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Stryker Vehicles in Iraq

Apr- 3-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

StrategyPage has an update on the Strykers' performance in Iraq to date. I'm not sure about some of the facts in the first paragraph, however. I think the driver and commander were both in the vehicle.

[Link to Full Article]

April 3, 2004: After four months in Iraq, the Stryker brigade up in Mosul lost its first Stryke[r] armored vehicle to an RPG attack on March 28th. Two RPGs were fired at the vehicle and one was not stopped by the Slat Armor. The vehicle caught fire and was destroyed. None of the crew were hurt. Only the driver was aboard, and he got out. The rest of the crew (an infantry squad) were on foot patrol at the time.

About half a dozen RPG rounds have previously been fired at the brigades 309 Strykers, only causing minor damage. Two Strykers were damaged when hit by a roadside bomb. Only one soldier was injured. Three Stryker crewmen were killed, back in December, when a Stryker rolled over when part of the dirt embankment underneath it collapsed.

The troops like the Stryker, mainly because it's faster than the M-2 Bradley tracked armored infantry vehicle that many of the troops had used earlier in their careers. The Stryker has a smoother ride and it is quiet. This has proved to be a significant advantage when going on raids, or just patrolling. The road wheels and metal pads of a tracked armored vehicle make a lot more noise. The Iraqis are unnerved by silent Strykers sneaking up on them.


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