Posted on 09/15/2006 12:05:59 PM PDT by knighthawk
VILSECK, Germany — The U.S. Army welcomed the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment to its new home in southern Germany on Friday as the military moved ahead with plans to shed its heavy Cold War divisions in favor of a lighter, more mobile force.
The brigade has been moving into the Vilseck area over the last three months, bringing an agile, flexible force in to Germany to replace the 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armored Divisions.
Unlike heavy divisions that take a long time to deploy, Stryker brigades are designed to be airlifted quickly to hotspots, fitting aboard the smaller Hercules C-130 aircraft. The vehicles provide far more protection than a Humvee, but have less firepower and armor than tanks or Bradleys.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Ping
Quagmire!
We obviously had no exit strategy for WWII.
Bush's fault!
I thought he was lost over Macho Grande.
The Stryker is a very capable APC and a departure from the standard Army doctrine of using tracked vehicles. It is more mobile than a Bradley and can travel onver roads at better than 65 mph. Currently it has been adapted to 11 variants, from a vehicle to carry infantry troops into a battle, to a 105mm gun carrying platform to an FLA. One was recently toppled by an IED. The vehicle was turned on it's side by a 155mm shell buried in concrete. The vehicle righted itself and they drove away. Only 1 of the normal 3 man crew was injured (with a broken arm). Amazing.
What kind of weapons does the infantry carrier model have? The 25mm chaingun on the Bradley seems to be one of the ultimate general purpose support weapons and I was wondering if the Stryker had something similar.
Either an M2 .50 cal. MG or a Mk-19 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Both can be remotely operated and have both optical and thermal (day and night) sights.
I think the crew is 2 or 3 but it holds 10 infantrymen in addition.
Put a big asterisk next to that statement. It all depends on what you mean by 'mobility'. If you are speaking of tactical mobility, maneuvering under fire, then tracked vehicles are superior due to their lower ground pressure. If you are talking about operational mobility, then a wheeled APC like the stryker will have better range, speed & sustainability. Road marches would be much easier with the Stryker. Finally, strategic mobility would go to those Stryker variants which actually can be loaded into a C-130. AFAIK, some, like the assault gun variant, can not.
Not as heavily armed as a Bradley. But I guess the intent was more towards strategic and tactical mobility than firepower.
I think it´s a well-put expression of the alliance between our countries, and I deeply believe in the future of NATO´s aims. Or can you imagine a better sign of trust between countries than placing troops on the other´s soil(with the approval of the host nation, of course)?
In the infantry variant you are correct
It really has a different mission than the M2A2
Have any been fielded with the 105mm? I thought there were some issues with getting it to work.
The vehicle righted itself and they drove away.
Righted itself? How did it manage that?
I have never ridden in a Stryker but spent a great deal of time in a Bradley. IGoing cross country (even in the desert) in a Bradley is like being a pebble in a tin can that is being shaken. We were exhausted and/or bruised on every sortie. And that was before we dismounted. From what I hear, the Stryker is a lot easier to ride in and it is considerably quieter than any tracked vehicle. It's quietness is a great asset in a raid.
It rolled to the right and rebounded back, landing back on it's wheels. Luck I guess
"Win one for the Zipper!"
>>fitting aboard the smaller Hercules C-130 aircraft
Except that hardly anyone ever does that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.