"Striker" is an armored fighting vehicle manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems. It has a wheel formula of 8x8 / 4. A model was created on the basis of the Canadian armored personnel carrier LAV III, which, in turn, is a deep modernization of the Swiss armored personnel carrier Piranha III 8x8. Stryker is in service with the mechanized forces of the US Army and several other countries.
Appointment
BTR Stryker is the main weapon of brigade combat groups of the US Army, established in the 2000s. It is designed to transport motorized infantry units (usually motorized infantry squads) to the battlefield with the possibility of soldiers firing directly from the vehicle, further infantry fire support during and after dismounting, as well as for comprehensive support and combat operations of mechanized units of the American army.
Models of armored vehicles (BT) of the Stryker family include 10 varieties of high-security vehicles in service with the Stryker brigade combat groups. The first copies entered service with the American army in February 2002, as of April 2013, 4,349 units of various types of military vehicles were delivered.
History of creation
After a formal victory in the Cold War, US armaments turned out to be excessive for confrontation in low-intensity conflicts. On October 12, 1999, General E. Shinseki (who served as chief of staff of the US Army) formally announced a long-term plan for transforming the country's ground forces for the future, taking into account existing and future challenges and threats of our time. The program, called “The Objective Force”, formulated the attempts of the US military to create forces that will be able to quickly respond to crisis situations in any region of the world, timely deploy in operational areas and dominate any conflict.
The program determined the adaptation of the army to the doctrine of a flexible and relevant response to situations and demanded the availability of appropriate latest weapons. The first phase of the program was the development of an intermediate version of the line of combat vehicles, called the IAV (Interim Armored Vehicle - “Intermediate Armored Vehicle”). The armament of America at that time did not have modern BT of this class.
The new line is designed to fill the gap in the capabilities of the ground forces to conduct the so-called "classic" type of war, using heavy and powerful infantry fighting equipment such as the BMP M2 Bradley, or light and mobile, and at the same time lightly armed and protected equipment like the M998 Hammer . The main arena of military operations of the created model of armored vehicles is low-level military conflicts.
Army equipment
After selecting several options for armored personnel carriers, which were considered as the basis for the subsequent creation of armored combat vehicles of a new family, the Canadian armored personnel carrier LAV III was taken as the basis. A few months after the start of testing, in November 2000, the procurement schedule for 2131 copies of the Stryker BT was approved. Armored fighting vehicle entered the rapid response brigades.
The first cars were only of two types:
- SPG M1128 (MGS) with the British 105-mm rifled tank gun Royal Ordnance L7, which was installed on the first samples of American main battle tanks "Abrams". These self-propelled guns were assigned the task of contact fire support in the battle of infantry units.
- Infantry armored personnel carrier M1126 Stryker (ICV), which replaced the obsolete M113 armored personnel carrier.
Requirements and Regulations
According to the generals, the new US armament was supposed to be cheaper and more economical, with a high degree of security and mobility. The undoubted advantage of the Strikers was that the content of one BT shock brigade of this type is 25% less than the content of the brigade group armed with the heavier BMD Bradley.
According to the regulations, the Striker brigade combat group must be redeployed anywhere in the world within 96 hours, the division within 120 hours, and 5 quick deployment divisions within 30 days. The Stryker is transported by air by the transporters C-5 Gelexi (4 combat vehicles), C-17 Globemeister III (3 units) and C-130 Hercules (1 unit), and after delivery BT should be in full combat readiness for further actions.
Transportation difficulties
From the very beginning of the tests of this combat vehicle, problems arose with the correspondence of the armored personnel carrier to the tactical and technical requirements for which it was counting. So, the first samples of the Stryker armored personnel carrier had technical difficulties with the transportation of their transport aircraft C-130 Hercules. Due to the large width of the armored personnel carriers, there was no free space in the aisles between the rows of seats and equipment. Therefore, an incomplete squad could board the aircraft, which, in turn, created difficulties in redeploying troops to certain areas.
During the exercises, in order to accommodate the Stryker on the plane, the crew had to remove 2 smoke launchers, all antennas, the left rear console, which blocked the exit of the aircraft from the aircraft, the combat module on the tower, and some other units and parts. As a result, the department spent a lot of time installing equipment after unloading from an airplane.
Vulnerabilities
In August 2003, the U.S. Senate received a crushing report on the characteristics that "Stryker" has. Armored fighting vehicle was characterized as very unreliable and too expensive. The main emphasis was placed on the failure of General E. Shinseki’s efforts to adopt a super-efficient armored personnel carrier that will satisfy all the challenges of modern conflicts.
The report criticized the Stryker family's high vulnerability to conventional RPGs that militants and terrorists are equipped with, the excessive size of armored personnel carriers, which prevented the transportation of equipment without delay by C-130 Hercules aircraft.
