Cadillac Gage Ranger

The Ranger was first produced in 1979 to meet a USAF requirement for its security forces, which was known as Peacekeeper.[2] The first Rangers made were delivered in April 1980[4] with 571 vehicles under a contract of $30,532 each.[1] In 1981, another order of 560 Rangers were made for the USAF and the US Navy.[4] In 1994, around 708 were made and in service with the US military.[4] In the same year, 20 Rangers were sold to Indonesia.[4]

In 1996, any Rangers left in US military service were pressed into IFOR peacekeeping operations in the Balkans.[4] Later on, they were sold to police forces throughout the US for SWAT use.[4] The Humvee replaced them in the same role after the Rangers were phased out of service.[5]

In 2000, the Cobb County Police Department acquired a Ranger thanks to the 1033 program.[6]

In August 2004, Scott Ferguson was found guilty of stealing a Peacekeeper on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which started from August 1 to 10, 1998 when the vehicle was driven across state lines with the Peackeeper sold on the black market on July 11, 1999.[7] The incident started on July 1996 when Scott convinced superiors at the museum that the Peacekeeper vehicle had been requested by another military facility.[7] The Peacekeeper was sighted in military conventions in Tennessee and Pennsylvania in 1997 and 1998 and was sold in 1999 for $18,000.[7] The vehicle was resold to its current owner, the sheriff's office in Cherokee County, N.C., in May 2000 for $38,000.[7]

In 2010, Federal Defense Industries announced that they entered into an agreement with Textron Marine & Land Systems in order to provide authorized aftermarket parts, support and other types of assistance for the Ranger since FDI maintains a technical library for spare parts.[8]

In 2012, the South Pasadena Police Department has announced the delivery of a Ranger.[9] It was acquired from Burbank Police as surplus from the USAF before they sold it to the SPPD for a dollar.[9]

In 2014, the Chapel Hill Police Department reported a used Ranger was in operational service as an armored transport vehicle.[10]

In 2016, the Salisbury Police Department acquired a used Ranger under the DOD's 1033 program.[11]

In 2017, the Benton County Sheriff's Office acquired a used Ranger with the gun shield removed and the top port closed as it's meant to be used for armored transport purposes.[12]

On February 4, 2020, the City Council of Anaheim approved a request to purchase a new armored vehicle to replace the 51-year old Ranger in service with the Anaheim Police Department.[13]

A USAF SF airman aiming the M60 GPMG.

The Ranger was made by Cadillac Gage based on a Dodge truck chassis with a shorter wheelbase.[2] The armored body was meant to protect the occupants from being injured or killed by shrapnel and small arms fire.[2] The engine is located at the front, which is coupled to an automatic transmission system with three forward and one reverse gear.[2][4] It was made from Cadloy armor plating that encompasses the entire vehicle, including the floor.[1] It has a weight of 4,903 kgs (10,809 lb) when loaded with a length of 5,030 mm (198 in) and height of 2,030 mm (80 in).[14] The Ranger has a ground clearane of 203 mm (8.0 in) and a speed of 113 km/hr (70 mph) and operational range of 483 km (300 miles).[14]

The Ranger allows for 8 people inside, consisting of two in the front and six at the back, who can enter and leave through the rear doors.[2] Anyone seated inside can return fire through firing ports.[2]

The vehicle can accommodate a turret equipped with dual 7.62mm NATO machine guns or a turret with a 7.62mm machine gun with a gun shield.[2]

Defenseshield is contracted to provide replacement windows for Rangers used by various police departments in the US.[15]