Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden

Sweden used camouflaged shelters for many years, but the standard combat uniform remained plain forest green. During the 1970s, the Swedish firm Barracuda developed a camouflage pattern that was not adopted by the Swedish Army. It was only in 1990 that the M90 camouflage pattern was finally introduced.

Swedish Camouflage Patterns

• Illustrated below is the Quartershelter four-color camouflage pattern introduced during the 1960s. The design consists of large, non-overlapping patches of blue-green, dark brown, light brown & grey. Although never produced as a combat uniform, the shelter did serve a dual purpose as a camouflage poncho. Information from Swedish sources suggests these shelters saw continued use through the 1970s, with limited employment into the 1980s and possibly 1990s as well.

• In the late 1970s or early 1980s, the Swedish firm Barracuda developed a camouflage that was tested by the Ministry of Defense. A complicated design, it incorporates dark green, light olive green & pale green splinter shapes with an overprinted pattern of circular spots in dark green, light olive green, pale green & orange-tan. Produced as a trial version of the M59 combat uniform as well as on netting for vehicles, the pattern was never adopted. Variations for desert and artic/snow conditions were also produced.

• Introduced in 1989, the M90 "splinter" pattern seems to have been influenced by German WW2 designs such as Splittermuster (splinter pattern). The Swedish pattern incorporates dark green, dark olive green & moss green splinter shapes on a khaki background, and is the standard combat uniform of all Swedish ground combat personnel.

• Introduced in 2004, the M90K pattern is a variation of the standard M90 splinter pattern and the standard pattern worn by Swedish military contingents serving in desert regions. The Swedes have nicknamed it Ökenkammo.

Photos of Swedish Camouflage in Use