What is French CCE?

Introduced in 1991, the French Armed Forces introduced CCE (Camouflage Centre-Europe) their next-generation camouflage pattern. This woodland camo became a staple of the French military for decades, taking clear "inspiration" from the then-iconic American Woodland M81 (AKA: We made a really good pattern, and everyone stole our flow).

CCE replaced the former TAP 47/56 "Léopard", with a brushstroke tiger stripe-style camo.

Designed for European terrain, CCE features a four-color woodland pattern—blending greens, blacks, tans, and browns—essentially M81, but someone turned on colorblind mode and it just so happens to work well for European environments.

CCE is used across all branches of the French military, including the Armée de Terre (Army), Fusiliers Marins (Naval Infantry), Commandos Marine, Gendarmerie, and even the Legendary French Foreign Legion. CCE has been used on combat uniforms, tactical gear, backpacks, and vehicles.

The French Armed Forces continue to use CCE. However, while it was deployed in Bosnia, Kosovo, and briefly Afghanistan, its effectiveness is limited to woodlands and similar regions. As a result, The French would opt for the 1990 “Daguet” pattern for desert operations and tiger-stripe camo types for jungle warfare. (Operation Daguet is the French designation for France's involvement in what most will know as Operation Desert Storm or the Persian Gulf War.)

These regional blind spots in CCE’s design have led some French units to phase out CCE in favor of more advanced patterns like those from the Scorpion Camouflage Family. Despite its flaws, CCE remains an icon of European military power and has left a lasting mark on other NATO allies and on warfare in general.