BDU: Battle Dress UniformBDU is short for Battle Dress Uniform, and has been the standard combat uniform for US forces since 1948. The early version used a camouflage pattern called ERDL, although plain fatigues were also available. The modern BDU first appeared in 1981 with the issue of the woodland camouflage pattern. This pattern was a development of ERDL using four colours. It used brown and black with two shades of green, and was made from a cotton/nylon mix. There were four variations: temperate, lowland, highland and delta. The lowland variation used more green than the temperate, and the highland used more brown. Delta was a transitional pattern and was designed for visual camouflage and near-infrared. During the first Gulf War the US used the choc-chip camouflage BDUs. For the second Gulf War they used a three-colour pattern (Desert BDUs or DBDUs). These were commonly known as “coffee stains”. With the appearance of digital camouflage patterns, and also because the different branches of the Armed Forces wanted to differentiate themselves, the BDUs are currently being replaced. The US Marine Corps was first off the block with MARPAT and I think they have now completed the changeover. They have also patented the camouflage pattern. The US Army is in the middle of changing over to the new Army Combat Uniform, or ACU. The pattern is similar to MARPAT but the colours are less saturated. The US Navy are also adopting a pixelated pattern, probably in 2007. This will use blue and grey, although they will also be using woodland and desert patterns. The US Air Force will soon be issuing their new replacement, called the Airman Battle Uniform, or ABU. This will use a pixelated tigerstripe pattern. In the UK now, the term BDU is used as a generic term for combat trousers and combat jackets made in the style of American BDUs. They are available in a variety of camouflage patterns, many of which have never been used by the US Military. The trousers, unlike British combat trousers, come in Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. Waist sizes equate to: Small: 27 to 31 inches
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