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After 40 years, the British Army uniform received an update at the end of 2009. Multi-Terrain Pattern takes the place of two uniforms — a woodland camo uniform and a brown desert uniform.

An offshoot of MultiCam, the pattern keeps turning heads of military gear geeks everywhere. Last week a new prototype of the pattern was featured on the BBC1′s “The ONE Show.” Lawrence over at Strike-Hold! snapped some screen shots of the action to share.

The pattern applies to multiple terrains that are seen most often in Afghanistan. Multi-terrain pattern fatigues allow soldiers to carry less equipment (since it replaces two uniforms). It also was developed to keep soldiers hidden and safer for longer. Check out a side-by-side comparison of the old (on the left) and the new (on the right).

We’ve seen the The Hurt Locker (and we’ve heard the complaints). While its actors and directors received numerous accolades on Oscar night, one main character was carrying along completely unnoticed.

That is, until Dvice decided to shed some light on it. The forgotten star? The EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) suit worn by Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner).

From Dvice’s thorough breakdown we learn:

• Two life-threatening elements of an explosion are the overpressure pulse (shockwave) and fragmentation (shrapnel).
• Three layers in the suit protect from different threats with a flame-resistant inner layer.
• The suits weigh a LOT — anywhere from 60 to 70 pounds — and can be compared to strutting around with an anvil between the legs.

And now, videos of people other than EOD specialists testing out bomb suits.

And riding Segways…

(Image via Summit Entertainment)

EOTAC has unveiled its redesigned website this week, featuring a commercial for its brand as well as links to all of its social media networks.

The brand is promoting a new direct action line of clothing as well as A-TACS cammo. The website is designed to make navigation even easier when searching through the manufacturer’s discreet and tactical products.

The site also features an endorsement from Tiger McKee, a firearms instructor and author of The Book of Two Guns. He says: “With EOTAC’s entry into the tactical apparel market I can now upgrade my wardrobe with superior clothing.”

With lots of colorful action shots and new product pages, EOTAC’s revised site greatly improves the user experience and ability to learn about a product prior to purchase. EOTAC also promotes its social networks including its Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace pages as well as its forum.

Watch EOTAC’s super-slick commercial, which is featured on its homepage, below.

This week the Army News Service announced that soldiers heading to Afghanistan in July will be issued MultiCam ACUs along with Mountain Combat boots and MultiCam MOLLE.

The decision came after the Universal Camouflage Pattern, or UCP, didn’t conceal soldiers in all of Afghanistan’s different terrains, according to the news service.

“Afghanistan is a unique camouflage challenge because it’s such a terrain-diverse country,” Col. William E. Cole told the Army News Service. “Troops like the fact that it helps them blend in to different terrain types.”

If you’re not familiar with MultiCam, it’s a pattern that was specifically designed for combat in the Middle East regions with multiple terrains (think desert plus mountains). By using a varied pattern that focuses on a blending effect, it takes on surrounding colors easily.

“We are proud to help protect our forces with camouflage that has been validated in labs, user tests and in combat,” reads a statement about the Afghanistan deployment on the MultiCam website. “We think of camouflage as a key survivability tool, often as critical as armor or mobility.”

What are the benefits of MultiCam compared to other camo patterns? The video below says it all.

(Images via MultiCam.com)