Vehicles ready to fight faster with new shields

A new collapsible turret shield could provide Marine gunners with the same level of protection as traditional shields, while speeding ship-to-shore assaults and streamlining transport of armored vehicles aboard amphibious ships.

Turret shields have saved untold lives in Iraq and Afghanistan by protecting exposed gunners from bomb fragments and small-arms fire. But the behemoth pieces of armor add several feet to the height of Humvees, MRAPs and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, and must be removed for most shipboard transport.

That puts a kink in amphibious operations, according to defense industry executives and Marine officials with Program Executive Office Land Systems, headquartered at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. Developers are working to procure a collapsible shield that will remain installed during transport and be compatible with lethal and non-lethal weapons, said Lt. Col. Mike Burks, the Corps’ program manager for light tactical vehicles, during an advance brief to industry, held in early May in Norfolk, Va.

The Marine Corps Transparent Armored Gun Shield - Reducible may fit the bill, according to executives at BAE Systems, the shield’s maker.

With standard shields installed, “vehicles [cannot] be stored in low-bay storage,” said Justin Stone, the shield’s program manager. That creates problems for amphibious operations. Often, the only solution is to remove the shield for transport, a process that requires heavy-lifting machinery, ample space and several hours to complete. Once in theater, the shields must be re-installed.

But the new gun shields can be left on the vehicles and reduced or erected using a standard socket and ratchet set, a process that takes less than an hour, according to Greg Smith, a BAE program manager familiar with the shield.

The new shield also allows vehicles to be transported on aircraft with low clearance, Stone said. In its collapsed state, with the sides folded down, the new shield adds just 6 inches of height to a vehicle, which means it can remain installed even on deployment with Marine Expeditionary Units.

Once the vehicle exits a cramped storage area, the shield can be erected in landing craft, giving Marines protection as soon as they hit the beach.

The collapsible shield was first developed by BAE Systems in January 2011 and unveiled at the Modern Day Marine expo in September at Quantico. Two prototypes were delivered to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., in March to undergo rigorous testing. If all goes well, the Corps could award a contract by the second quarter of fiscal year 2014, according to plans laid out at this year’s advance briefing to industry.