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before it arrives in Iraq, the Stryker is being cobbled with new, heavier armor designed to withstand the type of firepower Iraqi guerrillas are using. Strykers also are being fitted with grillwork that resembles a huge catcher's mask; the grill is designed to trigger a rocket-propelled grenade before it hits the vehicle body. The Stryker's base armor is a steel body that protects it from up to 7.62mm fire, which is normal small-arms ammunition. The layer of ceramic tiles is supposed to bring the level of protection up to 14.5mm fire, which is heavy machine-gun level.

In Iraq, the three primary means of attack are RPGs, samll arms, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The armor was already good enough for the small arms (haven't heard of any heavy MG attacks). The armor was probably all right for IEDs (normally "off-set" & detonated as a vehicle drives by) as well--it certainly will be with the armor up-grade. And the grill should neutralize RPGs. All good stuff.

The problem is, the Strykers are very seldom going to be attacked. Combat units in Iraq now, even in HMMWV & 5-tons, are not being hit. The Iraqis have already figured out the difference between our logistics & admin traffic versus our combat arms guys. When attacked, combat arms units immediately counter-attack and do all they can to pursue, hunt-down and kill the attackers. The support elements simply try to break contact. A convoy of trucks carrying an infantry company can roll down a road untouched while a logistics convoy 5 minutes later on the same road gets hit hard.

It'll be interesting to see what tactics the Stryker guys use to defeat that threat.