All Purpose Environmental Clothing System (APECS)

All Purpose Environmental Clothing System

Overview Items

xx

..

 All Purpose Environmental Clothing System (APECS) (Air Force and Marines)

Nomenclature

PARKA, ALL-PURPOSE ENVIRONMENTAL, CAMOUFLAGE
TROUSERS, ALL-PURPOSE ENVIRONMENTAL, CAMOUFLAGE

The APECS, short for All Purpose Environmental Clothing System is an outer layer set of a parka and trouser. 

The APECS is worn by both the US Marine Corps and the US Air Force during extreme weather conditions. 

The APECS was chosen over the 4th layer of the Generations 2 ECWCS due to its superior qualities. Advantages of the APECS include it is lighter in weight, lower in bulk, generates less noise, is more moisture vapor permeable and has an improved water repellency when compared to the ECWCS.

The NIR technology featured in the APECS resists detection by night vision equipment. The APECS garments are used by both the US Air Force and the US Marine Corps, When used by the US Air Force the APECS features a digital tiger stripe camouflage pattern and when used by the US Marines Corps it features a digital desert camouflage pattern. The APECS outer layer garments are commonly referred to as USMC APECS, APECS parka, APECS trousers, Marine APECS, Air Force Apecs, camouflage parkas, camouflage trousers.

  

History 

At the turn of 1999/2000 in the USMC started working on creating its own system of uniforms and equipment, different from those of, inter alia, in the US Army. As a result of these works stood among new camouflage - marpat. Also developed in this camouflage uniforms - MCCUU and APECS.

The production sets APECS started in 2003.

APECS consists of two outer shell garments, the parka and trousers, a product improvement of the Layer 4 Generation II ECWCS. Other layers and components are adopted unchanged from Generation II or Generation III of the Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS).

The APECS parka and trousers are made of Gore-tex material with Gore-seam tape sealed seams. APECS is lighter in weight, lower in bulk, has lower noise generation, is moisture vapor permeable and has an improved water repellency when compared to the ECWCS parka and trousers. NIR technology resists detection by night vision equipment. APECS displays MARPAT camouflage (Woodland or Desert) for the Marine Corps and the "tiger stripe" ABU pattern for the USAF.