Poland Unveils New Ryś Camouflage Uniform

The Polish Ministry of National Defense has unveiled a new tactical uniform featuring the Ryś camouflage pattern.

The presentation took place in Ciechanów and was attended by Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and military commanders.

The new uniform features not only a different camouflage pattern—Ryś (“Lynx”)—but also a revised cut. As a result, the Polish Army will gradually phase out the wz.93 Pantera, which has been in use for over three decades.

Service members from the Polish Special Operations Forces helped develop the new camouflage. According to General Dariusz Mendrala, head of the Polish Armed Forces Support Inspectorate, the Military Research and Development Center developed the camouflage pattern variants in collaboration with special operations personnel.

The prototypes were tested under various natural, weather, and seasonal conditions. Their visibility through optical devices and night-vision equipment was evaluated separately, after which the military formulated recommendations for the final design.

The general emphasized that during development, attention was also paid to the uniform’s comfort and ergonomics, so the new set will differ from the previous one in terms of design as well.

Darius Mendrala noted that the transition to the Ryś will take place gradually, as the camouflage change affects about 24 pieces of equipment. The old Pantera uniforms will remain in use for some time, particularly to supply reservists.

The Polish military is considering a phased re-equipment of individual units. The pace of the transition will also be influenced by cost: as the general noted, a two-piece winter uniform alone costs about PLN 2,000 (approximately UAH 23,000) and is designed to last several years.

The uniform upgrade is part of a broader Polish program to modernize individual military equipment. As part of the Szpej program, the Polish Ministry of Defense purchased over 200,000 Kevlar helmets, 100,000 body armor vests, and tactical vests.

At the same time, the Polish ministry is introducing the so-called “Green List” mechanism, which allows service members to independently purchase ministry-approved personal equipment. The list includes only products that meet established military requirements.

Other European armies are also updating their combat uniforms—in August, Denmark and Sweden unveiled the new M/26 and MSU26 combat uniforms, based on solutions from Crye Precision, while the Norwegian Armed Forces are continuing their phased transition to the new M23 NCU multi-layered combat clothing system, developed jointly with Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

In Germany, the Bundeswehr’s transition to the KBS SK modular combat clothing system is also underway, with Ukrainian troops already receiving certain components of this system.

In September, Militarnyi reported on preparations to introduce the VARAN ZSU and VARAN ZSU Winter camouflage patterns for the Airborne Assault Forces.