BAE Systems improving soldier protection through US Army vehicle armour contract
BAE Systems has received an $11 million US Army contract to produce bar armor kits that protect soldiers in ground vehicles from rocket-propelled grenade attacks. The company will continue to produce L-ROD bar armor kits for the US Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command’s RG-31 Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles.
Last November, BAE Systems received a $42 million contract for the bar armour kits. This latest award is for 390 kits and field service support outside the US
Developed to provide RPG protection for Hummers and MRAP mine-resistant vehicles, L-ROD bar armour is a lightweight, modular bar-armour system made of an aluminum alloy. L-ROD provides protection against rocket-propelled grenades, or RPGs, with minimum impact to operational capabilities.
L-ROD has become standard equipment on the Army’s MRAP Class III Buffalo explosive ordnance disposal vehicles.
“We’ve delivered more than 2,500 total kits to date, and now, more are on the way,” said Neil Piscitelli, L-ROD director for BAE Systems in Austin, Texas. “The L-Rod kits have demonstrated value by helping to protect troops on the battlefield and save lives.”
Weighing less than half of comparable steel designs, the low-cost L-ROD system bolts onto the vehicle without welding or cutting and can be repaired easily in the field due to its modular design. BAE Systems manufactures the L-ROD bar armour kits on an automated production line in Austin that opened last year.
L-ROD can also be found on Marine Corps Buffalo vehicles, MRAP Category I and II Cougar MRAPs, as well as the MRAP Category I RG-31. BAE Systems is also working on L-ROD variants for other MRAP-type vehicles as requested, and has provided the kits to NATO allies for use on their vehicles in theater.
Source: BAE Systems
More from Land Warfare
-
![Bittium deploys AI to turn combat radios into EW sensors]()
Bittium deploys AI to turn combat radios into EW sensors
Bittium's Integrated Spectrum Situational Awareness concept, developed in partnership with MarshallAI, allows tactical radios to act as EW sensors via a software upgrade, integrating equipment already in use with new electromagnetic capabilities, and leveraging existing networks as multi-sensor electronic warfare (EW) assets.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Savox launches MissionCore battlefield integration platform]()
Eurosatory 2026: Savox launches MissionCore battlefield integration platform
Savox Communications has unveiled MissionCore, a modular C4ISR platform designed to integrate voice, video and sensor data across existing military networks.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: RWS launches urban counter-drone ammunition range]()
Eurosatory 2026: RWS launches urban counter-drone ammunition range
RWS has introduced its Urban Drone Defence ammunition family at Eurosatory 2026, offering a kinetic counter-UAS solution designed for use in urban environments.
-
![SYSNAV unveils GPS-independent soldier tracking system]()
SYSNAV unveils GPS-independent soldier tracking system
SYSNAV has launched its LocIndoor Blue Force Tracking solution at Eurosatory 2026, providing dismounted troops with positioning capabilities in GPS-denied environments.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Vegvisir sets connectivity in contested environments in its sights]()
Eurosatory 2026: Vegvisir sets connectivity in contested environments in its sights
Maintaining connectivity in contested environments, where essential networks can easily be disrupted by enemy forces, has emerged as a key challenge in modern warfare. Estonian company Vegvisir aims to tackle that problem with a new Communications Module unveiled at Eurosatory.
