Stryker
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It has four-wheel drive (8×4) and can be switched to all-wheel drive (8×8).
| Stryker | |
|---|---|
| Type | Armored personnel carrier–infantry fighting vehicle hybrid |
| Place of origin | Canada/United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2002–present |
| Used by | United States (see Operators below for details) |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada |
| Unit cost | US$4.9 million (2012) |
| No. built | ~4,900 including 4,466 vehicles in US Army |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | ICV: 18.16 short tons (16.47 t) MGS: 20.69 short tons (18.77 t) |
| Length | 22 ft 10 in (6.95 m) |
| Width | 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) |
| Height | 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m) |
| Crew | Varies, usually 2 |
| Passengers | Up to 9 |
| Armor | With bolt-on ceramic armor: all-around 14.5×114mm protection |
Main armament |
|
Secondary armament | 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 and 7.62 mm M240 machine guns (on M1128 Mobile Gun System) |
| Engine | Caterpillar C7 350 hp (260 kW) |
| Power/weight | ICV: 19.3 hp/sh ton (15.8 kW/tonne) |
| Suspension | 8×8 wheeled |
Operational range | 310 mi (500 km) |
| Maximum speed | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
The Stryker was conceived as a family of vehicles forming the backbone of a new medium-weight brigade combat team (BCT) that was to strike a balance between heavy armor and infantry. The service launched the Interim Armored Vehicle competition, and in 2000, the service selected the LAV III proposed by GDLS and General Motors Defense. The service named this family of vehicles the "Stryker".
Ten variants of the Stryker were initially conceived, some of which have been upgraded with v-hulls.