M-1126 STRYKER

The M-1126 Stryker APC appeared in 2002 as an “interim” vehicle that had to equip six Quick Deployment Brigades within the US Army. The Stryker had to cover the gap between the M.1114 & 1151 Humvee light protected vehicle and the Bradley IFV. It was decided to take the Canadian LAV III vehicle and perform the modifications required by the US Army to make a new vehicle. The Stryker was designed to be transported by C-130 Hercules aircraft, but due to installation of “slat armour” during the missions in Iraq, they lost this easy airborne capacity because its weight and width increased. Due to its shortcomings experienced during the Iraq and Afghanistan missions, the Stryker is undergoing constant modifications and improvements, especially in protection and mobility, that allow them to maintain a good level of efficiency. New double V-hulls have been designed, more resistant against IEDs, and new suspensions and more powerful engines are being installed under the Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) program. Since its entry into service have been made up to ten variants to deal with all types of missions present in the battlefield. The range of missions ranges from basic troop transport to fire support for ground troops. For this last role, a vehicle with a powerful 105mm automatic gun has been developed, it is designated as Mobile Gun System (MGS).

M-1126 STRYKER gallery and more info