U.S. Army Stryker vehicles have officially received a 30mm cannon upgrade that will give troops the capability to engage enemies up to 3,000 meters away.
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel B. Allyn arrived in Sterling Heights, Michigan, late last week to thank General Dynamics Land Systems Maneuver Collaboration Center for quickly delivering a prototype. Military officials noticed a “unacceptable risk” to U.S. troops with the 2015 Russian annexation of Crimea in Ukraine, and General Dynamics employees responded in “near-record time from concept to delivery.”
“It’s important to realize the genesis of this event,”the officer said Oct. 27, Army News Service reported. “The Russians, it turns out, had upgraded and fielded significant capabilities while we were engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The new Strykers, called “Dragoons” in honor of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, will begin field testing in Europe in 2018. The infantry carriers will likely be transported by C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster, or C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, Military.com reported Monday.
“This is an example of what is possible when government, military and industry leaders unite as one team,” Gen. Allyn added.
Other variants of the Strkyer vehicle are armed with MK19 automatic grenade launchers and .50 caliber machine guns.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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