Colour Options
Every mast, positioner and tripod tube leaves the shop with a surface treatment on it. Which one is a configuration choice, and it changes corrosion life, abrasion resistance, electrical bonding and infrared signature — not only colour.
Ordering
The finish code is an order suffix. Append it to the part number of the item being finished — a part number ending FA01 is clear anodised, one ending FT28 carries camouflage green chemical agent resistant coating. Applied to a top-level assembly number, the suffix sets the finish on every sub-component that receives one. Not every finish suits every part: anodising applies to aluminium, and each coating system has its own substrate requirement. Confirm the combination at quotation.
Anodising
Anodising converts the surface of the aluminium itself into a hard oxide layer, so nothing is added that can chip or peel. Only one anodised finish is catalogued, Type II Class 1, the commercial thickness, undyed. It is the standard finish on aluminium tube and hardens the surface against dust, grit and precipitation without changing the colour of the metal.
Colour coatings
Four coating systems carry colour, and they are not interchangeable. Polyurethane enamel is the general-purpose low-gloss topcoat and gives the widest colour range. Powder coat is thicker and tougher against handling damage, and suits base tubes and fittings that get dropped and dragged. Paint to MIL-PRF-85285 is the qualified aerospace topcoat and is where the infrared-reflective options live. Chemical agent resistant coating (CARC, MIL-DTL-53039) is specified when the surface has to survive decontamination after chemical exposure; it is the most durable of the four and the least forgiving to touch up in the field. All four go over a conversion coating, never over bare aluminium.
| Code | Colour | Finish | System | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
FA01 | Clear anodiseThe standard commercial finish on aluminium tube. Hardens the surface against dust, grit and precipitation. | Anodising | MIL-A-8625, Type II, Class 1 | |
FT01 | Desert Tan, Polyurethane EnamelThe standard arid-theatre tan. The most requested colour on masts and tripods that travel with sand-coloured vehicles. | Polyurethane enamel | AMS-STD-595 33446Flat | |
FT02 | Desert Sand, Polyurethane EnamelLighter and pinker than desert tan. The two are often ordered together so the mast matches the vehicle it rides on. | Polyurethane enamel | AMS-STD-595 30372Flat | |
FT03 | Camouflage Green, Polyurethane EnamelThe common temperate green. The default where the equipment works in vegetation rather than desert. | Polyurethane enamel | AMS-STD-595 34094Flat | |
FT04 | Untinted WhiteGloss white. Used where solar gain matters, and as the base coat when a customer colour is applied over it. | Polyurethane enamel | AMS-STD-595 17925Gloss | |
FT05 | Black, Polyurethane EnamelSemi-gloss black. The usual finish for hardware that must not draw the eye, and for surfaces inside an enclosure. | Polyurethane enamel | AMS-STD-595 27038Semi-gloss | |
FT06 | Dark SandstoneA deeper, warmer tan than desert tan. Reads darker in low light without moving to a green. | Polyurethane enamel | AMS-STD-595C 33510Flat | |
FT07 | Seafoam GreenThe palest of the greens. Chosen where a light interior colour is wanted rather than a camouflage tone. | Polyurethane enamel | AMS-STD-595 24533Semi-gloss | |
FT08 | Yellow-OliveThe European olive. Where a fleet is specified to RAL rather than to the AMS-STD-595 numbers. | Polyurethane enamel | RAL 6014Semi-gloss | |
FT09 | Yellow-Olive, infrared reflectiveMatches the visible colour of the standard yellow-olive while reflecting in the near infrared, so the surface does not read as a cold flat panel to a thermal or image-intensified sensor. | Polyurethane enamel | MIL-PRF-85285, Type II, Class H, RAL 6014-F9Semi-gloss | |
FT10 | Olive DrabA darker, browner olive than yellow-olive. The two are not interchangeable; check which the fleet standard names. | Polyurethane enamel | RAL 6022Semi-gloss | |
FT11 | Black, Powder CoatGeneral-purpose black in powder. Tougher against handling and transit damage than the enamel in the same colour. | Powder coat | Semi-gloss | |
FT12 | GreyGrey aluminium. Sits close to unpainted aluminium hardware, so a painted part does not stand out beside a bare one. | Powder coat | RAL 9007 | |
