Featuring digital disruptive patterns, Indian Army is set to don a new combat uniform starting later this month. The uniform will be first showcased at the Army Day Parade on 15 January, which will start getting issued to officers and soldiers in batches.
Designed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in close coordination with the Army, the uniform seeks to make soldiers more comfortable and is also operationally friendly.
Currently, the soldier can buy cloth from the market and get his uniform stitched while the new disruptive-patterned cloth won’t be available in the open market.
As per a report of ThePrint, the plan is to have an open tender, with participation of both private and state-owned entities, for manufacturing and supply of the new camouflages or battle dress uniforms (BDU).
The report quoted sources that the plan is to ensure that it is not available in the open market. There would be a tendering process and the uniforms would be stitched in various sizes, just like in the case of readymade garments, which would then be supplied to various units and formations.
The tendering process for making uniforms for the nearly 1.3 million-strong Army will be open to both private and state-run enterprises.
Unlike the current style, there will be no tucking in of shirts. The trousers will have additional pockets for the ease of the soldier. The material chosen for the cloth is meant to be “lighter but sturdier” and suitable for both summer and winter.
