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Army snipers played hide-and-seek to test new camouflaged ghillie suits for next-level combat

Ryan Pickrell 14h

The camouflaged ghillie suits worn by US snipers are vital tools that enhance concealment, offering greater survivability and lethality, but these suits are in desperate need of an upgrade.

The US Army is currently testing new camouflaged ghillie suits to better protect soldiers and make them deadlier to enemies.

Trained snipers from across the service recently gathered at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to conduct visual testing for several prototypes, an important preliminary evaluation, the Army revealed earlier this month.

What are ghillie suits?

A ghillie suit is a type of camouflaged clothing designed to help snipers disappear in any environment, be it desert, woodland, sand, or snow.

"A sniper's mission dictates that he remains concealed in order to be successful," Staff Sgt. Ricky Labistre, a sniper with 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment of the California National Guard explained recently. "Ghillie suits provide snipers that edge and flexibility to maintain a concealed position, which is partial to our trade."

What are Army snipers wearing now?

The Flame Resistant Ghillie System (FRGS) suits currently worn by US snipers were first fielded in 2012, appearing at the Army Sniper School, the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School and the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course.

The Army has decided that these suits need a few critical improvements.

The FRGS suits are heavy, uncomfortable, and hot, Debbie Williams, a systems acquisition expert with Program Executive Office Soldier, said in a statement in October.

"The current [accessory] kit is thick and heavy and comes with a lot of pieces that aren't used," Maj. WaiWah Ellison, an assistant product manager with PEO Soldier explained, adding that "soldiers are creating ghillie suits with their own materials to match their personal preference."

But, most importantly, existing US military camouflage is increasingly vulnerable to the improved capabilities of America's adversaries.

"The battlefield has changed, and our enemies possess the capabilities that allow them to better spot our snipers. It's time for an update to the current system," Sgt. Bryce Fox, a sniper team leader with 2nd Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, said in a recent statement.

What is the Army developing to replace the existing suits?

The Army plans to eventually replace the FRGS suits with Improved Ghillie System (IGS) suits.

The new IGS suits, part of the Army's increased focus on military modernization, are expected to be made of a lighter, more breathable material that can also offer the stiffness required to effectively camouflage the wearer.

The ghillie suits will still be flame resistant, a necessity after two soldiers from the Army's 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment burned to death after their camouflaged sniper gear caught fire in Iraq; however, that protection will primarily be provided by the combat uniform worn underneath.

The new suits will also be modular, which means that snipers will be able to take them apart in the field, adding or subtracting pieces, such as sleeves, leggings, veils, capes, and so on, as needed.

How are the new suits being tested?

Snipers from special forces and Ranger regiments, as well as conventional forces, came together at Eglin Air Force base for a few days in early November for daytime visual testing of IGS prototypes, the Army said in a statement earlier this month.

The testing involved an activity akin to a game of hide-and-seek. Snipers in IGS suits concealed themselves in woodland and desert environments while other snipers attempted to spot them at distances ranging from 10 to 200 meters.

In addition to daytime visual testing, the IGS suits will be put through full-spectrum testing carried out by the Army Night-Vision Laboratory and acoustic testing by the Army Research Laboratory.

The Army Research Laboratory will also test tear resistance and fire retardant capabilities.

Once the initial testing is completed, a limited user evaluation ought to be conducted next spring at the sniper school at Fort Benning in Georgia. The Army is expected to order 3,500 IGS suits for approximately 3,300 snipers with the Army and Special Operations Command.

I don’t always express my appreciation for these articles you bring to our attention, Sigmund, but I do appreciate them. Thanks again.

Seems like you'd need at least 3 different suits. Desert, woodland, snow, and maybe something for rocky areas - probably a cross between desert and snow to blend with exposed rock faces/slabs.

In all my research I have actually never heard of traditional ghillie suits being used as snow camouflage. As for exposed rocky mountainous terrain, Europeans in particular often use poncho-like garments that they paint to match the coloring of the environment. Perhaps the in thing now is to refer to any camouflage clothing as a ghillie suit.

Interesting read.
I'm sure glad they are using actual combat inspired instead of the big wigs voting.

The one under evaluation is modular with replaceable components adaptable to terrain.

quote:

Originally posted by SBrooks:
Seems like you'd need at least 3 different suits. Desert, woodland, snow, and maybe something for rocky areas - probably a cross between desert and snow to blend with exposed rock faces/slabs.

"annnd...stop. Sniper at your feet."
"Well, what do you got?"

"He had lunch here, sir. Quarter-pounder...with cheese." <shakes head>

quote:

Originally posted by Rawny:
"annnd...stop. Sniper at your feet."
"Well, what do you got?"

"He had lunch here, sir. Quarter-pounder...with cheese." <shakes head>

Ha! Good flick.

I agree that the current system is long overdue for an overhaul. The current suits limit mobility when snipers aren’t in hide mode, and can be somewhat fragile. They can leave behind evidence of the snipers location or passing in the form of string/hemp strands to a sharp eyed soldier.

I made my own 3-D camo suit for hunting, tactical tracking, and static surveillance. It is made from a basic BDU set, various colored and shapes of patches, and hours and hours of work. It is damn near indestructible and allows dynamic motion without damage to it. I tailored it to eastern woodland but the possibilities are bound only by what fabric you can find.

A little fuzzy, but you get the idea.

url=https://postimg.cc/gXSrfTLg] [/url]




Edited for stupid spell check...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: gearhounds,

Needing concealment of heat signature, non-visible light waveforms presents additional modern battlefield challenges.

Acoustic testing???

Quarter Pounder with Cheese...

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I made my own 3-D cameo suit

Definitely looks good.

