Adelaide webcast, page-38

http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/innovation/protective-clothing

Interesting there is absolutely no mention of fire retardancy on the DSTO protective clothing page. A visit to get this on the agenda would be very useful.

In terms of where Defence uniforms are currently at the Army's AMCU uniform pattern is only recent and the Air Force General Purpose pattern is only a year old. This means that there is plenty of opportunity to outfit with next generation FR materials going forward.

Apparently the Army one was developed by Bruck Textiles locally in Wangaratta Victoria.

From the DSTO 2013-2014 Annual Report:

Next-generation uniform

In collaboration with its Defence and industry partners, DSTO developed the Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform (AMCU) to replace the current Disruptive Pattern Combat Uniform (DPCU). The new uniform represents the next generation of field and combat
uniforms for Australian soldiers.

New Army camouflage pattern
In collaboration with its Defence and industry
partners, DSTO played a key role in the
development of Australia’s new Multicam
Camoufl age Uniform (AMCU). DSTO provided
the technical input to develop the colour sets,
pattern layering and near-infrared signature
capability. Several key issues were taken
into account, including the need to address
infl exible procurement deadlines, ensure
manufacturing costs were optimised, retain
the pattern colour weightings of the Disruptive
Pattern Camoufl age Uniform (DPCU) and
maintain a national identity.
In response to Army requirements and critical
procurement timelines, DSTO and Bruck
Textiles Ltd produced the fi rst industrial
proof of concept within four weeks. As
part of Diggerworks, DSTO then led a fi nal,
comparative fi eld evaluation of the AMCU
and the DPCU for camoufl age eff ectiveness
in northern Australia. This evaluation by
military experts and users confi rmed the
camoufl age capability of the AMCU to meet the
performance requirements essential for both
daytime and night time operations.
The AMCU exemplifi es DSTO’s highly adaptive
signature management capability and its
responsiveness in delivering essential science
and technology to meet Defence outcomes.

New look for Air Force
DSTO provided critical technical support to
the development of a new General Purpose
Uniform for the Air Force.
The Air Force required a uniform that provided
an easily recognisable RAAF presence,
particularly for general base duties and nonwarlike
operations such as humanitarian aid
and assistance to the civilian community.
The uniform needed to be consistent with the
RAAF’s identity, while still meeting functional
service requirements.
DSTO’s assistance and strong history with
indigenous textile industries helped to
drastically reduce the costs and time required
for the development of the new concept.
The GPU was offi cially launched on 1 March
2014 at the Centenary of Military Aviation Air
Show at RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook.