Lenco BearCat
Lenco BearCat
| BearCat | |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-military armored vehicle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1999 |
| Manufacturer | Lenco Industries (Lenco Armored Vehicles) |
| Unit cost | US$188,793–300,000[1][2] |
| Produced | 1999[3][4] |
| Variants | Military, G3, LE, VIP SUV, Medevac LE, Medevac Mil, Riot Control, G4 M-ATV, EOD |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 17,550 lb (7,960 kg) |
| Length | 240 in (6,096 mm) |
| Width | 120 in (3,048 mm) |
| Height | 144 in (3,658 mm) |
| Crew | 2 + 10 passengers |
| Armor | NIJ Type IV+,[5] 1.5–0.5 inch steel plate[2] |
Main armament | Weapon mountable rotating roof hatch |
Secondary armament | Multiple side gun ports |
| Engine | 6.7 Powerstroke Turbo Diesel 440 hp @ 2800 rpm |
| Power/weight | 50 hp/ton |
| Transmission | Ford 6R140 six speed |
| Suspension | Live axle |
Operational range | Unknown |
| Speed | 90 mi (140 km),[6] "capable of highway speeds"[7] |
| BearCat | |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-military armored vehicle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1999 |
| Manufacturer | Lenco Industries (Lenco Armored Vehicles) |
| Unit cost | US$188,793–300,000[1][2] |
| Produced | 1999[3][4] |
| Variants | Military, G3, LE, VIP SUV, Medevac LE, Medevac Mil, Riot Control, G4 M-ATV, EOD |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 17,550 lb (7,960 kg) |
| Length | 240 in (6,096 mm) |
| Width | 120 in (3,048 mm) |
| Height | 144 in (3,658 mm) |
| Crew | 2 + 10 passengers |
| Armor | NIJ Type IV+,[5] 1.5–0.5 inch steel plate[2] |
Main armament | Weapon mountable rotating roof hatch |
Secondary armament | Multiple side gun ports |
| Engine | 6.7 Powerstroke Turbo Diesel 440 hp @ 2800 rpm |
| Power/weight | 50 hp/ton |
| Transmission | Ford 6R140 six speed |
| Suspension | Live axle |
Operational range | Unknown |
| Speed | 90 mi (140 km),[6] "capable of highway speeds"[7] |
History
Since 1981[10] the Massachusetts-based Lenco Industries, known as Lenco Armored Vehicles, has designed and manufactured armored vehicles for law enforcement, military, government and private security forces.[11] Lenco has produced more than 5,000 armored vehicles for use in more than 40 countries worldwide.[4][12]
The BearCat is one type of vehicle produced by the company that is in use by numerous U.S. military and law enforcement agencies and it also used by numerous Police Tactical Groups in Australia.[7] The name BearCat stands for Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck as it is the smaller cousin to the Lenco B.E.A.R.[12] The Bearcat is based on a Ford F-550 Super Duty commercial truck chassis with two available engines (the V10 Triton Gasoline and the 6.7L Turbo Diesel), and a six-speed automatic transmission.[13] The .5-1.5 inch thick mil spec steel armored bodywork is completed with .50 BMG rated[14] ballistic glass capable of multi-hits, blast-resistant floors, gunports, roof hatches/turret and agency specific equipment and/or modifications such as lights/sirens/battering ram/winches/thermal cameras and spot lights.[15]
The first BearCat was designed and completed in August 2001 as a spin-off product of the larger Lenco B.E.A.R., with input from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) as an updated and improved version of their military surplus Cadillac Gage Ranger "PeaceKeeper" armored vehicles.[4]
Usage
BearCats are typically referred to by law enforcement agencies as being "armored rescue vehicles"[16] with their primary use being to transport tactical (SWAT/Special Reaction Teams) officers to and from hostile situations and to assist with the recovery and protection of civilians in harm's way during terrorist threats, hostage incidents, or encounters with large gatherings of aggressors.[17][18] The Bearcat is designed to provide protection from a variety of small arms, explosives and IED threats.[17] Like its larger cousin the B.E.A.R, the Bearcat is able to be fitted with the "MARS" Mobile Adjustable Ramp System which allows tactical officers to gain entry to elevated platforms such as second story windows or aircraft.[19][20]
Lenco BearCats have been credited with saving the lives of officers in armed confrontations on numerous occasions. In 2010 in Athens, Texas an armed offender fired more than 35 rounds from a semi-automatic AK-74 rifle at tactical police. Not one round penetrated the Bearcat.[21] In June 2012 a BearCat, belonging to the Central Bucks Emergency Response Team, took 28 rounds from a "high-powered rifle" during a siege with no rounds penetrating the vehicle.[22] In November 2015, a BearCat was used by police to rescue civilians during the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting.[23] The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office Bearcat was shot between four and seven times with a rifle during an incident on December 29, 2015. Sheriff Whetsel was quoted as saying the Bearcat saved the Deputies' lives.[24] On June 12, 2016, a Bearcat was used to breach Pulse nightclub after a gunman shot and killed 49 clubgoers and injured 53 others.
