Ranger Body Armor?

[jinX]

What company makes the Ranger Body Armor (RBA) that was in use in Somalia? I am trying to find a tech sheet on it to compare to the following model to see how accurate it is in 1/6th scale:

http://www.dragon-models.com/html/leo.html

Thanks in advance for any help folks.

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"I am not a stormtrooper, I am a soldier of my country."

"I am not a terrorist, I am a freedom fighter."

[This message has been edited by jinX (edited 06-09-2000).]

[SpecOpsPlanner]

I also collect 1/6th scale figures.

The vest on the Dragon Delta Figure - Leo looks to be the same as the vest for their SAS figure - Nigel. I have never seen anything like that vest in real life.

The Ranger body armor looks like the PASGT armor with pockets for trauma plates.

The vest I've seen on Delta or SAS operators look more like the 21C SWAT or CQB vests.

The float vest one the ST6 figure - Rick is an accurate copy.

Joe C

[MARK92A]

All,

Protective Materials Corp based in Miami Lakes FL makes the RBA, and I belive they still do. I belive they have a web site, but I dont remember what the URL is.. I'll try to track it down.. There werent any pockets on it except for the one that holds the ceramic plate in the front.
Also, the one depicted at the site you list is pretty accurate. Mine has all OD elastic webbing where theirs shows Woodland.. Contractors have been know to chnage materials as long as they meet the spec.

Hope this helps!


[This message has been edited by MARK92A (edited 06-09-2000).]

[jinX]

Thx so much for the info MARK92A! I was almost positive that an RBA was in existence, as they mentioned (in Blackhawk Down) that it was slightly different than the PASGT vest that the infantry and Marines use. I'll definitely look for the URL for Protective Materials Corporation! Thx again.

SpecOpsPlanner: The vest for Leo looks a little bit different than Nigel's. The base is the same, but it has that ceramic plate on the front and the strap that goes all the way around the stomach area is different too. btw, do u post on any of the 1/6th forums? What's ur handle?

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"I am not a stormtrooper, I am a soldier of my country."

"I am not a terrorist, I am a freedom fighter."

[jinX]

The following text was taken from:
http://www.natick.army.mil/warrior/95/dec/armor.htm

"RBA is a two part system; a flexible vest and a rigid plate. The flexible vest consists of an Arimid (Kevlar KM2) filler encased in a nylon woodland camouflage printed carrier. The vest protects the front and back torso from most 9mm and 44 magnum
threats, as well as fragmentation protection similar to that of the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) vest. The RBA vest weighs approximately 8 pounds (size Medium).

The heart of RBA is the 8 pound ceramic upgrade plate. With the plate inserted into the front pocket of the vest, it protects the approximate 10" X 12" area of vital organs in the front torso from both 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm ball projectiles. The plate is
made of 2" X 2" aluminum oxide ceramic tiles. The vest and plate meet the National Institute of Justice Standards, Ballistic Resistance of Police Body Armor. With the ceramic plate inserted in the vest, the system weighs sixteen pounds.

RBA was Type Classified Limited Procurement Urgent in November 1994. Available in three sizes; medium, large and extra large, it is available for purchase through General Services Administration (GSA) contract GS-07F-6041A, Protective Materials,
Inc."

I found the website for the company. It is:
http://www.protectmat.com

However, their website is still under construction and the section for personnel armor has no pictures or diagrams.

Hope this helps, SpecOps Planner. It certainly helped me a lot =). Will post again if I find any pictures.

oh wait here's a url w/ picture and specs:
http://www.pseag.org/forceprotection/bodarmor.html

found another pic from Blackhawk Down. You'll see the RBA looks quite different from the PASGT vest:
http://www.philly.com/packages/somalia/soldiers/photo6.asp

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"I am not a stormtrooper, I am a soldier of my country."

"I am not a terrorist, I am a freedom fighter."

[This message has been edited by jinX (edited 06-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by jinX (edited 06-09-2000).]

[MARK92A]

All,

Glad to be of some help. It is nice to know someone needs to know all this seemingly useless military info that my head is full of. Anything else you need?

[jinX]

Well, while we're on the topic:

What kind of webbing do rangers wear these days? i am working on a [more up-to-date] diorama of rangers and delta operators in desert clothing. i know that Specialty Defense was working on a "Ranger Rack" configuration of the MOLLE, but do Rangers actually wear this stuff? or do they have the latitude to buy their own gear (e.g. Blackhawk, Eagle, Harris, etc). Would be grateful for any info here - especially about grenadiers. i've seen pics of the grenadier vest that are abt 4-5 yrs old; are these still worn or is there something more up-to-date that Rangers wear now?

Thanks again for all the info!

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"I am not a stormtrooper, I am a soldier of my country."

"I am not a terrorist, I am a freedom fighter."

[MARK92A]

All,

Yes, the Rangers used SPP's RACk up untill just recently, then they changed to the Tactical Tailor's MAV. Check Gearnet for some more info.

[jinX]

Tanks again MARK92A! Wow, super fast service with a smile ;-)

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"I am not a stormtrooper, I am a soldier of my country."

"I am not a terrorist, I am a freedom fighter."

[SpecOpsPlanner]

Jinx,
Real good info.

Hadn't looked at the Dragon site since last week. New pictures show the RBA well. The Eagle vest looks a lot different when you see it off the figure.

I post on the Sandbox and 21C Message board as Joseph Crivelli.

Joe C

[jinX]

SpecOpsPlanner, I'm really excited abt the Leo figure; looks to be Dragon's best so far. The reason that I was asking abt the RBA is that I'm planning on making my own for my Ranger team so i don't have to buy a bunch of loose vests. Looks pretty simple to make - it's amazing what Hobby Foam, 1/6th scale camo, velcro, and rudimentary sewing skills can produce. I want to do a Grenada Ranger diorama as well, to honor my uncle who served there with the Batt.

BTW, i used to post on the 21C board as jinX, but it got closed down. Now post mainly on GreenLeader's board and on the 1/6th Warrior boards. Same handle. See u there?

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"I am not a stormtrooper, I am a soldier of my country."

"I am not a terrorist, I am a freedom fighter."

[E19]

A Ranger's most important protection is manufactured under the Trojan label. It keeps him safe from the "Rangerettes"!!

[This message has been edited by E19 (edited 06-14-2000).]

[Sharky]

Amen brotha! Another moment of silence please for all those rangeretttes out there who sacrificed their little fat bodies for the goodness of our country! God bless em....

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F.I.D.O.

[Sharky]

Amen brotha! Another moment of silence please for all those rangeretttes out there who sacrificed their little fat bodies for the goodness of our country! God bless em....

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F.I.D.O.