area in northern Iraq to open a northern front for U.S. forces after the refusal by Turkey. Development 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. The 8-pound Ceramic Upgrade Plates are fabricated of aluminium oxide ceramic tiles. When the upgrade plates are inserted into the pockets of the vest, it protects an approximate area from 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO full metal jacket rounds. When using the two standard aluminium oxide ceramic plates, a RBA vest weighs 11.4 kg (25.1 lbs). At least two major variations of RBA were produced. The first variant used only a front rigid ballistic armor plate and an unmodified nylon fabric carrier. The second variant used both a front and a back ballistic armor plate, added a small storage pocket to the front ballistic plate storage pocket, and featured nylon equipment retention straps on each shoulder. Fielding RBA was type classification (TC) limited procurement-urgent (LPU). RBA is available for purchase through General Services Administration (GSA) contract GS-07F-6041A, Protective Materials, Inc. The flexible soft armor vest is available in three sizes: medium, large, and extra-large. The negotiated cost through the GSA contract for a size medium vest and plate set is US$738. Users References Body armor Ballistic vests Military equipment of the United States