Ranger Body Armor

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.

RBA consists of two main components: flexible soft armor vest panels, and, one or two rigid ceramic plates, both of which provide some ballistic protection to the upper torso.

The flexible soft armor vest panels consist of an aramid (Kevlar KM2) filler encased in a nylon Woodland camouflage-printed carrier.

The vest weighs approximately 8 pounds in size medium, and provides ballistic protection to Threat Level IIIA according to the NIJ Body Armor Classification.

It also provides fragmentation protection similar to that of the Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) vest.

Front and rear view of the Ranger Body Armor (RBA) made by Protective Materials Company in October 2003
Front and rear Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) plates of the Ranger Body Armor PS-930 that offer protection against Caliber .30, Ball
Detail of the label of the Ranger Body Armor PS-930 - dated October 2003