FT13 | Desert Tan, Powder CoatThe same desert tan as the enamel, applied as powder. Specified on base tubes and fittings that get dropped and dragged. | Powder coat | AMS-STD-595 33446Flat | |
FT14 | Textured BlackA coarse textured finish. Hides handling marks on base tubes and transit fittings better than a smooth coat. | Powder coat | ||
FT15 | Signal WhiteClean white for installations that are not camouflaged: fixed sites, masts on buildings, commercial work. | Powder coat | RAL 9003 | |
FT16 | Jet BlackThe standard powder black, to the RAL designation rather than a federal standard number. Specified where a RAL order is simpler for the buyer than an AMS-STD-595 chip. | Powder coat | RAL 9005Flat | |
FT17 | Bronze GreenThe temperate green of the NATO three-colour scheme, as powder. The F9 variant of this number is the vehicle paint; the powder is the same colour without the infrared requirement. | Powder coat | RAL 6031Flat | |
FT18 | Sand BeigeThe desert counterpart of the NATO palette. Ordered where the equipment travels with sand-coloured vehicles and a RAL number is preferred to a federal standard chip. | Powder coat | RAL 1039Flat | |
FT19 | Leather BrownThe brown of the NATO three-colour scheme. Ordered with bronze green and tar black when a part is finished to match a three-tone vehicle. | Powder coat | RAL 8027Flat | |
FT20 | Brown GreyA muted grey-brown used on equipment that should read as neither green nor sand. Common on shelters, cabinets and ground support hardware. | Powder coat | RAL 7013Flat | |
FT21 | Desert Tan, RAL 1001Desert tan to the RAL designation. The powder desert tan to AMS-STD-595 33446 is a different chip — two standards, two colours. Order by the number, not the name. | Powder coat | RAL 1001 | |
FT22 | Grey, RAL 7001Silver grey to the RAL designation. The other powder grey is RAL 9007; check which number the order names. | Powder coat | RAL 7001 | |
FT23 | Camouflage Green, MIL-PRF-85285The same camouflage green as the enamel, in the qualified aerospace topcoat. Specified when the coating itself has to be qualified, not only the colour. | Paint to MIL-PRF-85285 | MIL-PRF-85285, Type I, Class H, AMS-STD-595 34094Flat | |
FT24 | Dark GreenA darker temperate green than camouflage green. Used where the equipment sits against tree line rather than open ground. | Paint to MIL-PRF-85285 | MIL-PRF-85285, Type I, Class H, AMS-STD-595 34052Flat | |
FT25 | NATO Green, MIL-PRF-85285The British Standard NATO green. Named by the fleet standard rather than chosen by eye; confirm the standard before ordering. | Paint to MIL-PRF-85285 | BS 381C No. 285 | |
FT26 | Desert Tan, CARCDesert tan as a decontaminable coating. The colour matches the enamel; the difference is that the surface survives chemical decontamination. | CARC | MIL-DTL-53039, AMS-STD-595 33446Flat | |
FT27 | Desert Sand, CARCDesert sand as a decontaminable coating. Ordered alongside desert tan when a fleet uses both. | CARC | MIL-DTL-53039, AMS-STD-595 30372Flat | |
FT28 | Camouflage Green, CARCCamouflage green as a decontaminable coating. The most commonly specified of the resistant coatings. | CARC | MIL-DTL-53039, AMS-STD-595 34094Flat | |
FT29 | Black, CARC (Semi-gloss)Semi-gloss black as a decontaminable coating. Note the gloss: the other resistant colours are flat. | CARC | MIL-DTL-53039, AMS-STD-595 27038Semi-gloss | |
FT30 | Earth YellowAn earth yellow between desert sand and camouflage green. No measured colour block is published for it. | CARC | MIL-DTL-53039, AMS-STD-595 33245 | |
FT31 | NATO Green, CARCNATO green as a decontaminable coating, to the RAL designation rather than the British Standard. | CARC | MIL-DTL-53039, RAL 6031-F9Flat | |
FT32 | Black, CARC (Flat)Flat black as a decontaminable coating. Two numbers are authorised for it; either satisfies the specification. | CARC | MIL-DTL-53039, AMS-STD-595 37038 or 37030Flat |
About the Colour Blocks
The colour blocks below are a guide, not a colour match. Most are reproduced from measured coatings; where the finish is named only by a standard the block comes from the published value of that standard. In every case shade varies with your display, ambient light and the substrate. Match against the standard designation — AMS-STD-595 or RAL number — never against a screen.
Standards
The current revision of each standard applies. Where MIL-DTL-64159 or MIL-DTL-53039 calls for aircraft black 37038, black 37030 is authorised in its place. RAL designations are assumed flat unless a gloss level is stated.