ANNISTON, Ala. — The Anniston Munitions Center has completed an almost decade‑long mission to refurbish three types of reactive armor tiles (RATs) for combat vehicles.
RATs play a vital role on a wide range of Army wheeled and tracked platforms, providing essential protection against credible enemy threats and safeguarding the Soldiers who operate them.
Typically, ANMC, a government-owned, government-operated facility, and a subordinate installation of the Joint Munitions Command, provides timely and accurate receipt, storage, surveillance, inventory, maintenance, issue, and demilitarization of missiles and conventional ammunition in support of joint warfighters.
The armor tile maintenance mission reflects ANMC’s technical capability and its ability to take on complex sustainment work beyond its traditional munitions focus. The project required workers to receive, clean, inspect, repair and repaint over 100,000 RATs. As the workload expanded, ANMC refined its processes and developed new efficiencies that improved both speed and quality.
“Every year, our people got better, faster and more confident in what they were doing,” said Eric O’Barr, ANMC’s director of ammunitions operations. “You could see their skills sharpen with every batch of tiles that moved through the line.”
The RATs mission, which represented a sustained commitment to readiness and cost‑effective sustainment, provided challenges to ANMC’s personnel. However, they adapted to shifting requirements, production surges and evolving technical standards while maintaining strict safety and quality controls.
Completing the refurbishment in-house generated substantial savings for the Army. By restoring existing RATs rather than purchasing new ones, millions of dollars in procurement costs were saved. The refurbished tiles helped alleviate shortages and maintain production schedules.
“Every tile we returned to service meant one less the Army had to buy, and that adds up quickly. It’s a direct example of how smart sustainment decisions can preserve resources without sacrificing capability,” O’Barr said. “Our team understood the importance of that balance, and it drove them to deliver consistent, reliable results.”