UNSCDF Ground Combat Uniform

The UNSCDF Ground Combat Uniform (GCU) is the current mode of battledress issued to servicemen in the UNSC Army and UNSC Marine Corps. Although not standard wear, UNSC Navy and UNSC Air Force personnel are also issued the uniform for use if they are deployed to ground combat zones. First issued in 2536 and incorporating numerous design changes encouraged by combat with the Covenant, it is the successor to the older UNSC Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) worn from the 2480s to the 2530s.

Patterns
The UNSCDF currently utilises two camouflage patterns, the Digital Universal Pattern and the Tri-Environment Pattern. Because the dyes used in the uniform have electrochromic properties, the wearer can switch between patterns at will via a command from the standard issue neural interface. EMP-hardened microchips within the uniform components send a charge (too weak to be felt) out through the clothing, forcing a colour change.

Digital Universal Pattern
The Digital Universal Pattern (DUP) is a digital camouflage pattern which blends the colours of green, grey, tan and slate to create a pattern that is designed to provide concealment in any one of the multi-coloured environments a Marine or Trooper may find his or herself in, the most common being brown or grey rocky wastelands. It may also be used in urban environments depending on amount of foliage and the state of the city's buildings. This pattern is also favoured by UNSC Marines during shipboard combat.

The color scheme of the DUP is composed of a green, grey, tan and slate pixel pattern, which becomes darker or lighter depending on exposure to sunlight. The shade black was omitted from the uniform since it does not exist in nature. Pure black, when viewed through night vision goggles, appears excessively dark and creates an undesirable high-contrast image.

Tri-Environment Pattern
The Tri-Environment Pattern (TriPat) is based on the 21st Century MultiCam pattern, and is designed for use in deserts, jungles, and temperate woodland, and may also be used in cities depnding on the amount of foliage present and building materials used. TriPat has background colors of a brown to light-tan gradient and lime green blending in between, the main part consist of green to yellowish green gradient and finally dark brown and light pinkish blotches spread throughout the pattern. This allows for the overall appearance to change from greenish to brownish in different areas of the fabric, while having smaller blotches to break up the bigger background areas.

The GCU
Soldiers and Marines have reported that the nylon cotton fabric does breathe better than the older BDUs and results in a cooler uniform in high temperature climates.

The uniform features silent-closure button fasteners as opposed to velcro on the pockets. All uniform components are IRR-treated, and as such the wearer appears at the same radiation level as the surrounding terrain, thus making them more difficult to detect with infrared sensors. A layer of carbon nanofibre is woven in between fabric layers which delivers a good deal of resistance to bullets and flying shrapnel at anything other than point-blank range. The GCU is also equipped with a greater amount of fireproofing that its predecessor, a key consideration when dealing with Covenant plasma weaponry. All uniform components are breathable to remove sweat and provide greater comfort.

Quotes

 * The carbon nanofibre doesn't do much to keep the plasma away, but at least the extra fireproofing means they don't melt on your skin when hit like the old BDUs.
 * The BDUs were crap, especially in the jungle; the open-weave meant that insects could stick their noses in, and about half my platoon went down with malaria on a jungle exercise 'cause of that. Not so with the GCU, 'course that's the least of my worries at the moment.