"The six-month user tests of new combat uniforms which are now completed are by far the most comprehensive test of combat uniforms carried out by any of the Nordic countries". That's what Gaute Espeland says, who is responsible for the tests in the joint Nordic combat uniform project. More than 420 soldiers in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have participated in the testing of combat uniform systems from several suppliers.
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Nordic combat uniform under test by the Swedish army (Picture source: Swedish MoD)
All configurations have been tested by professional soldiers and conscripts, both male and female, says Gaute Espeland, from Norway and the one who holds all tests together. The systems have three configurations: European for Nordic climate, a jungle configuration for hot and humid climate and a desert configuration for hot and dry climate. For the European configuration, testing started in December 2019.
The six-month trials provide a major advantage, both for the winning bid and for the Nordic armed forces, according to Major Magnus Hallberg, from the Markstridsskolan in the Swedish Defense Forces, who leads the working group for users in the NCU project: “We wanted to make sure that the systems were tested under the conditions in which they will work daily. All nations were given the same number of uniforms to test and the soldiers had to answer surveys about the system's performance”.
To test the jungle and desert configurations, Danish soldiers went to Australia to conduct a concentrated test period in both very humid and dry conditions. “At the training facility in Queensland where some of the tests were done, the precipitation in March averages 752 mm and the temperature is around 30 degrees. It is hot and humid and very tough conditions for a uniform system to work in”, says Magnus Hallberg.
Nordic combat uniform under test by the Swedish army (Picture source: Swedish MoD)
The Nordic combat uniform (NCU) project now completes the user tests, it is the third and final evaluation carried out in the procurement project of the joint Nordic combat uniform. “The user tests are only part of the tests, but the most important thing”, says Magnus Hallberg.
The various systems included in the procurement have also been tested in refrigeration chambers and undergone repeated washing tests. Technical experts from all four countries review the test uniforms from the wear point of view after the tests. Then all data is compiled and evaluated based on the requirements set for performance.
The remaining bidders will submit their best and final bids during the autumn of 2020, which the project then evaluates and compiles together with the results of all the tests. "The project has so far managed to stick to the set schedule despite the limitations that Covid-19 poses and we are working hard for a contract signing in January 2021," says Tor Inge Thun, from Norway, who is the overall project leader in the four-nation project. “Before we get there, there are a lot of data to be evaluated and we can announce a contract award”. The first deliveries are scheduled to start in late 2021.