The tests revealed low technical characteristics of the chassis of all modifications, whether it was a heavier wheeled tank M1128 or a relatively light armored personnel carrier M1126. Problems arise when moving to high speed and when moving over rough terrain. Also, "Stryker" has poor stability - there have been cases of capsizing on an ordinary highway.
Comparison with competitors
Critics of the wheeled armored personnel carrier indicate that the Stryker is inferior in many ways to the modernized M113 armored personnel carrier on a tracked track, and the M1128 self-propelled guns (MGS) are worse in all respects than the promising M8 AGS project. According to military experts, the Stryker machines failed 7 out of 9 major exams, compared with the M113A3, and in particular with its extended version of MTVL. This is firepower, maneuverability off-road and in the city, survival, reliability, the ability to transport by air and the convenience of the crew and landing. The elimination of the identified deficiencies led to a significant increase in the cost of wheeled armored personnel carriers.
Specifications
The Stryker armored personnel carrier in terms of layout and configuration practically repeats its predecessor - LAV III, but there are a number of differences. First of all, the height of the hull exceeds the prototype by 25-30 cm. This was done for the convenience of placing ammunition, crew and landing. To protect against mines and landmines, it was necessary to redo the profile of the bottom, which led to an increase in the height of the hull to compensate for the usable volume "eaten" by the V-shaped bottom in the troop compartment. The linear dimensions have also changed a little.
The wheeled BT has a classic layout typical for cars of this class: the engine-transmission compartment is located on the front right and the control unit with a driver's seat on the front left. Behind the driver is the commander of the car. The middle compartment and aft are assigned to the airborne squad, which houses 9 fully equipped infantrymen. In the roof of the hull for landing the crew hatches are equipped above the appropriate places, the landing is discharged through the aft doors, emergency hatches are also provided above the landing compartment.
TTX of the base model M1126
- Length - 6394 mm.
- Width - 2667 mm.
- Height - 2170 mm.
- Ground clearance - 500 mm.
- The combat weight is 17.2 tons.
- Speed on the highway - 97 km / h.
- Cruising range (on the highway) - 531 km.
Power point
The Caterpillar 3126 diesel engine is installed in the engine-transmission compartment, its power is 257 kW (350 hp). This engine is the main technology for the tactical link of the middle class in the American army. This gives significant advantages in the repair and maintenance of such equipment in the field and in combat conditions.
Booking BTR "Stryker"
An armored combat vehicle is less vulnerable to small arms fire than previous M113 type armored personnel carriers. The body is welded from armored plates up to 12 millimeters thick. Due to the use of various grades of steel, the protection in the frontal projection corresponds to the fourth level of the STANAG 4569 standard, and the second to third in other projections. Additionally, screens around the entire perimeter of the enclosure can be installed on the Strikers.
Reservation protects against small arms bullets with caliber up to 14.5 mm from the stern and sides, from 30 mm shells to the front of the hull at distances of more than 500 meters (with passive protection), as well as from damage from 152 mm fragmentation shells that exploded beside.
Modifications
- M1126, infantry armored personnel carrier (ICV) - the main armored personnel carrier of the Stryker family, designed to transport motorized infantry and fire support.
- Modification M1126 for reconnaissance, security, patrolling, communications, delivery of ammunition, etc.
- M1126 with a reinforced bottom DVH-Scout (ICCV-S), designed for military intelligence, for which it is equipped with a long-range surveillance system.
- M1127 (RV) - combat reconnaissance vehicle, which is designed to conduct reconnaissance, security and surveillance on the battlefield. Equipped with specialized Raytheon early warning reconnaissance equipment.
- M1128 (MGS) - a self-propelled artillery installation (wheeled tank) with a 105-mm rifled gun.
- M1129 (MCV-B) is a self-propelled 120 mm mortar with a fixed and removable layout.
- M1130 (CV) - Commander BT.
- M1131 (FSV) - fire control machine.
- M1132 (ESV) is an armored engineering vehicle designed for engineering reconnaissance, transportation and support of sappers.
- M1133 (MEV) - medical BT.
- M1134 ATGM - anti-tank missile system. The machine has a remote installation for launching anti-tank guided missiles from the ground.
- M1135 (NBCRV) - designed for radiation, chemical, bacteriological reconnaissance.
Conclusion
During the Iraqi and Afghan wars, the Stryker armored personnel carrier proved its worth. Soldiers praise the armored personnel carrier for the good survival of the crew and the landing force during the bombing of mines, land mines, and shelling from small arms and RPGs. They are indispensable in urban environments. Against this background, certain technical flaws of the machine are not critical.