Development of RDI–Roggenwolf® Generation 2 Kumul Pattern™ ('Kumul 2™') camouflage began in October 2007, at the request of Robmos Ltd (PNG) Defence Industries.
Three variants were prepared for presentation to the then-Commander of Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF), Brigadier General (Commodore) Peter Ilau. The initial round of field trials, held in December 2007, saw one of them quickly eliminated from further consideration.
The two remaining variants — nicknamed Kunai (a common type of grass; top) and Pikus (a local name for the strangler fig), by the soldiers who took part in the trials — were retained for further evaluation.
More detailed trials, conducted in January 2010, determined that the Kunai variant of Kumul 2™ is suitable for operations in urban and rural areas, as well as in‑country. Pikus, on the other hand, was judged to be better suited to jungle terrain. Both variants have since undergone further development, with the emphasis laid upon fine-tuning the colourways.
Since 2005, Roggenwolf® has utilised features that deceive the peripheral, foveal and colour components of human visual perception. The validity of my integrated approach to camouflage development may be gauged by the overall performance of RDI–Roggenwolf® Generation 2 Kumul Pattern™: in one trial, 30 experienced PNGDF officers failed to locate and identify a soldier wearing Kumul 2™ camouflage; he was lying in plain view, on open ground and under full sunlight.
December 2007 — The three original variants of Kumul 2™
Photograph © Robmos Ltd (PNG) Defence Industries 2007. Reproduced by permission.
'Roggenwolf', 'Deception you can trust', 'Dacia', 'Generation 2 Kumul Pattern', 'Kumul 2', 'Ryewolf', 'Warg', 'Warg(SR)' and the Rād device are trade marks or registered trade marks of Brad Turner.
'RDI' is a trade mark of Robmos Ltd (PNG) Defence Industries.
Updated: 04:24:50 Monday, 12 August 2013 (GMT)
