Webbingbabel: Us Army Ranger Body Armor (RBA)

Body Armour

Ranger Body Armor - RBA
1992

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Description / RBA Versions

RBA - Ranger Body Armor (Front Plate Only)
RBA - Ranger Body Armour SP-930 - 2nd Model
RBA - Ranger Body Armor - 3rd Model
RBA - Ranger Body Armour - 4th model (Front Pocket)

History / Summary

Ranger Body Armor (RBA) was designed by the U.S. Army Natick RD&E Center to meet the operational needs of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

RBA consists of a two part system: a flexible vest and a rigid plate, both of which provide ballistic protection to the upper torso.

The Flexible Vest consists of an Aramid (Kevlar KM2) filler encased in a nylon woodland camouflage-printed carrier. The vest weighs approximately 8 pounds in size medium, and protects the front and back torso from most 9 mm and 44 magnum threats, in accordance with Level IIIA of the National Institute of Justice Standard 0101.03, Ballistic Resistance of Police Body Armor. It also provides fragmentation protection similar to that of the Personal Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) Vest. The vest is available in three sizes: medium, large, and extra-large.

The 8 pound Ceramic Upgrade Plate, which provides front torso coverage, is fabricated of 2" x 2" aluminum oxide ceramic tiles. When the upgrade plate is inserted into the front pocket of the vest, it protects an approximate 10" x 12" area from 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm ball projectiles.

Fielding:RBA was Type Classified Limited Procurement Urgent, and is available for purchase through GSA contract GS-07F-6041A,(Oct 15 1992) Protective Materials, Inc. The negotiated cost through the GSA contract for a size medium vest and plate is $738

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Ranger Body Armor (RBA) is a U.S. military-issue ballistic vest that was designed for, and used chiefly by, Soldiers of the United States Army 75th Ranger Regiment (“Rangers”) in the 1990s and 2000s. The RBA system has since been replaced by other specialized body armor systems adopted by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

Ranger Body Armor (RBA) was designed by the United States Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts to meet the operational needs of the 75th Ranger Regiment. RBA was first manufactured by Protective Materials Company, then HS Manufacturing, and then Ceradyne.

http://www.worldmilitary.org/en/united_states/sredstva_zaschity/bronegilety/US-AV-00008

History

Early versions of RBA (the first variant, which featured only the front ballistic armor plate and no rear armor plate) first saw active frontline service in 1993, being used in combat in Operation Gothic Serpent (22 August 1993 to 13 October 1993), when Rangers of Task Force Ranger first arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia. There, it was used by the Rangers of C Company and Command and Control, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. As the early RBA used only a front ballistic plate, it offered only frontal protection from small arms (rifle) fire. This limited protection resulted in serious injury and/or death for some of the Rangers in Somalia, such as SGT James Joyce, who was killed due to receiving a gunshot wound to his back.

During the 1990s, RBA was used by Rangers in the Balkans and in Haiti. In 1996, around 350 vests were sent to Soldiers deployed in the former Yugoslavia.

RBA was worn by some U.S. Army Soldiers who served in Kosovo, including Soldiers from C Company, 1-187th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division; 3-504th PIR, 82nd Airborne Division; A Company 1/36 INF (MECH), 1st Armored Division; and A Company, 1-26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division.

In 1998, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment (1-1 CAV), 1st Armored Division's Soldiers were equipped with RBA during SFOR’s Operation Joint Guard and Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to the heavy weight, RBA vests were always kept in the back compartment of vehicles and Soldiers always used PASGT vests during their peacekeeping duty.

More recently, some Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade used RBA protection during Operation Northern Delay (26 March 2003) in Kurdistan. About 1,000 parachutists from the 173rd AB Bde jumped into the Kurdish-controlled area in northern Iraq to open a northern front for U.S. forces after the refusal by Turkey.

RBA versions

Ranger Body Armor