Battlelab gives armor 'thumbs up' Published Feb. 11, 2005 MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- The Air Mobility Battlelab recently completed an evaluation of a life-saving vehicle armor kit produced by the U.S. Army.The Armor Survivability Kit was designed by experts from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command. The kit provides protection from a range of threats in order to increase the survivability of the vehicles passengers.The Battlelab searched for a light, efficient armor kit as a short-term fix to the current version of the Highly Mobile Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles, or Humvee, which lacks the better suspension, transmission and a ton or so of armor that the up-armored HMMWV has.The Armys Armor Survivability Kit turned out to have the best combination of protection, weight, cost and overall suitability. The armor was tested at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., and has been installed on more than 7,000 vehicles. Although not a replacement for the up-armored HMMWV, the armor kit provides an option for units waiting for replacement vehicles to roll off the production line.Air Mobility Warfare Center Expeditionary Operations School cadre supplied the vehicle and personnel necessary to complete the demonstration. The demonstration determined the relative ease of installing the kit, as well as the vehicles characteristics once the kit was installed. The Battlelab also created an installation video to help units install the kit in the field.The Air Force recently transferred approximately 200 of its up-armored Humvees to the Army Component of U.S. Central Command to protect personnel in deployed areas where the armored vehicles are needed most. Air Mobility Command News Service is a service of the Internal Division Office of Public Affairs 503 Ward Drive, Room 214 Scott Air Force Base, Illinois 62225-5335 618-229-7821