The Type 87 is a camouflage pattern formerly used by People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China. The pattern is the first standarized pattern for temperate climate.

Design

Honor guard of the PLAGF at their base in Nanjing, 2009.

The Type 87's style imitates that of the older American U.S. Woodland camouflage, in the sense it utilizes a macropattern of four colours for concealment, printed in interlocking, elongated and branching blobs. Type 87 uses a yellowish-green colour for its fourth colour, as opposed to the US pattern's khaki. Type 87 is the camouflage pattern for Type 87 Combat & Training Uniform. The camouflage and uniform is replaced by the digital Type 07 Combat & Training Uniform.

Pattern

The main variant is a four-colour woodland pattern with olive, green, yellowish-green and black. Type 87, like many other woodland uniforms with black, has been criticized for its use of this color, but once faded, it becomes dull and subdued, and therefore virtually unnoticeable.

The Type 87 has developed many variants throughout its service, each with different designations and colour variants. For example, there are Type 87, Type 95, and Type 03 patterns.

Bibliography

  • Lai, Benjamin (2012). The Chinese People’s Liberation Army since 1949. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1472845337.

External links