Anyone wearing the old Battle Dress Uniform after Tuesday will officially be breaking regulation. The Air Force has retired the Cold War-era uniform, which was originally designed primarily for wear around Europe. In addition, USAF retired the desert camouflage uniform, black t-shirt, black combat boots, and tan boots (that were worn with the new Airman Battle Uniform). The new ABU, introduced in 2006, sports a wash-and-hang-dry design, unlike the BDU which most airmen had dry-cleaned. The boots for the ABU do not need to be polished; they are sage green, full-grain leather boot with rubber heel and toe reinforcements, according to a release. The uniform change was originally slated to go in to effect Oct. 1, but was delayed to Nov. 1. It applies to all Air Force components.
As with previous stealth aircraft unveilings, the Air Force’s imagery of the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter has been doctored to keep adversaries guessing about its true shaping and design philosophy.