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Army Finds Stryker Shines In Iraqi Combat Zone

Dec- 1-2004 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT , 3/2 SBCT

The following article was published by Defense Today, which requires a subscription to view full content. We've included an excerpt below. Thanks to Fred for the article.

By Scott Nance

The Army's project manager of Stryker brigade teams gave the new vehicle high marks in its initial use in the war in Iraq.

Some 311 Strykers in Iraq have driven more than 3 million miles, according to Col. Peter Fuller.

Speaking yesterday at a conference in Washington, Fuller heaped praise onto the new platform for its mobility, survivability and other capabilities.

The first Stryker brigade was deployed in Iraq in October 2003, Fuller said. The Army recently used Strykers as part of its campaign against Iraqi insurgents in the city of Fallujah.

"They road-marched a unit down to support that operation," he said. "And then, when Mosul started to heat up, they ran them back up north. We are finding they are very mobile in the theater."

Stryker has also been "very survivable," Fuller said.

The vehicles have taken numerous improvised explosive device (IED) and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hits, and "they keep on surviving," he said.

No IED attack has managed to penetrate the Stryker's hull, Fuller said, though he noted that one vehicle was lost due to a secondary fire.

The Army has been using a slat armor, referred to as a "bird cage," around Strykers to defend against RPGs.

"It's working very well," he said.

Fuller displayed a picture to conference attendees of a scene where an IED had exploded next to a Stryker, with the force of the detonation rolling the vehicle twice.

"No one was killed in this," he said.

Fuller also displayed a photo of the Stryker lost in that secondary fire.

"Everyone walked away—no one gets hurt in this," he said. "As a matter of fact, one individual jumped out and sprained his ankle when he was jumping out." [...]

To maintain the Strykers, the Army has embedded mechanics with the units, whether in the United States or in combat zones, Howe said.

"We're talking about mechanics being embedded in the combat units, just the way reporters were during the initial start of [Operation Iraqi Freedom]," Fuller said.

"They are absolutely embedded with the unit."

I had an opportunity to speak recently with one of the mechanics who was embedded with the 3/2 SBCT last year. He had some very good things to say about the vehicle after seeing it in action during the deployment.


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