If you’re headed downrange or you are based in some other place where it is wicked hot, you will soon be able to buy the new lightweight airman battle uniform.

The new uniform will be available in Army and Air Force Exchange Service military clothing stores on 16 bases by mid-June, and it will be sold online by the end of the month, said Senior Master Sgt. Kecia R. Uyeno, superintendent of Air Force Uniform Programs and Policies.

The new uniform’s rip-stop fabric is a big change from the airman battle uniform, which was introduced in 2006 and has proved to be a heat magnet. The soft, lightweight material can be “lightly pressed,” but like the old ABU, it cannot be starched or dry cleaned.

Aside from the fabric, the uniforms have not changed. They are still tiger stripe, and they still have the same pockets and button closures the old ones had.

The new uniforms, dubbed RABU, will be on sale at bases in hot climates in the southern U.S. first instead of waiting until November or December, when the Air Force expects to have enough of the uniforms for everyone, Uyeno said in an email.Click here to read more

Senior Airman Jesse Mercado (front) and Staff Sgt. Christin Merriweather look out for hidden dangers during a training scenario March 3, 2011, at Ali Air Base, Iraq. Airman Mercado and Sergeant Merriweather are explosive ordnance disposal technicians assigned to the 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. R. Michael Longoria) Photo by U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. R. Michael Longoria