If it’s not a secret, what materials did you use? From what I can see, and your comment about patches, did you glue (or otherwise attach) pieces of fabric to the base rather than the typical jute/strings, etc.?

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I agree that the current system is long overdue for an overhaul. The current suits limit mobility when snipers aren’t in hide mode, and can be somewhat fragile. They can leave behind evidence of the snipers location or passing in the form of string/hemp strands to a sharp eyed soldier.

I made my own 3-D cameo suit for hunting, tactical tracking, and static surveillance. It is made from a basic BDU set, various colored and shapes of patches, and hours and hours of work. It is damn near indestructible and allows dynamic motion without damage to it. I tailored it to eastern woodland but the possibilities are bound only by what fabric you can find.

A little fuzzy, but you get the idea.

url=https://postimg.cc/gXSrfTLg] [/url]

You're much better looking in your camo than out.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I made my own 3-D cameo suit

Definitely looks good.

If it’s not a secret, what materials did you use? From what I can see, and your comment about patches, did you glue (or otherwise attach) pieces of fabric to the base rather than the typical jute/strings, etc.?

It’s no secret- here is the basic recipe:

BDU set must by poly/co, non-ripstop. Same with patch material, and all cotton is even better. A sharp pair of scissors is a necessity. The shape and size of patches varies, and up to the creator.

The patches are attached with an adhesive called Bish’s Tear Mender. It is basically latex suspended in ammonia. It is designed to mend natural materials like cotton and leather. When you apply the patches, the ammonia carries latex into the fabrics weave. The ammonia evaporates almost immediately leaving the cloth fibers saturated and bonded permanently. It is an amazingly rapid process and sets up to wearability within minutes. The suit will have a faint aroma of ammonia initially, but hanging it outside for a day or two helps.

After it completely sets up in about 24 hours, you can wade through pretty much any brush, briars, etc. without doing more than slight fraying.

I won’t lie, the process is very time consuming to say the least. I think the end result is well worth the effort though. You get the appearance of a 3-D leafy suit without the fragility they have. And as I said, it is damn near indestructible and will last as long as you do. This particular suit began life back in about 2004 or so. I have added several different updated colors over the years and the original patches are still bonded well. If you do manage to tear one partially loose, just reapply and nail it down again.

quote:

You're much better looking in your camo than out.

Yeah, I get that a lot

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I won’t lie, the process is very time consuming to say the least.

I haven’t tried to make my own ghillie suit, but based on what a friend related and other information I’ve gotten, putting together the traditional type is also very tedious. It might be a little less labor-intensive because of working with strips of sacking fabric that just have to be cut to length rather than cutting patches from bulk cloth. (I’d think one of those rotary fabric cutters would be a must.)

Colorado has lots and lots of sagebrush, and trying to crawl through that is definitely a challenge for string type fabric. The brush catches the strings constantly and doesn’t let go. Crye Precision, the originators of MultiCam camo, offers a shirt with horizontal open weave strips, but it’s pretty fragile and just as prone to getting snagged by sagebrush branches, if not more so.

It’s also good to know about the Bish’s Tear Mender. The ghillie suit construction information I’ve read usually mentions Shoe GOO as an adhesive. I know from personal experience that it works well for gluing fabric and other materials, but it obviously takes much longer to cure. I also wouldn’t want to be hiding from a tracking dog trained to alert on its smell which is pretty persistent.

Thanks again for all that.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I made my own 3-D cameo suit

Definitely looks good.

If it’s not a secret, what materials did you use? From what I can see, and your comment about patches, did you glue (or otherwise attach) pieces of fabric to the base rather than the typical jute/strings, etc.?

It’s no secret- here is the basic recipe:

BDU set must by poly/co, non-ripstop. Same with patch material, and all cotton is even better. A sharp pair of scissors is a necessity. The shape and size of patches varies, and up to the creator.

The patches are attached with an adhesive called Bish’s Tear Mender. It is basically latex suspended in ammonia. It is designed to mend natural materials like cotton and leather. When you apply the patches, the ammonia carries latex into the fabrics weave. The ammonia evaporates almost immediately leaving the cloth fibers saturated and bonded permanently. It is an amazingly rapid process and sets up to wearability within minutes. The suit will have a faint aroma of ammonia initially, but hanging it outside for a day or two helps.

After it completely sets up in about 24 hours, you can wade through pretty much any brush, briars, etc. without doing more than slight fraying.

I won’t lie, the process is very time consuming to say the least. I think the end result is well worth the effort though. You get the appearance of a 3-D leafy suit without the fragility they have. And as I said, it is damn near indestructible and will last as long as you do. This particular suit began life back in about 2004 or so. I have added several different updated colors over the years and the original patches are still bonded well. If you do manage to tear one partially loose, just reapply and nail it down again.

Can you show a close up photo of your suit? My son is trying to make a ghillie suit out of hemp but he gave up in frustration. Where do you buy the patch material?

quote:

Can you show a close up photo of your suit? My son is trying to make a ghillie suit out of hemp but he gave up in frustration. Where do you buy the patch material?

Email sent

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:

quote:

Originally posted by Rawny:
"annnd...stop. Sniper at your feet."
"Well, what do you got?"

"He had lunch here, sir. Quarter-pounder...with cheese." <shakes head>

Ha! Good flick.

I haven't seen the flick. I've got the book. Just added the flick to my list on Amazon Prime.

I played paintball like the special ops soldiers in the book. Sometimes it didn't work out all that well, when I appeared as if out of nowhere in front of my own guys, so they assumed I was one of the opposing force.

You would be amazed at just how invisible you can become with even marginal camo, picking your spot right, and remaining utterly still and quiet.