Before the shield is implemented, however, The Rook uses another attachment, the hydraulic breaching ram, seen below, to breach the structure.
The breaching ram delivers 6500 psi of pressure, and is able to break through block walls, reinforced steel doors, wood and concrete.
Here's a shot of San Bernardino Police taking down Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik with The Rook.
Here's the Inside Edition video:
It retails for about $315,000 and has been sold to 25 police departments so far
The Rook was even used by the San Bernardino Police to take down Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the married couple who carried out the terrorist attack in 2015.
Here are some other police departments using The Rook:
- New York Police Department
- New Mexico State Police
- Albuquerque Police
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Mississippi State Police
- Jacksonville Police
- Boca Raton Police
It was designed by a man named Jeremy Eckdahl about 10 years ago, but wasn't marketed much until Ring Power Corporation bought the design 5 years ago.
Source: Shaun Mitchell, Ring Power Corporation.
The Rook is built off a Caterpillar chassis that has been modified with armor, night vision, thermal imaging, multiple cameras, a wireless remote control and four attachments.
The Rook is named after the chess piece, meaning checkmate, Miller said.