More than 1,000 recruits from the Basic Military Training Centre were seen yesterday wearing the pixellated uniforms, more than three months after they were unveiled. The recruits were released from their Pulau Tekong camp for the Christmas break.

The new uniforms will be phased in over the next three years, with recruits, active servicemen and some national servicemen (NSmen) already receiving them. By 2011, all NSmen will be wearing the new fatigues. There are about 300,000 active and operationally ready NSmen here.

The new-look combat fatigues, commonly known as the No. 4, bear tiny pixels that create a 'quivering effect' on the eye. This will make it harder for a soldier to be seen at distances of less than 50m.

The Defence Ministry said the new uniforms will meet the varying demands of the areas where Third Generation SAF soldiers operate and improve their ability to survive on the battlefield.

The new fabric is also cooler and more comfortable. Full-time national serviceman Seah Jun Jie, 21, said: 'Even when we were training and perspiring under the hot sun, the fabric dried very fast - it felt as though I was wearing a T-shirt.'