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Textron completes TRAPS testing ahead of JLTV participation
By Andrew White
15 October 2009
Textron Defense Systems has successfully completed testing of its Tactical Rocket Propelled Grenade Airbag Protection System (TRAPS) with the US Army as it bids to participate in the Department of Defense's (DoD's) Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) programme.
Prior to testing at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC) in Socorro, New Mexico, Textron confirmed to Jane's that it had offered TRAPS as a possible solution to the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) defeat requirement for the JLTV project.
Exhibiting the system at the Association of the US Army (AUSA) show in Washington, DC on 5-7 October, Textron confirmed it had already approached the three joint ventures currently contracted to the DoD's JLTV programme: BAE Systems and Navistar; Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems Mobility & Protection Systems; and General Tactical Vehicles (a joint venture between General Dynamics Land Systems and AM General).
The first phase of testing for TRAPS, on board a HMMWV, was supervised by the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and saw the system's sensor detection technology and airbags successfully defeat incoming RPG rounds.