Misplaced Pages

MA-2 bomber jacket

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "MA-2 bomber jacket" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
MA-2 bomber jacket with the large front cargo pockets
MA-2 bomber jack with Raindance logo

The MA-2 bomber jacket (also known as the MA-2 flight jacket or CWU-45 flight jacket) is an advanced version derived of the original MA-1 bomber jacket that was originally designed for the American military during the 1950s. CWU stands for "Cold Weather Uniform." The MA-2 is still being issued and used by the United States Navy and United States Air Force.

The term MA-2 was a trademark of the Cobles Clothing Company, adopted in the late 1980s when the CWU-45 military jacket started to gain popularity in street fashion. The term MA-2 has become so popular it is now used interchangeably with CWU-45 to represent this type of jacket.

There is also a lightweight version of this jacket, referred to as CWU-36.

Design

The MA-2 has several design changes compared to an MA-1:

  • Large cargo pockets sewn onto the front of the jacket rather than the small slash pockets on the MA-1 Jackets.
  • A fold-down collar rather than the elasticated collar of the MA-1
  • Usually not orange lining, usually the same colour as the outer nylon
  • A different design where the sleeves join the back to allow easier movement
  • The cut is somewhat shorter – the jacket sits high on the waist compared to the MA-1.
  • Genuine, military-issue CWU-45 and CWU-36 jackets (not the commercially available copies) are mostly made from the flame-resistant fabric Nomex, rather than the flammable fabrics used in earlier jackets.
  • Genuine, military-issue Nomex CWU-45 and CWU-36 jackets have slightly larger and higher pocket openings.

See also

References

  1. "Rothco CWU-45P Flight Jacket". Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  2. "Valley Apparel Manufacturing Overview". Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  3. MA2 trademark hearing document
Categories: