Ongoing programmes to equip US Army Stryker vehicles with new weapon systems are intended to boost both lethality and survivability.
The US Army’s Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT) were conceived in 1999 as an interim level armoured unit to fill the void between heavy (mechanised) and light infantry formations. The Stryker family of vehicles (FOV), based on the General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C) Light Armoured Vehicle III (LAV III), was developed to equip these units. The 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicles were originally presented in 10 variants (this has now increased to 19 separate iterations); the Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) and its direct derivatives, as well as the Reconnaissance Vehicle (RV) variant are the most common. GDLS won the Stryker production contract in November 2000. Between 2002 and 2014, the US Army acquired 4,466 vehicles, which currently equip eight brigade-equivalent units. While procurement of new vehicles ended a decade ago, the Stryker FOV has been repeatedly upgraded to enhance performance and survivability, or to equip portions of the fleet to perform new missions.
’Third-generation Stryker’
The most important enhancement programmes to date include the Double-V hull (DVH) upgrade initiated in 2011. The original Stryker design featured a flat underbody, but it – and a subsequent Single-V underbody variant – had proven vulnerable to IEDs in Afghanistan and Iraq. The double-hull design significantly improved survivability. An improved Double-V design (DVH A1) was tested in the period 2016-2019 and was found to have a 93% probability of completing a mission without aborting.
This latest hull design is accompanied by additional engineering changes including stronger armour, a larger interior, a stronger engine and suspension, wider tyres, and enhanced onboard electrical power capacity to facilitate future network upgrades and integration of new mission equipment packages. The upgrades have led some observers to refer to the A1 series as the ‘Third Generation Stryker’. “The DVHA1 offers substantial improvements in mobility, power and network interoperability. It has got a larger horsepower engine and improvements in suspension and larger tires, giving it greater ground mobility,” according to Colonel William Venable, Army SBCT project manager, in June 2020.
A total of seven variants are produced in the A1 configuration, including the infantry carrier vehicle (ICV), designated the ICVVA1. The first operational brigade was equipped during the second half of 2020. Conversion of flat-bottomed vehicles to the double-hull configuration is still in progress, with GDLS’ current DVH A1 production contract running through FY 2025. According to an Army Request for Information (RFI) published in March 2023, the service plans to award a follow-on contract for the 2026-2031 timeframe. The RFI seeks to assess industry’s capacity to produce new DVH A1 hulls and provide integration and support services.
Other ongoing major projects seek to significantly enhance the combat power of the ICV and RV variants by replacing the Protector M151 remote weapon station (RWS) which is armed with a machine gun or automatic grenade launcher. Instead, the vehicles are to be equipped with either a common remote weapon station armed with Javelin missiles (CROWS-J), or a 30 mm medium calibre weapon system (MCWS).
The impetus for up-arming the Stryker was the realisation – manifested after the 2014 annexation of Crimea – that the Stryker would be at a significant disadvantage against Russian armoured combat vehicles, especially the BMP-3. The Army expects both weapon replacement programmes to enhance the survivability and combat effectiveness of the Stryker by providing overmatch against peer and near-peer adversaries. These weapon conversion projects are classified as Acquisition Category 1C, which identifies them as major defence acquisition programmes. Both programmes are ongoing.
CROWS-J
The first, urgent-requirement fielding of Strykers armed with Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) resulted in 86 such ICVs being delivered to the 2d Cavalry Regiment (2CR) stationed in Vilseck, Germany in 2018. However, the rapidly configured solution was not optimal, leading the Army to refine the technical concept. The Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract for the improved CROWS-J system was awarded to Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace as prime contractor and primary system developer in 2019. Major partners include Raytheon/Lockheed Martin for the Javelin missile, and GDLS as systems integrator.
The CROWS-J upgrade consists of the stabilised M153 CROWS II weapon mount produced by Kongsberg, modified to fire the FGM-148 Javelin. This permits the Stryker to directly engage targets up to and including main battle tanks (MBT) at distances up to 4,000 m, while crews remain under armour. The CROWS is configured to mount a single Javelin tube at a time. After firing, the tube must be replaced. This requires two crew members to expose themselves through their hatches; an official Army video produced in April 2022 shows the procedure being accomplished within approximately 60 seconds.
In addition to the ATGM, the CROWS also carries a 12.7 mm (.50 cal) M2HB Mk2 heavy machine gun (HMG) or a 40 mm Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher (AGL), as well as an integrated surveillance and targeting sensor suite. The latter includes optronic cameras, a TIM 1500 thermal imaging module and the Storm II Laser Rangefinder (LRF). According to the Army, the sensor suite and fire control software enable setting on-the-move target reference points, programmable target reference points, programmable sector surveillance scanning, automatic target tracking and programmable no-fire zones.
