Description:
The Stryker vehicle is the result of lessons learned by the US Army during the Gulf War in 1991. Current light divisions are deployable but they can not stand up armored forces. On the other hand, current heavy divisions equipped with Abrams and Bradley tanks can defeat any armored forces but they need months to be deployed (the US Army requested 6 months to build up the heavy forces that defeated Saddam Hussein). The Stryker meets both requirements deployability/mobility, and lethality/survivability.
The Stryker armored vehicle weighs no more than 38,000 pounds, can be airlifted via a single C-130 aircraft, and has enough armor to stop small arms fire. There are 10 variants of the Stryker vehicle: Infantry Carrier Vehicle, Mobile Gun System, Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicle, Reconnaissance Vehicle, Fire Support Vehicle, Engineer Squad Vehicle, Mortar Carrier Vehicle, Commander's Vehicle, Medical Evacuation Vehicle, and the NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle. Each vehicle provides all around 14.5mm integral protection, RPG-protection through add-on armor, overhead 152mm HE airburst and NBC protection, as well as individual crew respirators and reduced thermal and acoustic signatures.
The US Army plans to procure up to 2,131 Stryker vehicles to equip 6 Interim Brigades Combat Teams (IBCT) through 2008. The estimated cost of the Stryker, originally named Interim Armored Vehicle (IAV), program is $4 billion. Each Interim Brigade will feature more than 300 Stryker vehicles and the first one (3rd brigade, 2nd infantry division) will achieve operational capability in 2003.
The Stryker Mortar Carrier Vehicle is equipped with a 120mm mortar and provides indirect fire support to US Army's Interim Brigades.
On December 2, 2004, General Dynamics Land Systems was awarded a $260 million contract for 95 Stryker combat vehicles, including 14 mobile gun systems; 17 NBC vehicles; 25 infantry; and 39 mortar carrier vehicles. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in January 2005 and will continue through February 2006.
Specifications Guns: Main Gun Caliber 120 mm
Dimensions: Height 2.6 m, Length 7.0 m, Width 2.7 m
Weights: Max Weight 17,237 kg (38,000 lb)
Performance: Cross Country Speed 20 mps (39 kt), Max Range 483 km (261 nm), Top Speed 28 mps (54 kt)
Power: Power 350 shp
Other: Wheels 8
Operators
United States of America
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Notes (*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)
United States of America