US Army Moves Ahead with V-Hull Strykers

$92M to design & produce required components. (Dec 3/10)

The 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicle is the backbone of the US Army’s 7 medium armored brigades, with an 8th on the way.

The 5th Stryker Brigade from Fort Lewis, WA was the first Stryker unit sent to Afghanistan, deployed in the summer of 2009 as part of a troop level increase. The brigade was equipped with 350 Stryker vehicles. In the first few months of deployment, the Stryker brigade lost 21 soldiers, with 40 more wounded, to IED land mines. The losses prompted the Army to examine modifications to the Stryker vehicles, in order to make them more resistant to land mines. One result is the Stryker hull redesign…

Struck Stryker

(click to view larger)

In truth, this is not a new idea. The US military has been considering a LAV-III/Stryker upgrade for some time, and General Dynamics Land Systems has responded with concepts of a heavier “LAV-H” system. What the Afghan experience did, is change the urgency of one aspect for the proposed new design.

The Strykers have come under criticism for their performance in Afghanistan since the first Stryker brigade was deployed there in the summer of 2009. The Stryker vehicles have been faulted for their lack of maneuverability on rough terrain, a problem that Canada’s similar LAV-IIIs have also experienced. That creates an associated vulnerability to IED land mines planted in the road.

Unsurprisingly, related up-armoring efforts are underway for Australia’s ASLAVs, and in Canada via the near-term LAV LORIT program, and their longer-term LAV-III upgrade. Since they’re based on a common core platform, American Stryker modifications could affect that longer-term Canadian project.

Contracts & Key Events

M1126 Stryker ICV

(click to view full)

Under the contract, the GM General Dynamics Land Systems Defense Group partnership in Sterling Heights, MI will provide design and integration engineering services, test articles/prototypes, and procurement of materials, including long-lead materials, to support the modified hull design with related integrated system changes. The US Army says the contract objectives are an integrated solution that will provide improved protection levels to support operations in Afghanistan.

The Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, MI manages these contracts. So far, announced contracts will produce 450 Strykers with a double-v hull.