Posted on 02/03/2004 7:52:31 AM PST by Calpernia
A change made to the Stryker infantry vehicle has proven itself in combat.
The 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – also called Task Force Olympia after its Fort Lewis, Wash., home -- is replacing the 101st Airborne Division in this city.
The Stryker, an eight-wheeled infantry transporter, is an armored vehicle designed to stop 124.5 mm rounds. Critics said the main threat in Iraq is rocket-propelled grenades, and that the vehicle would not provide protection from them.
Army officials outfitted the Strykers with what the soldiers call a "cage." The slat armor put on the vehicles in Kuwait does look like a cage. It encircles the vehicle and gives added protection to the body of the Stryker. It is slats placed about 18 inches away from the main body. The theory was that an RPG would hit the slat and "defuse" between the slat and the main armor, said Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, the brigade commander.
The theory was exactly right, he said. "A bit earlier this morning there was an RPG attack against a Stryker vehicle in the eastern part of Mosul," he said to reporters traveling with Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. "It was the second attack against a Stryker, but the first to strike the slat armor.
"It did exactly was it was intended to do," he continued. "When the round impacted on the slat armor, it detonated the warhead. The round defused in that space."
There were no casualties of any kind, he said, and there was "very, very minor damage to the vehicle."
The crew continued its patrol. The patrol was conducting neighborhood engagement, interacting with local citizens.
The crew identified the assailant and tried to call an OH-58 helicopter in on it, but the helicopter crew was unable to regain contact with the assailant.
It was a typical "drive-by" shooting, Ham said. A car drives up about 100 meters away, a gunner pops out of the window or the sun roof and fires the weapon, and the car speeds away.
"We're not surprised the slat armor worked the way it was intended to, and we continue to have great confidence in the Stryker vehicle," Ham said.
All of the 300-plus Strykers in the brigade have this cage.
The Stryker, an eight-wheeled infantry transporter, is an armored vehicle designed to stop 124.5 mm rounds. Critics said the main threat in Iraq is rocket-propelled grenades, and that the vehicle would not provide protection from them.
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SO9
What is a 124.5mm round?
A 124.5mm round (the M1A1/2 tank fires a 120mm round) is about 5" in diameter. If it could stop that bad boy, it could certainly stop an RPG.
I hope all their "interacting" isn't like this!
"It did exactly was it was intended to do," he continued. "When the [RPG]round impacted on the slat armor, it detonated the warhead. The round defused in that space."
Been waiting to see if that contraption worked--good news. And you know the soldiers have had to wonder as well--this news may increase confidence & aggressiveness.
The Stryker didn't return fire and KO the shooters itself because... Oh right, it doesn't have a turret or any real firepower, so it was just a target with a radio. Because all our guns are in the air. The pentawhizzers decided that only things that fly need to shoot.
The ICV provides protected transport for an infantry squad and direct fire support during the dismounted assault. The ICV carries a 9-man squad and retains the capability to provide effective supporting fire to the squad while it is dismounted.
The primary design of the IAV has two variants: The Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) and the Mobile Gun System (MGS). The ICV troop transport vehicle is capable of carrying 9 infantry soldiers and their equipment. It requires a crew of two; a driver and a vehicle commander. There are eight other configurations of the ICV that have combat service and combat support roles. Those configurations include a Commander’s Vehicle (CV), Reconnaissance Vehicle (RV), Fire Support Vehicle (FSV), Mortar Carrier (MC), Anti-Tank Guided Missile vehicle (ATGM), Engineer Squad Vehicle (ESV), Medical Evacuation Vehicle (MEV), and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBC RV).
The infantry rifle platoon is equipped with four ICVs that provide rapid, protected tactical and operational mobility of infantry squads to critical locations on the battlefield. The ICV is a fully mobile system capable of operating in conjunction with infantry and other elements of the combined-arms team. Each ICV has a crew of two (VC and driver) that operates the vehicle. These mounted crews provide critical support to the platoon by operating and maintaining the ICVs and properly employing them on the battlefield to ensure protected delivery of the infantry squads to their dismount point. Once the infantry squads have dismounted the ICVs, the vehicle crew may employ local defensive armament to defeat "thin-skinned" enemy vehicles (trucks or lightly armored vehicles) or dismounted infantry.
