By Steven Fouchard, Army Public Affairs
Ottawa, Ontario — The seed of what would become the Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT) was planted in Denmark.
Still, in the hands of the Canadian soldiers and defence scientists behind its development, CADPAT evolved into a distinctly Canadian product – it is a trademark of the Department of National Defence, in fact.
Nearly 20 years since its introduction, and in response to new developments in infra-red and other night vision systems, Canada's homegrown pattern is headed for retirement to make way for the next generation of disruptive camouflage.
This is the first in a series of four articles tracing the origins and development of CADPAT – from Canada's initial recognition of disruptive camouflage as the way forward, to field trials assisted by our allies and, finally, to its emergence on the world stage, where it was recognized as highly effective and would be widely imitated.
What is CADPAT?
CADPAT is Canada's take on disruptive camouflage. Prior to the 1940s, camouflage was about concealment – allowing soldiers to blend with their surroundings. Disruptive patterns draw on observations of the natural world from as far back as the early 1900s, when researchers made the counter-intuitive observation that high-contrast combinations of light and dark shades are effective in making the outlines of plants and animals indistinct.
Canada developed three CADPAT variations: Temperate Woodland (TW) is the version civilians…
Continue Reading This Article At The Canadian Armed Forces Website
