing in this shot.
"October 2002
Air Force tasks Tiger Stripe Products to assemble private sector project team. TSP instructs AF Clothing Office (WPAFB) in taking project from idea to production. TSP assembles team from several different areas of textile industry and begins project.
TSP redesigns our copyrighted Original Vietnam Tiger Stripe™ pattern for Air Force tiger stripe pattern. Air Force given several different color schemes including combat ready camouflage colorways. Against our professional recommendations, Air Force Leadership chooses blue/gray colorway which is soundly rejected by Air Force personnel.
Pattern Design Rejected
June 2004
Tiger Stripe Products offers Air Force our copyrighted pixilated tiger stripe pattern, TIGERPAT ™, "The First Pixilated Tiger Stripe". This pattern was offered in blue/grey colorway as well as real combat ready colorways.
Our combat ready, fully pixilated, tiger stripe pattern, based on our copyrighted Original Vietnam Tiger Stripe™ pattern, had been in development since Jan 2004 and was completed in early May 2004.
Pattern Design Rejected
September 2004
Tiger Stripe Products offers Air Force our newest proprietary, 21st century (3rd generation), pixilated tiger stripe designs all based on our copyrighted Original Vietnam Tiger Stripe™ pattern.
Several variations offered but none considered.
Pattern Designs Rejected
October 2004 through March 2006
Air Force announces this semi-pixilated tiger pattern as the new "test" pattern. This pattern merely adds jagged pixel-like edges to the pattern.
Pattern colorway is Gray, Green, Tan, and Air Force Blue.
NOTE: Numerous more advanced, tiger and non-tiger patterns were offered with the current colorway, flightline colorways, or other true "All Terrain" colorways. Air Force did not request to have a test uniform made from any of these far superior advanced patterns. 21st century Air Force research and development at its best.
17 March 2006
Pentagon, HQ U.S. Air Force announces Airman Battle Uniform ABU finalized for production.
US Air Force Leadership announces the production of the new uniform for the 21st century USAF. This uniform has been designed with the mission of the majority of AF personnel in mind.
It utilizes a simple ragged edged version of a tiger pattern and its primary design function is not as a front line combat uniform.
Topping USAF Leadership's design feature list; ease of care (wash and wear), durable yet comfortable fabrics, individual male and female sizing, pocket design and placement to undertake office and general work tasks.
Air Force blue can be seen in the pattern design which USAF Leadership specifically wanted to distinguish the uniform as "Air Force". Camouflage effectiveness was a very low ancillary issue.
USAF Leadership chose to adopt this elementary ragged edged tiger like pattern over any of our far superior advanced Battle ready tiger stripe designs.
Note to the ranks: When we started the uniform project in 2002, USAF Leadership informed us that 97% of AF personnel did not need a Battle uniform but rather a barracks utility work uniform. Leadership ultimately received exactly what they asked for. The resulting uniform is that barracks utility work uniform.
The name actually does apply if one takes into consideration the Battle activity that USAF Leadership says is the mission of the majority of today's Air Force. As determined by USAF Leadership, advanced Battle features like easy entry slanted chest, arm, and leg cargo pockets, elbow and knee padding pockets, improved neck closure to keep debris out and to protect from body armor, gusseted shoulders for ease of movement, and most importantly... an authentic Battle ready advanced pixilated Tiger Stripe pattern and colorway are not needed for the 21st century U.S. Air Force.
Besides making the connection between the Air Force and the pattern; why is blue one of the pattern colors? Besides the sky or ocean, how often does the color blue occur in deserts, forests, jungles, or urban settings? This uniform does not seem to fit the definition of an advanced Battle uniform. This is evidently a new style of Battle uniform.
We're sorry. We wished we had the opportunity to give you an authentic Battle uniform with all the relevant features plus an effective camouflage design. At the very least you could have had a uniform with a State-of-the-Art pixilated Tiger Stripe pattern and colorway.
The men and women of the Air Force have our undying support for the difficult jobs that are performed for our country. Is this new adopted camouflage and uniform design an Airman Battle Uniform or an Airman Barracks Uniform? Maybe it's just according to your own definition. Judge for yourself.
The ragged edges surrounding the solid areas do little for the visual break up of the pattern elements.
The key to a good digital camo effective pattern is that visual break up is achieved at near and far distances. Very little break up is achieved here but it's not really required for a simple barracks work uniform. This pattern and colorway are mainly for show.
Numerous more advanced pixilated tiger patterns, for real world applications, were recommended but all were rejected. This is a new type of Battle uniform that does not utilize advanced battle features like easy entry slanted pockets, etc., or an authentic Battle ready camouflage pattern and colorway.
Unfortunately for the Air Force, Leadership decided that an authentic Battle ready advanced pixilated Tiger Stripe camouflage pattern and colorway was not worth the few extra cents per uniform."