The ICV's local defensive armament is capable of defeating "thin-skinned" enemy vehicles (trucks or lightly armored vehicles) and dismounted infantry. ICV crews may employ these weapons to augment the base of fire provided by the platoon's weapons squad. These augmenting direct fires can ensure the infantry squad's freedom of maneuver to close with and destroy the enemy. These fires can also provide accurate suppressive fires on enemy personnel, bunkers, or emplacements and destroy enemy infantry in daylight, at night, or during conditions of limited visibility (smoke, haze, and fog).
The platoon's ICVs and infantry soldiers provide mutual protection for each other while performing their assigned missions. Infantry soldiers provide security for the vehicles while halted, and the ICVs provide rapid, protected battlefield mobility and an augmenting base of fire capability for the dismounted infantry assault.
While the platoon remains mounted, the platoon leader controls the movement of the platoon's ICVs. When the platoon leader dismounts to conduct the assault or other dismounted infantry operations with the infantry squads, the platoon sergeant normally assumes control of the mounted element of the platoon. He maneuvers them in support of the infantry squads and as directed by the platoon leader. For example, if the direct fires of the ICVs are needed to facilitate the maneuver of the squads, the platoon leader may decide to have the platoon sergeant direct the fires of the mounted element to facilitate the platoon's maneuver. The platoon sergeant also can dismount with the rest of the platoon, if required.
The platoon fights as a team. It must be prepared to maneuver in restricted terrain supported by the weapons squad and, when possible, the ICVs and MGS. When the platoon conducts dismounted operations, it has three 9-man rifle squads and a 7-man weapons squad. The key advantage here is that, with the added support of the weapons squad, the infantry no longer has to stay within range of ICV direct fire support. In this case, the ICVs could overwatch, block another avenue of approach, isolate the objective, or conduct other missions.
The different configurations of the Infantry Carrier Vehicle will include:
The NBC Recon and Fire Support vehicles are still in the development stages, and so is the Mobile Gun System. But before the Mobile Gun System is fielded, units will get the Anti-tank Guided Missile Vehicle which will have a TOW system capable of blasting through reinforced concrete bunkers.
Specifications |
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| MISSION CAPABILITY |
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| SURVIVABILITY |
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| ICV MISSION ROLE REQUIREMENTS |
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| SIZE/WEIGHT (INCLUDING BASE ARMOR) | |||
| Length | 275 inches | ||
| Width | 107 inches | ||
| Height | 104 inches | ||
| Combat Weight | GVW 38,000 lbs. | ||
| PERFORMANCE @ GVW | |||
| Maximum speed | 60 mph | ||
| Maximum range | (40mph) 330 miles | ||
| Slope performance: Frontal: | 60% | ||
| Slope performance: Side | : 30% | ||
| Vertical climb | 23 inches | ||
| Gap | 78 inches | ||
| POWER TRAIN & SUSPENSION | Engine 350 hp Transmission 6 speeds forward 1 Reverse Transfer case 2 speed Differentials 4 automotive Suspension 8 wheel hydropneumatic independent with Height Management System Driven wheels 4wd full time 8wd selectable Tires Central Tire Inflation System with runflats Brakes Power brakes with ABS on rear three axles |
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| AIR TRANSPORTABILITY |
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| FIRE SUPPRESSION | 1 shot FM200 for troop compartment 2 shot FE25 for engine compartment Automatically activated |
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| PERSONNEL | 11 total 1 driver 1 vehicle commander 9 troops |
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| ARMAMENT | Remote weapon station (RWS) with a universal soft mount cradle capable of mounting:
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| CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM | (2) roof vent fans (1) crew/engine heater • (1) driver heat exchanger • (2) crew heat exchangers (1) blowers (A/C ready) |
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| VISION | Driver (3) M-17 periscopes (1) Driver’s Vision Enhancer Vehicle Commander (7) M45 periscopes RWS mounted vision devices Thermal imager Video camera |
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| EQUIPMENT |
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