Airman Battle Uniform

After months of wear testing, Air Force officials revised the color scheme and camouflage pattern due to feedback received from airmen.

Like the ACS, the ABS is a stand-alone shirt designed specifically for use with Improved Outer Tactical Vest armor in warm and hot weather.

Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Norton A. Schwartz gave approval of the IABU coat and pants which will be available to trainees at Basic Military Training first.

However, the uniform is worn with dark blue background and light silver lettering name and branch tapes and black boots in order to distinguish CAP personnel.

[3][12] From 2019 to 2021, the ABU was authorized for wear, alongside the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) uniform, by United States Space Force (USSF) personnel.

[1] A limited number of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel have been photographed wearing the ABU during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[13][14][15] The Airman Battle Uniform is similar to the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) in color, with the inclusion of slate blue, but is otherwise nearly identical to the BDU cut.

Experimental Blue Tigerstripe camouflage
Original-issue, non-ripstop, 50% nylon, and 50% cotton fabric in the ABU-pattern. Due to complaints regarding the original fabric’s weight and heat-retention, a thinner, ripstop -weave, ABU-patterned fabric in the same 50/50 NYCO blend would be introduced in 2012, known variously as the "Improved ABU," "IABU," "Ripstop ABU," or "RABU."
Civil Air Patrol cadet wearing Airman Battle Uniform (ABU)
A United States Space Force member wearing the Airman Battle Uniform with appropriate Space Force accoutrements.
U.S. airmen in 2010 wearing the Airman Battle Uniform
U.S. airmen wearing ABUs on an exercise in 2011
A U.S. airman and Dominican airmen in front of a UH-1N .