M90 (camouflage)

[1] Work on the vehicle camouflage pattern was carried out in the 1970s by FOA scientists through a process of extensive testing and experimentation, including aerial photography missions and field trials.

Swedish military doctrine at the time assumed a defensive war against the superior forces of the Soviet Union, which made it too risky for jets to remain on their peacetime bases.

Instead, they would be dispersed across small rural landing strips and pre-positioned depots where they could be serviced by mobile teams, which required a camouflage designed for hiding in forested locations.

As Sweden had been a latecomer to camouflage uniforms, the system was considered to be quite advanced for its time and, according to the Swedish army, it remains effective three decades later.

Among other things, M90 uniforms are treated to ensure a low visibility when faced with night-time detection gear such as near-infrared spectrum equipment.

To some experts, commercial use of the M90 was advantageous for the Swedish military, since it allowed personnel to acquire complementary nonstandard civilian gear when necessary, without abandoning the M90 pattern.

Others have countered that the proliferation of non-official M90 products has diluted the symbolic value of the pattern, defeating one of its original purposes – and possibly even raising infiltration risks in the field.

[1] In 2017, a collaborative Nordic government project was launched to jointly acquire standardized uniforms for the Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Danish armed forces, although it was decided that each country would use its own camouflage pattern.