Disruptive Pattern Material Disruptive Pattern Material ( DPM ) is the commonly used name of a camouflage pattern used by British forces as well many other armies worldwide , particularly in former British colonies . The main variants of DPM are a four - colour woodland pattern , and desert patterns in two , three or four colours . DPM has also been produced in black / white / grey , in various blue tones and even in purples ( this last for the Swazi Royal Guard ) . DPM is currently being phased out in British military service , being superseded by Multi - Terrain Pattern . History . The British army first used a form of DPM for the famous Denison smock issued to parachute and commando troops from the early 1940s . The first examples of this design were said to be hand - painted . The Denison smock design went through minor changes , and continued in use with the Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment ( until the 1970s ) . 1960 Pattern . From 1960 , the British Army had been issued with the 1960 Pattern field - uniform range to replace the Second World War - era khaki Battledress . This consisted of a Smock , combat ; Trousers , combat ; a Hood , attached to the Smock by the two epaulette buttons and a third concealed under the collar ; and for exceptionally cold conditions , a Parka . The first , limited , use of DPM . A new British DPM was developed in the early 1960s , using the four basic western European temperate colours of black , dark brown , mid - green and a dark sand to make a very effective camouflage that has survived in its basic design , with no more than slight changes to the colours and pattern , until current times . This design was probably used first on a very small scale for a hooded " Smock , Windproof , 1963 Pattern " , issued only to special forces . In 1966 the Army introduced , though not universally , a camouflage field uniform . Known informally as the 1966 Pattern , it was in fact identical in design to the 1960 Pattern kit , though of course now made in DPM fabric . It is labelled , like the earlier plain olive green version , " Smock , combat , 1960 Pattern " and " Trousers , combat , 1960 Pattern " . The 1966 DPM range did not completely replace the plain olive green 1960 Pattern Smock and Trousers , which continued to be worn widely until the 1968 DPM kit was issued . Both The Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment continued to wear the " Trousers , combat 1960 Pattern " with the Denison smock , and examples of these trousers were made even after 1968 . These units eventually stopped issuing the Denison smock ( in mid to late 1970s ) and adopted smocks in the general - issue DPM while still for a time wearing the plain olive 1960 Pattern Trousers . The 1968 Pattern range — the first general use of DPM . Before the 1966 Pattern equipment had reached all units a slightly revised design of " Smock , combat " and " Trousers , combat " were introduced as the 1968 Pattern range . The 1966 Pattern DPM fabric design was changed very little for the 1968 issue , and it seems that the 1968 Pattern garments were made for some time in the two very similar DPM fabrics . A " Hood , combat , DPM " , made of DPM cotton fabric and with a plain olive green lining , was also included in the range , fastened as required to the back of the Smock with the two epaulette buttons and a third under the collar . In this the British army was the first to adopt a camouflage uniform universally . For the Royal Marines , which had a responsibility for NATO ' s northern flank , a " Smock , Windproof , Arctic " and " Trousers , Windproof , Arctic " were introduced c1972 . These were made in a lightweight but windproof DPM fabric , and could be worn over quilted jacket and trousers in extreme cold conditions . The design of both smock and trousers differ radically from both the standard and para designs . The smock is long and loose - fitting , and incorporates a voluminous wired - rim hood , while the trousers have zips in the lower leg to allow them to be put on over boots . In the mid 1970s a new Smock Parachutist DPM ( Para smock ) was introduced for the Parachute Regiment and other airborne units . Though made in the 1968 Pattern cotton fabric , its design was closer to that of its predecessor , the Denison smock . At the same time a Smock , Sniper , was introduced , based heavily on the Smock Parachutist DPM and sharing many of its details . It was distinguished by its padded elbows and shoulders , relocated lower pockets , multiple loops for securing natural camouflage material and hooks for the rifle sling . During the late 1970s , batches of the 68 pattern camouflage were used by the USAF Police Tactical Neutralisation Teams at RAF Upper Heyford as a temporary stand - in for the ERDL / M81 Woodland fatigues . Later developments . The pattern was changed slightly with subsequent issues . On early 1960 ( manufactured from 1966 ) and 1968 Pattern DPM uniforms the sand coloured base would appear to lighten in tone at night , becoming dangerously conspicuous . This was addressed in the late 1970s , when the sand and brown colours were slightly darkened . The 1985 Pattern has fewer , less precise dots and the brown is much darker ; 1990 and later has a band of new shapes and is smaller ; 1994 has an orangey colour instead of a tan . Tropical polycotton DPM uniforms varied even more ; early versions were very brightly coloured notably with a russet brown and emerald green which faded to rather unexpected pastel tones of blueish green and pink - brown with washing . Late 1970s and early 1980s Trops have a more yellowish sand base and are greatly sought - after by those wishing to appear " ally , " while the final production style in the early 1990s used colours closer to temperate uniforms . DPM items in the Combat Soldier 95 ( CS95 ) clothing system have similar colours to the 1966 uniform . However , instead of all four colours being printed onto a whitish base , the material is in fact woven in the sand shade and overprinted only with three colours . This leads to a loss in contrast between the colours after washing and wear , and the clothing tends to appear darker when wet than previous types . Although slight changes have been made to DPM and the colours , the pattern is easy to recognise . There are also jungle versions of DPM where the colours are brighter , and on one variation the tan is darker than the green . A desert variant was first issued on a limited basis in the late 1980s . This appeared very similar , but consisted of subdued sand and khaki hues . This was replaced by a two - colour version by 1990 because four - colour versions had been adopted by some Middle Eastern countries , notably Iraq . From 1990 a system of Personal Load Carrying Equipment ( PLCE ) was introduced , initially produced in olive green . The olive type was quickly replaced in production by a DPM version , and now almost all British issue webbing and rucksacks are DPM . Current issued DPM equipment is IRR ( Infra - red Reflective ) coated . This coating has a specific reflective wavelength in order to blend in with natural colours in the infra - red light spectrum . This reduces the visibility of soldiers to night vision devices , which detect infra - red light , as trees and other green plants reflect deep red and infra - red light ( the Wood Effect ) . Replacement — Multi - Terrain Pattern . Multi - Terrain Pattern ( MTP ) is a six - colour camouflage pattern intended to replace both the four colour woodland DPM uniform and the desert pattern uniform used by the British Armed forces . MTP was procured and announced in late 2009 , predicated around use in the Afghanistan theatre of operations but applicable to other theatres . A range of patterns were trialled and evaluated in Britain , Cyprus , Kenya and Afghanistan against DPM , desert patterns and existing commercially available patterns . From mid 2010 , combat clothing was produced in MTP and issued to forces deploying to Afghanistan .