The US State Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Bulgaria of Stryker 8×8 armoured vehicles, the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) announced on 1 September 2023.
The sale, which is worth USD 1.5 Bn (EUR 1.4 Bn), has been passed to the US Congress for final approval.
The DSCA’s statement that the principal contractor for this sale will be General Dynamics Land Systems’ site at Anniston, Alabama, suggests that the Strykers sold to Bulgaria will be refurbished vehicles rather than new ones, as the Anniston site is a key site for Stryker refurbishment work.
Bulgaria’s request covers up to 183 Stryker vehicles consisting of 90 XM1296 Infantry Carrier Vehicles – Dragoon; 17 M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicles; nine M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicles; 33 M1130 Command Vehicles; 24 M1133 Medical Evacuation Vehicles; and 10 M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicles.
The package also covers a number of supporting vehicles and weapons: five Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) Light Equipment Transports; five Modular Catastrophic Recovery Systems (MCRS); two M1120A4 HEMTT Load Handling Systems; five M984A4 Wrecker HEMTTs; 107 M240 coaxial 7.62 mm machine guns.
Also included are M-153A4 Common Remote Operated Weapons Stations (CROWS), Forward Repair Systems, M2A1 .50 cal machine guns, M6 smoke grenade launchers, AN/VAS-5 Driver’s Vision Enhancers (DVEs), DVE-Wide systems, communications equipment including Harris radios, RS6 (LW30) remote weapon systems, TACFLIR 280 HDEP systems, Ranger R20SS radars and ROVER6Si transceivers, along with spare parts and training, logistics, technical and programme support.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon had opted to send a company of Stryker vehicles to Bulgaria to bolster the multinational battlegroup there
Peter Felstead
