According to the Politico website, which is not often mistaken, the USA is considering the possibility of sending Stryker armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine as part of the future military aid package. Why not? After M2 Bradley, AMX-10 RC, Marder and discussion of main battle tanks, anything could happen…

It seems that the next aid package may be officially announced as early as next week, during the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany (“Ramstein”).

Stryker is an American-Canadian wheeled (formula 8×8/4) armored fighting vehicle built on the LAV III platform, which, in turn, is a Canadian license variant of the Swiss Mowag Piranha III, which we have already talked about.

The purpose of the Stryker family of vehicles is to transport a motorized infantry unit on the battlefield, fire support for infantry during and after the dismounting, comprehensive support and provision of combat operations of mechanized units.

General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is engaged in the production of vehicles of the Stryker family. In total, since 2002, about 4,900 such vehicles have been built, of which 4,466 are in service with the US Army. Like almost all major combat platforms, the Stryker has many modifications.

The M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) is the most common version, with a landing compartment for 9 infantrymen, a 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun or a 40 mm Mk 19 grenade launcher.

M1127 Reconnaissance Vehicle (RV) – reconnaissance version with 4 scouts and appropriate surveillance and communication equipment.

M1128 Mobile Gun System (MGS) – 105 mm M68A1E4 rifled gun on a Stryker chassis. The gun has an automatic loader and can produce 6 rounds per minute. In fact, it is a kind of light tank for direct support of infantry, destruction of fortifications, and so on. In 2022, the Mobile Gun System was “retired” due to the difficulty of maintaining and updating the autoloader itself.

M1129 Mortar Carrier (MC) – 120 mm mortar on a Stryker chassis. Can use high-precision mines with GPS guidance. In addition, it also carries an additional 81 or 60 mm mortar (depending on the unit), which can be unloaded and used separately.

M1130 Commander’s Vehicle (CV) – a command vehicle with additional equipment for communication and battlefield control.

M1131 Fire Support Vehicle (FSV) – a vehicle of fire spotters and gunners.

M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicle (ESV) – an engineering vehicle for clearing obstacles.

M1133 Medical Evacuation Vehicle (MEV) – a medical evacuation vehicle.

M1134 Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicle (ATGM) – a tank destroyer armed with an ATGM launcher BGM-71 TOW.

M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBC RV) – a vehicle for monitoring the radiation, biological and chemical situation.

SHORAD is the latest air defense version of Stryker with four launch containers for FIM-92 Stinger missiles or two Longbow Hellfires. Such a AN/TWQ-1 Avenger version, but on a Stryker chassis.

It is the Stryker vehicles that are the main type of armament of the brigade combat groups of the US Army, the so-called Stryker Brigade Combat Team. A typical Stryker Brigade consists of 130 M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICV), 9 M1134 Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicles (ATGM), 27 M1133 Medical Evacuation Vehicles (MEV), 12 M1132 Engineer Support Vehicles (ESV), 32 M1130 Commanders’ Vehicles (CV), 36 M1129 Mortar Carriers (MC).

That is, 330 Strykers as part of only one brigade combat group. Unfortunately, most likely, the Armed Forces will not receive so many vehicles for one aid package.

During its service in Iraq from 2003 to 2011, the Stryker proved to be a reliable vehicle that soldiers and officers liked. A 2005 Washington Post article stated that: “Commanders, soldiers and mechanics who use Stryker vehicles every day in one of the most dangerous areas of Iraq unanimously praised the vehicle. Some of the defects for which Stryker was criticized during ordering and construction were relatively minor and had little effect on the vehicle’s effectiveness.”

Col. Robert B. Brown, commander of the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), says Strykers have saved the lives of at least 100 soldiers deployed in northern Iraq.

As you can see, the Stryker is a beautiful vehicle that has already proven its effectiveness on the battlefield. So we are waiting for an official announcement and hope that there will be enough vehicles to form at least half of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

Stryker specifications
Weight – 16.47 t (ICV), 18.77 t (MGS)
Length – 6.95 m
Width – 2.72 m
Height – 2.64 m
Crew – 2-3 (depending on the modification)
Passengers – 4-9 (depending on the modification)
Armor – bolt-on ceramic armor, 14.5 all-around protection
Main armament – 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, or 40 mm Mk 19 grenade launcher mounted in a Protector remote combat module, or 105 mm M68A2 gun (MGS)
Secondary armament – 12.7 mm M2 machine gun and 7.62 mm M240 (MGS)
Engine – Caterpillar C7
Power – 350 hp. (260 kW)
Wheel formula – 8×8/4
Operational range – 500 km
Maximum speed – 97 km/h (on the highway)