Variants
BearCat G3 of Ottawa Police Service
Military – Military version
LE – Law enforcement version
G3 – off-road variant for law enforcement
VIP/SUV – armored vehicle for diplomatic missions
Medevac LE – armored medical evacuation vehicle (law enforcement) "MedCat" – equipped with two medical litters, oxygen tanks, a lighted work station, and compartments for medical supplies and gear storage.[26]
Medevac Mil – armored medical evacuation vehicle (military) "MedCat" – designed for Tactical Combat Casual Care (TC3), equipped with same features as the MedCat LE with four medical litters.[26]
Riot control
Edition equipped with anti-riot gear, as shown below. Equipped with Hydraulic RAM (Front Plow) to move heavy barriers Steel Armor Construction with optional B-Kit & Blast protection Gunner Protection Kit with mounts for M249, Mk19, M2 .50 Ca Mission-specific floorplan designed for end user requirements Protective Window Screens and Light Guards, LRAD, Smoke Launcher V8 Turbo Diesel Engine; 4x4 for off-road performance Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) platform for easy and low-cost maintenance
G4 M-ATV – armored all-terrain vehicle (Generation 4)
EOD (Explosive ordnance disposal) – armored vehicle "BombCat" for bomb units with room for a large bomb disposal robot, with fold-down ramp and hydraulically controlled platform for deployment. Also can include roof-mounted zoom camera with scene lighting, thermal camera, CBRNE equipment, and advanced communications sensors upon request.[27][28]
Features
The BearCat series is customizable with a variety of non-standard features depending on the customers' requirements. BearCats are able to be fitted with moveable elevated platform systems called the Liberator and ARC by Patriot3, Inc., to enable tactical units to access a variety of elevated structures such as multi-story buildings, ships at docks, or aircraft during high-risk hostage or terrorist situations. The LAPD fits one of its four armoured Lenco vehicles with one such system along with many other local and state law enforcement agencies.[5]
Some of the BearCat's features include:
emergency lights/sirens
rotating roof hatch
optional powered turrets with or without ballistic glass panels and blast shields
gun ports
electric winches
running boards
protection against chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives (CBRNE)
back-up camera
Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS)
battering ram attachment
CS gas (tear gas) deployment nozzle
radiation detection systems
Thermographic camera systems
spot/flood lights
Operators
New South Wales Police Force Tactical Operations Unit Lenco BearCat armoured rescue vehicle.
Lenco BearCat owned by the Lee County Sheriff's Office (Florida) SWAT team
Los Angeles Police Department S.W.A.T. 'Rescue 1' B.E.A.R showing a battering ram attachment.
BearCats of various configurations are in use by the following agencies and departments around the world with over 500 in use in the United States alone.[29]
** Australia**
Australian Federal Police – Specialist Response Group[16]
New South Wales Police Force – Tactical Operations Unit ×2 (One each of the 2003 and 2012 variant)[30][31]
Northern Territory Police – Territory Response Group[32][33]
Queensland Police Service – Special Emergency Response Team ×2[34]
South Australia Police – Special Tasks and Rescue Group[35]
Victoria Police – Special Operations Group ×3[38]
Western Australia Police – Tactical Response Group ×2[39][40]
** Bangladesh**
Bangladesh Police
Bangladesh Ansar
Border Guard Bangladesh
** Belgium**
Antwerp Local Police[41]
** Brazil**
Military Police of Goiás State – Batalhão de Operações Especiais[42]
** Canada**
** Morocco**
Moroccan Auxiliary Forces – 88 BearCat armored vehicles in riot control, troop transport, communications, convoy protection, and SWAT variants.[45]
BCIJ (Bureau Central d'Investigations Judiciaires), Moroccan Domestic Intelligence Unit & Special Forces.
