Why are some military airplanes painted with green camouflage?

Question

My son and I were driving by an old base turned museum and he posed this question.

Why aren't they painted light blue and white, those are the basic colors in the sky?

Not very hidden when they're all green and what not.....

Answer 1

lol wish i can give an answer but i guess so they can hide before take off smart son you have for asking a question no one really thinks about

Answer 2

Green is the most pleasing color to the eye. It's not really about the individual preference. It's nature's most abundant color. Human eye notices green hue variations the least when put against the green background.

So, for aerial photographs or reconnaissance photographs, a green camouflage would stand out the least, although these days, with the advanced technology it probably does not matter anymore. However, among the old school thoughts, green/dark green camouflage, resembling random nature leaf pattern (as seen from distance) is still the preferred camouflage color

Answer 3

It's pretty much been covered by the other answers, but colour scheme is often dependent upon the aircraft's role and/or theatre.

For example, in the 1970-80's the USAF used a green and brown camo for attack aircraft (for protection on the ground and for low-level flight) but used a light grey for air defence fighters. They have continued to use variations of light gray for fighters, but attack aircraft now use a scheme based around greens and dark greys; simplistically this is because the assumed theatre used to be South East Asia earlier and then Europe later. Australian tactical aircraft still use a green/brown based scheme, as that is the environment they are most likely to serve in. To be honest though, most modern combat aircraft are likely to be multi-role, so variations of grey are pretty much the order of the day!

Incidentally, the RAF have adopted a slightly different approach for some of their aircraft, using a shade known as 'hemp' for some larger aircraft, on the basis that it will blend better with concrete runways and taxiways.

Answer 4

Imagine yourself in a dogfight with a high performance fighter... If you are high in the sky opposing aircraft can pick you up with radar and missiles have a much better chance of hitting their target if it is aloft. When in a dogfight fighters fly close to the ground and if the opposition is above them the foliage will provide nice camoflauge for the aircraft that is painted green. This technique also confuses radar and offensive systems on the opposing aircraft. So, basically, fly low or die.

Answer 5

This is to hide the planes when they are most vulnerable on the ground. Especially when forward deployed to rough jungle or grass strips as in jungle warfare. Browns and pinks are used in desert areas . White in snowy areas. The military now uses mainly low vis grey because they don't fear air attacks any more. and the low vis colors make them hard to spot in the sky.

Answer 6

Matching camo paint with the gound coloration makes an aircraft more difficult to visually acquire from above.

Answer 7

My guess would be that when the planes are getting maintenance on the ground, it'd be easier for an enemy to attack the plane than if it were flying in the air.

Just a guess.

Answer 8

Odd as it sounds all aircraft spend much more time on the ground than they do in the air. You need to keep them safe from enemies/prying eyes.

Answer 9

Because the satalites in space look straight down.....and they'll likely be flying over forest when they're deployed above dangerous ground.

Answer 10

The sargent that made that decision is gay and he wanted to have the airplanes match the uniforms... Color coordinated arm forces .. what a great idea..