The combination of enhanced optics, fire control system, and elevation of the platform permits the Stryker to engage targets at a greater range than dismounted infantry are able to. “Including both optics and control of the primary vehicular weapon system, [CROWS-J allows] operators to engage targets from inside the vehicle at extreme distance with an increased resolution in the camera feed,” said Colonel Andrew Kiser, commander of the Fort Carson, Colorado-based 2nd SBCT (2SBCT) upon receiving the first new systems in 2022.
To date, the 2SBCT of the 4th Infantry Division is the only major unit to be equipped with the CROWS-J system. Those 2022 deliveries were conducted under an urgent materiel release. Officially the programme currently remains in the EMD phase. The Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) has criticised the Army’s testing of the CROWS-J system. The service’s Follow-On Test and Evaluation (FOT&E) of the CROWS-J was concluded in November 2021.
Numerous technical issues were detected during this process, which included software reliability problems, as well as system integration challenges which led to slower-than-anticipated engagement of targets. The Army and Kongsberg have been working to remedy these shortcomings, however, the DOT&E’s annual report published in January 2023 notes that the Army has not verified through testing that these issues have actually been resolved. The report recommends that the Army convene a failure review board while continuing to implement corrective actions, then conduct a new FOT&E to verify that all deficiencies have been addressed. Additional brigades will subsequently be equipped under a conditional materiel release after resolution of the issues discovered during the 2021 FOT&E. The conversion is slated to run through 2027.
30 mm MCWS
The Army’s first effort to install a 30 mm cannon on the Stryker dates back to an urgent requirements request presented by the 2CR in April 2015. Emergency funding was allocated to design and equip a stabilised, unmanned, medium-calibre turret-30 mm (MCT-30) weapon system. Infantry carriers receiving the new turret were designated the Dragoon or ICV-D. A total of 81 units were delivered to the 2CR in early 2018; this represents half of the vehicles in the regiment’s rifle and scout platoons, balancing out the Javelin-armed Strykers delivered to the unit that same year. As soldiers gained experience with the Dragoon, a few weak points became apparent (over and above the fact that the 30 mm turrets had been applied to original-build, comparatively vulnerable flat-bottomed Strykers).
The Army later rebooted the programme with the intent to outfit Double-V hull ICV vehicles with the 30 mm cannon. A new engineering concept competition was conducted in the period August-December 2020, with the 30 mm MCWS design presented by Oshkosh Defence selected. The firm has partnered with Pratt Miller and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for the project. The contract for production and fielding the MCWS for “up to” six SBCTs was awarded to Oshkosh in June 2021. The cumulative contract – which also includes complete system technical support, interim contractor logistics support, and integrated product support – is valued at USD 942.9 M. Orders for 91 and 83 MCWS equipped vehicles were placed in June and August 2021 respectively, with the goal of outfitting the first two brigades.
The primary component of the MCWS is the 30 mm XM813 cannon mounted on a modified Rafael SAMSON turret. The weapon will fire the MK 238 high explosive incendiary – tracer (HEI-T) anti-materiel/anti-personnel round and the MK 258 armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot-tracer (APFSDS-T) round; both munitions are produced by Nammo. According to the firm, the armour-piercing round can penetrate 100 mm of rolled homogenous armour equivalent (RHAe) at 1,000 metres.
Other elements of the new weapon system include smoke grenade launchers, a mount for an optional 7.62 mm machine gun, a fire control system, a stabilised day/night sight system, and an automated dual-feed ammunition handling system for the main gun. The dual-feed system provides the ability to deploy programmable airburst munitions, as well as the HEI-T and AFPSDS-T. The armour-piercing munition, in particular, permits the Stryker to effectively engage medium armoured fighting vehicles. According to an Army statement, the weapon system supported by high-performance optics will ensure the MCWS-equipped Stryker can engage targets at ranges of 3,500 metres.
To accommodate the new weapon system and to make full use of its capabilities, the upgrades will also include some redesign measures including: a new hull configuration; increased protection; upgraded suspension and braking system; wider tyres; blast-attenuating seats; and a height management system (HMS) which allows the crew to modify ground clearance through hydro-pneumatic suspension struts.
The DTO&E approved the Army’s Test and Evaluation Master Plan for the 30 mm MCWS in June 2021. The first seven Stryker ICVVA1 vehicles with the new weapon suite were delivered to the Army for testing in August 2022 for production verification testing (PVT). The 1-2 SBCT based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington State will be the first major unit to be equipped with the 30 mm MCWS. Fielding to the 1-2 SBCT is being conducted under a conditional materiel release pending completion of the FOT&E and the Live Fire Test & Evaluation (LFT&E) by the end of Fiscal Year 2023. Test results will be reported to the DOT&E, which will assess test adequacy and publish a combined FOT&E/LFT&E report in the first quarter of FY 2024. Deliveries to three SBCTs are expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Air Defence and EW in, MGS out
The mobile, distributed lethality upgrades represented by the MCWS and the CROWS-J will provide better tactical options than the Stryker Mobile Gun System (MGS) which was one of the original 10 Stryker variants. Citing operational obsolescence as well as sustainability issues with the 105 mm MGS – which had originally been devised to support infantry assaults by destroying or suppressing enemy bunkers, machine guns and sniper positions – the Army retired the MGS in late 2022.
Overall, however, the Stryker FOV continues to add new variants. This includes an electronic warfare (EW) vehicle deploying the Terrestrial Layer System – Brigade Combat Team (TLS-BCT) which combines cyberspace operations, EW and signals intelligence capabilities. Contributions range from jamming enemy UAVs to disrupting enemy communications networks to providing brigade commanders with enhanced situational awareness. Lockheed Martin won the contract to outfit Strykers with the ’next generation’ EW system in April 2023.
The Stryker ICV also serves as the platform for the Army’s Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system. M-SHORAD is intended to defend mobile forces from the full spectrum of air-breathing threats including fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, cruise missiles, and UAVs. The initial procurement decision was made in 2018. Stryker was chosen because of the armoured vehicle’s survivability and manoeuvrability, as well as the onboard power capacity.
The M-SHORAD system is being implemented in three increments. Increment I calls for 144 vehicles, sufficient to outfit four battalions of 40 systems each (further procurement for up to five additional battalions remains an option). The first unit to be fully equipped is the 5th Battalion of the 4th Air Defense Artillery (5-4 ADA) stationed in Ansbach, Germany, which received its full complement in 2021-2022. The second unit will begin fielding in the 4th quarter of FY 2023.
The Increment I vehicles’ weapons turret mounts two AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles capable of hitting ground targets, four FIM-92 Stinger family missiles, an XM914 30 mm cannon and an M240 7.62 mm machine gun. Leonardo DRS, which received the systems integration contract, provides the multi-mission RADA fire control/air surveillance radar system with 360° coverage. This configuration is in the process of being revised slightly – according to US Army M-SHORAD operators who spoke to ESD, the Longbow Hellfire missile armament is due to eventually be replaced by a second pod of four Stingers.
Increment 2 is also designated as the Directed Energy Manoeuvre SHORAD (DE M-SHORAD). Kord Technologies and their industry partner Raytheon Intelligence & Space were selected in 2019 and 2021, respectively, to jointly integrate and test a 50 kW laser and associated sensors on the Stryker ICV. The laser will be powered by high-capacity batteries which are charged by the Stryker’s diesel engine. The primary mission will be to counter UAVs, as well as counter rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) operations. While early testing has proven successful against a variety of UAVs and some mortars, the Army reports that challenges remain for the C-RAM role.
The first four DE M-SHORAD systems were delivered to Fort Sill, Oklahoma between January and September 2023. The Army had delayed the deliveries by several months in order to ensure technical maturity had been achieved. The first four units will form a platoon assigned to an active duty air defence battery. The platoon’s personnel will develop tactics, techniques and procedures before beginning the operational user assessment phase in 2024. An additional eight systems are to be delivered through 2024, whereby the Army has stated that unspecified design changes are already planned for those units. Lt. General Robert Rasch, director of the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, stated in August 2023 that DE M-SHORAD will transfer to the Program Executive Office Missiles and Space in 2025, becoming an acquisition programme of record.
M-SHORAD Increment 3 will be based on Increment 1. It will replace the aging Stinger missile with its designated successor, the next-generation short-range interceptor. This weapon is currently in the design and development stage, though a production decision is not expected before FY 2027. Increment 3 will also add the XM1223 multi-mode proximity airburst (MMPA) munition to the 30 mm cannon’s arsenal. Development of the MMPA is expected to begin in 2024.
StrykerX
The Army plans to operate the Stryker FOV through 2050. GDLS presented a concept demonstrator dubbed StrykerX at the 2022 Association of United States Army (AUSA) defence exhibition. Not intended as the basis for an immediate production tender, the StrykerX showcases advanced technologies which could flow into future medium-weight armoured vehicles, including any future Stryker iterations.
Improvements include: side-by-side seating for the driver and commander, permitting the latter to take control of the vehicle if needed (current Strykers have a tandem configuration with the commander behind the driver); a roomier passenger cabin; integrated APS; integrated cyber-defence capability; a roof-launched reconnaissance UAV; a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system which would reduce fuel consumption and thermal emissions while enabling silent overwatch and silent movement to objective. With the Army seemingly intent on constant incremental improvement of the Stryker FOV, it is quite possible that some of these technologies will find their way into future upgrades.
Sidney E. Dean
