incorrect info 2
Some troops DID USE the flight gloves, especially those in specialized units like SEALs, Rangers, and SF. Special units had a lot of leeway when it came to choosing their own gear. In the 90's and 2000's, specialized gear manufacturer's started cropping up. Some troops made their own web gear. Eagle Industries and London Bridge Trading came about in the 90's or before. American Body Armor came about in the 80's and they had many specialized vests. There was also PASGT body armor. Delta had it's own set of gear entirely. The first M4 didn't have a removable carry handle, it had A2 sights. The 727 had A1 sights. Bolle and Smith were also popular goggles. As for camo, the "chocolate chip" six color didn't get used beyond 1991. It didn't blend well and the military quickly went to the Tri-Color "coffee stain" desert camo pattern officially called DCU's. During Mogadishu some of the helmets did still have 6-color helmet covers. During Panama, Delta was also wearing flight suits in OD with the black Protec skateboard helmets. They later switched to the B2. The SEALs also used the original helmet. They had the Protec Ace during Mogadishu or a style similar to it. The Delta's and SEALs as well as USAF CCT's/FO's had black tactical vests. The night desert camo was of limited issue. During testing in the Gulf War, some Marines noticed that overwhites actually worked better at blending in when viewed through nightvision. The night pattern only works as a naked eye pattern. The 1911 was used up until late 80's/early 90's by regular troops. The 1911 was and is still used by select units. The M733 was used by the USMC in early 90's. The High Standard HDM and the AAC Amphibian were also used by Force Recon and SEALs respectively. The Mk 23 Mod O handgun was used by SF and SEALs. The USP45 Compact Tactical replaced it in use by the SEALs. The Sig P226 is also used by them since mid 90's. The jungle boots with OD were used up until 2006-ish. The SPEAR system is the predecessor to the MOLLE system and was used starting around 1995. The old ALICE equipment was still being used in 2005, and we were finally getting rid of our old stocks of M16A1's in 2006. The A3 could be had with or without a removable carry handle. The difference was the trigger. The A2 had the new barrel, flash hider, sights, and handguards with a three round burst. The A3 was the same but was full auto like the A1. This is because of the burst trigger's varying trigger pulls depending on which tooth of the cam wheel the disconnector happened to be sitting on. The full auto trigger didn't have this problem and therefore was easier to maintain groupings. It was used only by Rangers and SEALs. The A4 was an A2 with removable carry handle and KAC RIS. The M60 stuck around until 2010-ish. After the adoption of the M240, it was only issued to special units who refused to give it up. The last designation of the M60 was from the M60A4 to Mk 43 Mod 0. The M249 SAW was available with a collapsible stock as early as 1993 during a testing exercise known as Operation Urban Warrior. It was known as the M249 SPW or Para. The K-Pot was called a K-Pot because of the Kevlar after the M1 was called the steel pot but was designed after the German Fritz of WW2.