** Netherlands**
Korps Nationale Politie (National Police Corps) - In service with 'Dienst Speciale Interventies'(Special Intervention Service). A military-trained police service specialized in counter-terrorism ops, apprehension of High-value or High-risk individuals, aircraft hijackings and hostage situations. Also includes one unit of Marine Corps Special Forces(comparable to SEALS) under Police command for operations against the highest spectrums of non-war violence on Dutch soil, for example large scale terrorism.[4][46][47]
** United States**
Federal Law Enforcement[4]
State/Local Law Enforcement
Alaska State Troopers – 3[51]
Boulder County Sheriff[53]
Burbank Police Department – S.W.A.T[54]
Central Bucks Emergency Response Team[22]
Chicago Police Department – S.W.A.T[55]
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, CCSO SWAT. Clackamas County, OR x 1 Bearcat [56]
Concord, New Hampshire, Police Department [57]
Dallas Police Department (Texas) – S.W.A.T x 2[58]
Denver Police Department – S.W.A.T[59]
Douglas County (CO) Sheriff -SWAT
Edmond Oklahoma Police Department - SWAT [60]
Erie (PA) Bureau of Police[61]
Honolulu Police Department – S.W.A.T[62]
Hudson County Sheriff's Department – S.W.A.T[63]
Kansas Highway Patrol - Special Response Team and Mobile Field Force[66]
Keene, New Hampshire Police Department- S.W.A.T.
Louisiana State Police – S.W.A.T[67]
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department – Special Enforcement Bureau ×6 (One B.E.A.R, three BearCats, two Paramedic or MedCats)[68]
Los Angeles Police Department – S.W.A.T ×4 (One B.E.A.R, two BearCats and one MedCat variant)[69]
Lower Columbia SWAT, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, and Wakhiakum Counties – Washington State. [70]
Miami Dade Police Department – S.R.T[71]
Miami-Dade Police Department Special Response Team[72]
Michigan State Police - Emergency Response Team
Montrose County Colorado sheriff department
St Louis Police Department– SWAT Team [73]
New Mexico State Police – Tactical Team[74]
New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit ×2[75][76]
Northeast Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC)[77]
Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office - S.W.A.T.[24]
Orlando Police Department
Pasadena Police Department – S.W.A.T[78]
Passaic County Sheriff's Department – S.W.A.T[79]
Portland Police Bureau (PPB), Special Emergency Response Team, Portland, OR x 2 Bearcats, 1 Medcat[80]
Portland Port Authority (PPA), Special Emergency Response Team, Portland, OR x 2 Bearcats[81]
Prince William County Police Department SWAT[82]
Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake[83]
San Diego Police Department (California) – S.W.A.T[84]
Santa Barbara Police Department[87]
Seaside Police Department (California)[88]
Southeast Idaho SWAT team[89]
St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office – Crisis Management Unit (CMU)[90]
Stockton Police Department (California) – S.W.A.T[91]
Bellevue Police Department, Washington - SWAT
Military
United States Air Force 91st Security Forces Group[94]
United States Air Force Global Strike Command – (6) Air Force Bases – 60 BearCats for Nuclear Missile Convoy Protection[4]
Marine Corps Security Force Regiment[95]
United States Army BearCats used for US Army Military Police Special Reaction Teams[4] Fort Carson, CO Fort Hood, TX Fort Riley, KS Fort Bragg, NC US Army, 94th MP BN Korea
United States Navy SWFPAC & SWFLANT (Strategic Weapons Facilities / Pacific & Atlantic – Over 100 BearCats for Perimeter Patrol & Security)[4]
See also
Non-military armored vehicle
Vehicle armour