Stryker armored fighting vehicle family
Stryker armored fighting vehicles form a family of eight-wheeled combat vehicles used by the U.S. Army, specifically intended to be light enough to be transported in C-130 Hercules aircraft and maneuverable for urban combat. They are a derivative of the U.S. Marine Corps LAV III, which was developed by General Dynamics Land Systems (US and Canada) from the Swiss Mowag vehicle.
Ten variants are operational in Stryker Brigade Combat Teams:
- M1126 infantry carrier vehicle (ICV)
- M1127 reconnaissance vehicle (RV)
- M1128 mobile gun system (MGS)
- M1129 mortar carrier (MC)
- M1130 command vehicle (CV)
- M1131 fire support vehicle (FSV)
- M1132 engineer squad vehicle (ESV)
- M1133 medical evacuation vehicle (MEV)
- M1134 anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)
- M1135 nuclear, biological, chemical reconnaissance vehicle (NBC RV) (also in the Heavy Brigade Combat Team)
Weighing 19 to 26 tons, a typical vehicle is 10 feet high (excluding antennas), 9.5 feet wide and 24 feet long. Its armor can be upgraded at some loss in mobility, but the basic level is proof against direct fire from 14.5mm heavy machine guns and overhead fragments from 152mm blast-fragmentation cells.
Angled slats on the side deflect light antitank weapons using shaped charges. These can be replaced with reactive armor capable of withstanding direct hit from an RPG-7; the slat armor would be retained when working closely with dismounted infantry who would be injured by reactive armore fragments.
As of 2010, Stryker vehicles rotating back to the United States will be modified to have a more survivable double-V hull design, similar to that on the MRAP.
They are fully digitized, using the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below command and control system, which is part of the Blue Force Tracker network, and have numerous radios and navigation devices.