Stryker Vehicle Prototype With 30mm Cannon Delivered To Army

By Tactical-Life

The U.S. Army has received the first prototype of the highly-anticipated Stryker vehicle outfitted with a 30mm cannon.

Built by defense contractor General Dynamics, the Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle features a Kongsberg MCT-30mm Weapon System with a remotely-operated, unmanned turret; a new fully-integrated commander’s station, upgraded driveline componentry and hull modifications, according to the press release from Program Executive Office – Ground Combat Systems (PEO-GCS).

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The upgraded Stryker vehicle was borne out of a perceived “capability gap” in the aftermath of the 2015 Russian invasion of Ukraine that threatened U.S. forces in the European theater of operations.

“The Russians, it turns out, had upgraded and fielded significant capabilities while we were engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel B. Allyn.

As Autoblog notes, that’s a reference to Russia’s BMP-2 and BMP-3 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, both of which began carrying 30mm cannons while the original U.S. Strykers were still equipped with an unarmored turret and a .50-cal machine gun. The BMP-3 also carries a 100mm launcher.

That gap in weaponry was an “unacceptable risk,” Allyn said.

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  Source:: Tactical Life