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ARMORTHANE PROTECTING YOUR WORLD

PROTECTING YOUR WORLD

ARMORTHANE PROTECTING YOUR WORLD

Military Coatings
& Military Vehicle
Paint Explained

CARC military vehicle paint, the specs behind it, and where polyurea is used in defense: blast mitigation, spall liners, vehicle protection and facilities.
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CARC
Standard topcoat on U.S. ground equipment
U.S. Army
MIL-DTL-53039
Single-component CARC topcoat spec
DLA / ASSIST
MIL-DTL-64159
Water-dispersible CARC topcoat spec
DLA / ASSIST
33446
FED-STD-595 number for Tan 686A
FED-STD-595

Military coatings have to do more than look right. On vehicles they must resist chemical warfare agents and decontamination, hide the equipment, and survive sand, mud and abuse. On bases and structures they may need to resist blasts and fragments. We manufacture polyurea and polyurethane coatings used in defense and blast-mitigation work, so this page separates the two worlds: specification-controlled CARC paint systems, and the thick polyurea systems used for protection.

Quick answer

Military vehicle paint in the U.S. is CARC, a chemical agent resistant coating system: an epoxy primer such as MIL-DTL-53022 or MIL-DTL-53030 under an aliphatic polyurethane topcoat per MIL-DTL-53039 or MIL-DTL-64159, in specified camouflage colors such as Tan 686A and Green 383. CARC is applied with qualified products by trained painters. Polyurea is used alongside it for blast mitigation, spall and fragmentation liners, vehicle bedliners and floor protection, ship decks and facility hardening.

What's in this guide
  1. 1CARC vehicle paint
  2. 2Polyurea in defense
  3. 3Blast mitigation
  4. 4Government work
  5. 5FAQ
Vehicles

CARC military vehicle paint

CARC topcoats are designed so chemical agents do not soak into the paint and so the surface can be decontaminated. They also meet camouflage color and infrared reflectance requirements. Products must be qualified to the specification, and many CARC materials contain isocyanates, so application is controlled.

LayerTypical specificationRole
PretreatmentPer specificationCleaning and conversion coating for adhesion and corrosion resistance
PrimerMIL-DTL-53022 or MIL-DTL-53030 (epoxy)Corrosion resistance and adhesion
TopcoatMIL-DTL-53039 or MIL-DTL-64159 (aliphatic polyurethane CARC)Chemical agent resistance, camouflage, durability
Specifications listed for reference; always use the current revision and contract requirements.
Color

Tan 686A

FED-STD-595 color 33446, used on desert-scheme equipment.

Color

Green 383

FED-STD-595 color 34094, the standard woodland green.

Rule

Use qualified products

CARC work for government contracts requires products from the qualified products list.

Protection

Where polyurea is used in defense

Blast

Blast mitigation

Polyurea retrofits on walls and structures help contain debris under blast loading. See blast mitigation.

Vehicles

Vehicle protection

Bedliners, floors, cargo areas and undercarriage protection. See military vehicles.

Signature

Radar absorbent systems

Coatings formulated with radar absorbing materials. See radar absorbent coatings.

Marine

Ship decks and hulls

Non-skid decks and abrasion zones. See ship hull coatings.

Facilities

Bunkers, ranges, containment

Bullet-trap and range coatings, secondary containment and waterproofing.

Not a substitute

CARC topcoat

Polyurea does not replace a specified CARC topcoat where a contract calls for CARC.

Research

Polyurea and blast mitigation

Research by U.S. defense laboratories in the early 2000s showed that thick elastomeric polyurea applied to masonry walls can help hold the wall together and reduce flying debris under blast loading, which led to its use in force-protection retrofits. ArmorThane has taken part in blast mitigation testing, including work with NATO partners. Performance depends on the wall, the polyurea, thickness and attachment details, so systems are engineered and tested, not guessed.

Get involved

Defense and government work

  1. Know the spec

    Identify the required specification, revision and qualified products.

  2. Prep and safety plan

    Surface prep, ventilation, respiratory protection and waste handling.

  3. Qualified crew

    Trained applicators and documented quality control.

  4. Inspection

    Thickness, adhesion and color checks documented for acceptance.

Contractors interested in defense work can see opportunities.

Defense coatings

Protection systems built for the mission.

Talk to ArmorThane about polyurea systems for blast mitigation, vehicle protection and facility hardening.

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FAQ

Military coatings questions

What paint does the military use on vehicles?

U.S. military ground vehicles use CARC, a chemical agent resistant coating system with an epoxy primer and an aliphatic polyurethane topcoat such as MIL-DTL-53039 or MIL-DTL-64159.

What is CARC paint?

Chemical Agent Resistant Coating. It resists absorption of chemical warfare agents, withstands decontamination and meets camouflage color and infrared requirements.

What color is military tan?

CARC Tan 686A is FED-STD-595 color 33446. Green 383 is color 34094.

Is polyurea used by the military?

Yes, for blast mitigation retrofits, vehicle and cargo protection, ship decks, ranges and facility hardening, alongside specified paint systems.

Can I buy CARC paint for a civilian vehicle?

Some CARC-type and color-matched paints are sold commercially, but CARC materials can contain isocyanates and require proper respiratory protection and handling.

AT
Written by the ArmorThane technical team. We have manufactured polyurea, polyurethane and polyaspartic coatings, spray foam and plural-component spray equipment in Springfield, Missouri since 1989. Defense coating work must follow the contract, the current specification revisions and qualified products lists.

Sources

  1. ASSIST / Defense Logistics Agency, military specifications database. quicksearch.dla.mil
  2. U.S. Army CARC program information. army.mil
  3. OSHA, isocyanates safety and health topic. osha.gov/isocyanates

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