BAE Systems yesterday announced the opening of a new facility that will produce armor kits under Army and Marine contracts totaling $34 million to protect Army ground vehicles.
The 33,000-square-foot facility will allow the company to build its L-ROD(tm) bar-armor kits faster and at lower cost. The low-cost L-ROD system protects vehicles without adding significant weight. It weighs less than half of comparable steel system, is bolted to the vehicle, and can be repaired easily in the field.
BAE plans to manufacture L-ROD kits on a new, automated production line. The facility currently employs about half a dozen people, and about 30 more will be added this year. BAE employs more than 650 people in Austin, and several local businesses are subcontractors to the L-ROD production line.
“From the beginning, the L-ROD team has been motivated by the recognition that this product saves lives,” Bill Kellner, L-ROD program manager for BAE, said. “Our commitment to our troops and their families has led to innovations and enhancements in design, and now to a new manufacturing capability that will allow us to deliver this equipment to the frontlines faster and more efficiently.”
BAE developed the L-ROD system in 2005 under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program to protect military vehicles.
The system can be adapted for installation on most military ground vehicles and is used on BAE’s RG-31 and RG-33 series MRAPs.
The company is under contract for the armor with the Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command and the Marine Corps Systems Command.