Jigsaw camouflage is the colloquial term for a series of

camouflage patterns Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

used by the

Belgian Armed Forces The Belgian Armed Forces (; , ) are the combined national military forces of Belgium. The Monarchy of Belgium, King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium Belgian Rev ...

between 1956 and 2022 and subsequently adapted in several other countries.

History

After its adoption by the Belgian military in 1956, it was originally mainly used by Paracommandos. It was subsequently adopted across the Belgian Armed Forces underwent several variations from the original design. The final temperate variation was implemented in 2016. A distinct jigsaw camouflage pattern inspired by the Belgian precedent was adopted by certain units of the ''

Forces Armées Zaïroises In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and direction ...

'' in

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

, a former Belgian colony, into the 1990s. Similar variants were also produced elsewhere in Africa. As part of the introduction of the Belgian Defence Clothing System, it was announced that the pattern would be phased out by the Belgian Armed Forces in favour of

Multicam MultiCam is a Military camouflage, camouflage pattern designed for use in a wide range of environments and conditions which was developed and is produced by American company Crye Precision. The pattern has found extensive adoption globally. Var ...

from November 2022. The contract was awarded to Sioen and Seyntex with

Crye Precision Crye Precision is an American apparel and accessories company based in New York City. They are a major manufacturer of Berry Amendment compliant items for the United States Armed Forces. Crye created the common camouflage pattern MultiCam in 2002. ...

under a budget of €410 million. The pattern is held by an American patent.

Patterns

The main Belgian four-tone temperate version was officially designated as "Woodland". A desert version was also produced. A number of jigsaw camouflage patterns inspired on the Belgian original have been adopted by foreign militaries. A Burundian variant with darker colors and a version with blue colorways were used by the Burundian military and police.

Users

Current

* : Standard camouflage of the Belgian Armed Forces. Being replaced from November 2022 by

in G4 clothing style.

Former

* : Known to be used by "certain local units" under Belgian colonial rule and briefly after independence by Burundian National Army. * : Belgian-based jigsaw camo used by Chadian Army in 1980s. * : Formerly used by Force Publique and Armée Nationale Congolaise. * : Belgian woodland and desert versions used by the

Luxembourg Armed Forces The Luxembourg Armed Forces (; ) are the national military force of Luxembourg. The army has been a fully volunteer military since 1967. , it has 939 personnel. The army is under civilian control, with the grand duke as commander-in-chief. Th ...

during the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

References

Bibliography

* {{Camouflage Camouflage patterns Belgian Land Component Military equipment introduced in the 1950s