BAE Systems to Provide Bar Armor Kits for 215 U.S. Army Route Clearance Vehicles

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — BAE Systems will provide lightweight bar-armor kits for 215 U.S. Army Route Clearance Vehicles under a contract with a not-to-exceed value of $14.5 million.

Under the contract from the Army’s Tank-automotive Armaments Command, BAE Systems will equip RG31 and Cougar vehicles with its L-ROD™ aluminum armor, used widely on Army Buffalo ordnance disposal vehicles.

“We developed the L-ROD system as a low-cost and lightweight solution to protect vehicles against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs),” said Dr. Jim Galambos, director of business development for BAE Systems’ Advanced Technologies organization. “Our selection for the RG31 and Cougar demonstrates the easy adaptability of this system to just about any type of vehicle.”

L-ROD is a modular system made of lightweight aluminum alloy that protects vehicles without adding significant additional weight or compromising their operational capabilities. The system weighs less than half of comparable steel designs and is bolted to the vehicle, avoiding the need for welding or cutting. It also can be repaired easily in the field.

BAE Systems originally developed the system as part of a fast-response Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program to provide RPG protection for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. Army officials conducted more than 50 live-fire tests to validate the performance and optimize the engineering design.

L-ROD is standard equipment on the Army Buffalo explosive ordnance disposal vehicle. BAE Systems has delivered more than 100 L-ROD kits to the Army, with additional kits slated for the Marine Corps’ Buffalo vehicles. The company also is completing L-ROD designs for BAE Systems’ Caiman II and RG33-series mine-protected vehicles.