Lenco BearCat

BearCat
A BearCat pictured in 2007.
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
Weight 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]

The Lenco BearCat [8][9] is a wheeled armored personnel carrier designed for military and law enforcement use. It is in use by numerous military forces and law enforcement agencies around the world.

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 Chassis with two available engines (the V10 Triton Gasoline and the 6.7L Turbo Diesel), six-speed automatic transmission commercial truck chassis.[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

At present there are nine variants of the BearCat, some with unique features and others designed for specific purposes or customers.[12][25]

  • 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
  • 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

 Brazil

 Bangladesh

 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]

 Belgium

  • Local police - city of Antwerp (2)(2017)

 United States

Federal Law Enforcement[4]

State/Local Law Enforcement

Military

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. 1 2
  3. ↑ "LENCO BEARCAT Trademark Details". Automotive.zibb.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
  5. 1 2 "Patriot 3 – Elevated Tactics Systems – LIBERATOR – Lenco Bearcat G2". Patriot 3. Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "SOR Magazine: Lenco BearCat G4 is "security big wheel"". PoliceOne.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Product Details : Lenco BearCat". Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
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  11. ↑
  12. 1 2 3 "Article Archive – Law and Order, Police Fleet Manager, Tactical Response, Public Safety IT – Hendon Publishing". Hendonpub.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "Loaded For Bear: Lenco's Bearcat Is Ready For Duty". Autoweek.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Geoghegan, Susan. "Lenco's BearCat Refurbishment Program".
  15. ↑ "Beyond the Patrol Car". Policemag.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Canberra gets a beast! Behold the Lenco Engineering Armoured Rescue Vehicle". The-riotact.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  17. 1 2 "Lenco Armored Vehicles". PoliceOne.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  18. ↑ "Armoured vehicle for sieges". Adelaidenow.com.au. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
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  21. ↑ "Texas man kills ex-governor's son, fires AK-47 at cops" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  22. 1 2 "Bearcat Survived Standoff; Police Cars Did Not". Doylestown-buckingham-new Britain, Pennsylvania Patch. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  23. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-11-27. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  24. 1 2 Kristen Shanahan (2016-01-07). "Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office BearCat shot at during standoff". KFOR.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
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