Poland's Direct Action makes troops harder to spot in wooded areas with new Multicam Tropic color.

At Milipol 2025, the Polish company Direct Action presented its new Multicam Tropic camouflage color, a new woodland-oriented option for existing and upcoming products, and confirmed that approximately 58 items have already been produced in this color, with full catalog rollout targeted for the year-end.

Direct Action presented its new Multicam Tropic camouflage color at Milipol 2025, a new forest/woodland-oriented option for existing and upcoming products, and confirmed that approximately 58 items have already been produced in this color, with full catalog rollout targeted for year-end. This new pattern can help reduce visual detection in dense vegetation by matching the color shifts found in natural forest light. Created in 2014, this Polish company is working with several Polish special operations units and multiple European customers.
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The mixture of green, brown, and darker tones used in camouflage patterns such as the Multicam Tropic disrupts the human eye’s ability to recognize a human form, making it more difficult for an observer to distinguish a person from surrounding foliage, trunks and branches. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The Polish company Direct Action used its participation at Milipol 2025 to highlight the introduction of its new Multicam Tropic camouflage color intended for operations in wooded environments. The company described this pattern as an additional option for users who want equipment that blends more effectively into forest terrain. According to the company official Bart Dewachter, the Multicam Tropic has already been applied to 58 products across the catalog. Direct Action stated that by the end of the year, it aims to ensure that the entire product range will be available in this color. The approach is presented as a standardization effort to allow full equipment sets in a single woodland-oriented pattern. The Milipol booth, therefore, combined a new camouflage expansion with the broader presentation of the company’s gear, as Direct Action used this event as part of its regular exhibition schedule to reach international customers.

For soldiers, camouflage adapted to wooded areas, such as the Multicam Tropic, provides concrete benefits by reducing the visual contrast between the user and the natural environment. The mixture of green, brown, and darker tones disrupts the human eye’s ability to recognise a human form, making it more difficult for an enemy observer to distinguish a human outline against the complex background of foliage, trunks and branches, especially when light conditions change throughout the day. Reducing the distance at which the silhouette can be detected, woodland patterns also enhance tactical manoeuvre and ambush operations by helping troops approach, observe, or engage without being easily detected, thanks to the use of both large shapes and small details; these patterns help personnel move across bright clearings, darker understory, and mixed vegetation without significantly increasing visual exposure. Consistent camouflage across plate carriers, pouches, and clothing prevents any single component from appearing as an isolated block of color. Such concealment supports reconnaissance, approach movements, and observation tasks in areas where the line of sight is often short and detection risks change quickly.

Direct Action is a Polish tactical equipment manufacturer created in 2014 within the wider industrial group Entire M, which also owns the Helikon Tex company. The company is currently focusing on designing and producing gear intended for military personnel, law enforcement agencies, and professional special operations users, including plate carriers, belts, pouches, backpacks, and related accessories. Production was established in Poland and expanded into multiple facilities supported by designers, engineers, and specialist sewing personnel familiar with technical textile requirements. The brand adopted naming conventions for platforms referencing aircraft operated by Polish pilots in historical periods such as the Second World War, including names like Spitfire, Halifax, and Hurricane. Over time, Direct Action extended its product line into clothing, insulation layers, membrane systems, and ballistic peripherals to complement its load-carrying equipment. Direct Action manages three facilities in Poland, which are located in Nowa Ruda, Nysa, and Świebodzice.

At Milipol 2025, Direct Action presented a selection of items from its catalog, such as modular plate carriers designed to be combined with different cummerbunds, front panels, and back panels for mission-specific configuration. Alongside these carriers, the company exhibited a new winter jacket for cold climate environments, a battle dress uniform (BDU), and both hard shell and soft shell garments. The exhibit also included the upper and lower parts of the hard shell set, showing how these layers interface with uniforms and load carriage platforms. The intention was to demonstrate how a complete ensemble can be assembled from clothing to protective layers using components from a single manufacturer. Several of these items were already available in Multicam Tropic, reflecting the company’s effort to expand the camouflage option across product categories. This allowed military officials to assess how the new color appears on both clothing and gear. The Milipol display, therefore, represented an overview of Direct Action’s cold-weather clothing, shell layers, and modular carriers.

Beyond the items shown at the exhibition, the full Direct Action catalog includes additional categories that further support a broad range of operational requirements. The Platforms category, for instance, consists of plate carriers, chest rigs, front flaps, back panels, and cummerbunds, including products such as the Spitfire Plate Carrier that allow users to adjust load distribution and accessory placement. The Pouches category spans rifle and pistol ammunition pouches, speed reload pouches, general purpose pouches, medical pouches, radio pouches, dump pouches, navigation and hydration pouches, as well as holders for night vision devices or restraints. Belts and sleeves include inner and outer belts, sleeves, suspenders, and mounting panels used to structure pouch placement. Backpacks and bags cover assault packs, covert packs, lifestyle backpacks, deployment bags, and messenger bags, with models like the Halifax Medium Backpack (dedicated to parachuters) and Dragonfly (a low-profile option). Apparel includes uniforms, combat shirts, trousers, field shirts, softshell combat shirts, headwear, and gloves. Finally, weapon accessories consist of slings, suppressor covers, and holsters, while the Merch section contains items such as T-shirts, hoodies, caps, and patches.

Early in its existence, Direct Action secured a tender in 2014 to supply equipment to a Polish special unit, establishing a reference in national security forces. Another notable contract occurred in 2018, when the Polish Special Mission Unit GROM selected the Spitfire Plate Carrier as its primary platform, along with accompanying pouches, utility bags, and belts. The company states that users in multiple European countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Lithuania, employ its gear. In addition to these institutional users, Direct Action expanded its distribution network and launched an online store for markets including the United States. The brand regularly appears at international shows such as IWA, EnforceTac, SHOT Show, SOFIC, MSPO, and Milipol to maintain visibility. While no detailed contract values are provided, the combination of domestic acceptance and international usage forms the core of its commercial successes.

To support this ongoing expansion in both European and global markets, Direct Action made a steady expansion over the years, supported by the addition of new production facilities at Nysa and Świebodzice alongside the earlier site at Nowa Ruda. This increased capacity supports larger product volumes and the diversification of clothing and ballistic peripheral categories. The company states that it expands annually and continues to attend exhibitions to promote its equipment to international customers. Its worldwide availability indicates a strategy that links domestic production capabilities with broader export ambitions. Challenges typical for tactical gear producers include scaling output while maintaining quality, meeting requirements for ballistic components, managing export compliance, and remaining cost-competitive, which Direct Action managed to achieve. For instance, Direct Action frames its development strategy around controlled manufacturing, adherence to quality management standards, and gradual expansion of product variants, including the full catalog rollout of Multicam Tropic.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.