Armaments Center engineers enhance hunter support and law enforcement patrol capabilities

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Fabricators from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center’s Analysis, Materials and Prototyping (AMP) Directorate recently designed and built a lightweight, folding cargo loading ramp for use on a Polaris MRZR tactical all-terrain vehicle assigned to U.S. Army Garrison Picatinny Arsenal's Directorate of Emergency Services.

The custom ramp will support the installation’s Conservation Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) by improving the vehicle’s utility during wildlife-management and field-response activities.

The folding design allows the ramp to be carried with the MRZR while providing a practical means to safely load animals recovered by hunters from remote areas of the installation. The fabricators also outfitted the vehicle with a winch to assist in moving cargo up the ramp.

“I think it was important that we added the winch,” said Thomas Fasano, AMP Director. “That’s where people get injured, trying to load a heavy object, especially if you are in the woods by yourself. That winch will make a world of difference.”

The ramp is lightweight enough to be rapidly deployed and stowed by a single operator, yet robust enough to handle severe payloads under real-world field conditions.

“This vehicle, along with the modifications, will greatly help our community, particularly our hunters,” said Rodney Ryan, the Directorate of Emergency Services Director.

The ramp upgrade comes at no cost to the Garrison and is expected to significantly enhance the CLEO’s ability to navigate the installation's rugged terrain and assist hunters in safely removing animals from the field. By turning local engineering capabilities inward, the internal collaboration leveraged the expertise and capability of the Armaments Center to provide the Garrison a solution without the added cost of contracting this effort out to an external design and fabrication facility.

“This is a major improvement for us,” said James Opalecky, who has been serving as the installation’s CLEO since 2004. “With this vehicle being a four-seater, I can bring other law enforcement officials with me on perimeter checks and we can conduct command inspections with multiple passengers. We have more options.”

Known for its agility and off-road durability, the MRZR is an ideal platform for patrolling Picatinny’s heavily wooded and mountainous boundaries. However, loading heavy cargo into the rear bed of these high-clearance tactical vehicles presents a persistent physical challenge in isolated locations.

By applying in-house fabrication expertise to an operational requirement, the AMP Directorate delivered a tailored capability that improves safety, mobility and efficiency for the CLEO.

The MRZR is one of three tactical all-terrain vehicles recently acquired by U.S. Army Garrison Picatinny Arsenal from Portfolio Acquisition Executive Maneuver Ground, formerly known as Program Executive Office Soldier. The Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department will utilize another allowing firefighters to reach incidents that traditional engines and brush trucks cannot access. The third will be maintained by the Garrison Headquarters and Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security.

“At the end of the day, this collaboration ties into the Senior Commander’s number one priority of providing a safe and secure installation for the employees who work here, the families who live here, and our guests,” said Fortunato Rubio, U.S. Army Garrison Picatinny Arsenal Deputy Garrison Commander. “This provides all of that, both safety and security. The team is supporting that priority.”