March 31, 2023, RP Advanced Mobile Systems (RPAMS) of McMinnville, Oregon, is proud to announce the highly anticipated A2 Buckler Shield (A2). With UL-752 Level 8 and Shotgun certification, the A2 defeats multiple strikes of all handguns, 5.56 mm full metal jacket (lead core) .223 caliber, 7.62 mm full metal copper jacket M ball .308 caliber, and 12-gauge rifled lead slug/12-gauge (buckshot rounds). Additionally, the A2 is entirely made in the U.S. and constructed of U.S. materials.
New from Duritium®’s advanced next-generation polyethylene technology, an advanced lightweight shield explicitly designed for the first responder. The A2 is certified and tested to defeat rifle rounds (non-AP) and claims to be the world’s lightest shield.
The A2 comes from RPAMS, a long-recognized leader in innovative products used by the military, first responders, and firefighters. RPAMS recognized the potentially lethal challenges faced by police officers, sheriff deputies, and school resource officers when responding to ballistic threats. Traditionally, these officers conduct first-response actions with little to no armor protection and, in almost all cases, no protection from rifle threats.
The rifle-rated armor shields used by law enforcement tend to be heavy, wieldy, and relegated to special tactics or scene commanders/sergeants. To make this level of protection available to first responders and resource officers, RPAMS set out to make the A2 only SIX pounds in standard form. In addition, it had to be buoyancy neutral (float) for waterborne responses. And it had to be compact enough to be stowed and easily deployed from patrol vehicles. Finally, the armor material had to be completely recyclable. The A2 meets all objectives.
At only SIX pounds, the highly lightweight A2 allows responding officers to be rapid, maneuverable, and agile when facing a high-powered threat. This protection level gives officers the flexibility to make critical risk-based decisions versus reactionary. In addition, the A2 can be placed easily in school facilities for use by onsite resource officers and first responders.
This advanced level of multi-modal protection for our protectors is long overdue, and RPAMS is proud to have achieved this objective.
ABOUT RP Advanced Mobile Systems (RPAMS)
Reliable, well-made, carefully designed products. That is what you can expect from everything we do. And as a small, veteran-owned business, we do it all with the purpose of doing the right thing.
