NCR Ranger Combat Armor

The NCR Ranger combat armor, also known as the Black armor, and the matching Ranger helmet are pieces of armor in Fallout: New Vegas.

Characteristics
A military-grade armor originally used by L.A.P.D. riot squads, this combat outfit is typically worn with a matching military helmet with built-in low light optics, a combination IR/white light lamp and gas mask. It is worn with the Desert Rangers style duster (with the NCR Rangers' insignia on the left flap) and a set of rodeo jeans.

Its creation was based on the Desert Ranger combat armor for the NCR Veteran Rangers after the merge between the Desert Rangers and the NCR Rangers in 2271. It is often referred to as the "Black Armor," and is considered to be one of the most valuable and awe-inspiring items in the entire Republic.

Variants

 * Desert Ranger combat armor - The armor of the Desert Rangers before they merged with the NCR Rangers.
 * Riot gear - An advanced version of the L.A.P.D. riot armor used by the pre-War riot control officers in the Divide.
 * Advanced riot gear - An advanced model of the riot gear formerly used by the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, then worn by NCR riot control officers in the Divide.
 * Elite riot gear - A unique armor which was used by an important NCR riot control officer in the Divide.

Locations

 * With a "liked" or higher reputation with the NCR, Colonel James Hsu will give the Courier a key to the NCR Ranger safehouse. Inside are a set of NCR salvaged power armor, NCR Ranger patrol armor and the NCR Ranger combat armor. There is also a reloading bench and some empty footlockers, alongside a hunting revolver, assault carbine and trail carbine. Note that all armors are in poor condition.
 * This armor can be found on NCR Veteran Rangers throughout the game in areas occupied by the NCR (e.g. Camp Golf, the NCR Ranger Safehouse, Ranger station Bravo, Camp Forlorn Hope, etc.) or if the Courier is labeled a terrorist by the NCR, as there will be ranger kill-squads sent to eliminate them.
 * There are several dead NCR troopers wearing this armor at the Long 15 if you choose to nuke the NCR upon completion of The Apocalypse.

Behind the scenes

 * The armor was largely designed by Massive Black artist Wesley Burt. The initial concepts were inspired by Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, though the armor evolved into a unique design following requests from Joshua Sawyer, including jeans and a trench coat to give the armor a Western vibe. It also took beats from Tycho's description in Fallout, as Tycho himself is described as "a man in dusty leather armor with a trench coat and gas mask."
 * A "7" is painted on the left side of the helmet. The front of the armor features a neckpiece with "08" on it. A star and bear can be seen on the left shoulder pad, which is affiliated with the New California Republic flag. There is also what appears to be tallies on the side of the helmet, near the "[7]." "H3RM35" can be seen on the antenna which is a leetspeak for "Hermes," a reference to Hermes, an armor development project from the canceled Fallout 3, Van Buren.
 * The in-game Ranger combat armor is slightly different from the box art and opening cinematic version. The cover version features a darker black/gray armor and some form of breather pipe coming from the right side of the gas mask as well as a small radio antenna, compared to its in-game counterpart which is of a more faded gray coloration, and the breather pipe and antenna being completely absent.
 * Advanced versions of the NCR Ranger combat armor appear in Lonesome Road, which were created for pre-War riot control officers in Hopeville and for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment to control protests by the local hippie community. These versions are more heavily armored and possess intact optic systems compared to the NCR Ranger combat armor.
 * A ranger in the opening cinematic is seen tapping the side of the helmet lighting up the visor, this cannot be done in-game.
 * The helmet's mesh seems to point to a non-existent environment map, "textures\chromedull_e.nif." However, .nif is a mesh file extension, not a texture file extension. Additionally, chromedull_e.dds is located one folder over, in "textures\effects\chromedull_e.dds." This means the reflective properties seen on the helmet in-game are the result of missing textures.

Bugs
The helmet picked up from the NCR Ranger safehouse cannot be repaired by vendors, due to it having no value. Repairing it with other helmets works properly. After the recent game patch, this issue has been resolved and can be repaired by vendors.