Xingkong (), is a military

camouflage pattern This is a list of military clothing camouflage patterns used for battledress. Military camouflage is the use of camouflage by armed forces to protect personnel and equipment from observation by enemy forces. Textile patterns for uniforms have mu ...

adopted in 2019 by all branches of the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

(PLA) of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(PRC). Introduced in 2019, the Xingkong pattern replaced the

Type 07 Type 07 () is a group of military uniforms used by all branches of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the paramilitary Chinese People's Armed Police Force. Introduced in 2007, the Type 07 uniforms repl ...

camouflage on the Type 07 combat uniforms used by regular units. The new uniform and Xingkong camouflage were first seen in late September 2019 before the celebration ceremony for the

70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China The 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China () was observed with a series of ceremonial events including a grand military parade as its spotlight to celebrate National Day of the People's Republic of China, National ...

. The Xingkong camouflage is deployed with Type 19 and Type 21 uniform series.

History

Design

The new uniform is available with five different camouflage patterns and colors are no longer service-based. The uniform design incorporates fastening hoop for wrist, elbow, ankle and knee, which prevents a soldier wearing the uniform being affected by vegetation or terrain during travel. The uniform also features internal slots for elbow and knee pads. The pocket on the uniform is designed to open sideways, making it convenient to use after equipping tactical vest. The complementary tactical vest features improved structural and material design, offering better mobility, practicality, fire-resistance, and protection. Color customization for the uniform accessories is achieved with the new design. Urban, woodland, and jungle camouflage is fitted with black-colored gloves and boots, while desert and tundra have colored ones. Various camouflaged pouches and devices can be attached to the tactical vest. The new pattern offers better concealment in variable distances comparing to traditional digital camouflage, due to the utilizing of unrecognizable tiny digital grids. It has dots or stars in the fabric that are smaller than that of

digital camouflage.

Fielding

According to Senior Colonel Wu Qian, Director General of the Information Office of the Chinese

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

, the camo's distribution to the entire PLA is going as scheduled in an October 31, 2019 announcement. The Xingkong is expected to be distributed with helmets, tactical gloves, combat vests and military boots.

Variants

Five variants of pattern for Xingkong camouflage is available. ;Woodland: Brown and green colored digital camouflage. ;Jungle: Jungle green colored digital camouflage. ;Desert: Light sand colored digital camouflage. ;Arid: also called Wasteland and Tundra by some sources. Dark sand colored digital camouflage. ;Urban: Dark grey colored digital camouflage.

Gallery

File:Sibu 2.jpg, Chinese Minister of National Defence

Wei Fenghe Wei Fenghe (; born February 1954) is a retired general ('' shang jiang'') in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who served as commander of the PLA Rocket Force, formerly known as the Second Artillery Corps. From 2018 to 2023, he was the Ministe ...

in Type 19 office uniform (right) File:Sibu 5.jpg, Russian and Chinese officers at Sibu/Interaction-2021 military exercises. From left to right: Russian office uniform with

EMR camouflage The EMR () or Universal Camouflage Colorway in English, is a military camouflage pattern in use by the Russian Armed Forces. It is sometimes referred to by the unofficial nicknames RUSPAT, Tetris, Tsifra and Digital Flora. EMR camouflage is the s ...

, Type 19 office uniform with Xingkong camouflage,

camouflage uniform

References

{{commons category, Xingkong Camouflage patterns Military equipment of the People's Republic of China Military uniforms People's Liberation Army Military equipment introduced in the 2010s