Strykers Adopt Desert Tan Color
CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar – Stryker armored combat vehicles will soon receive a cosmetic makeover for better concealment in Iraq and Afghanistan. The current deep green color will be phased out in favor of desert tan. The first to adopt the change was revealed inside the Stryker battle damage repair facility at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, Oct. 5, an infantry carrier vehicle that had been restored after deterioration during enemy engagement in Iraq.
"Safeguarding soldiers is the primary purpose for this color change," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Peter Butts, 1st Battalion, 401st Army Field Support Brigade commander. "Strykers will blend into surroundings better. They're less likely to stand out like silhouettes." Produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, the eight-wheeled armored combat vehicles have been painted a foliage green color since their combat debut in 2003, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"Talks about changing the color have been ongoing since 2004," said Butts. "Painting this first Stryker helped us understand the necessary man hours, material needs and unit coordination to finally make it happen – it's our proof of principle." Every Stryker vehicle sent to the Qatar repair site will depart desert tan, once administrative requirements are complete.
Tan 686A is a paint meant for desert camouflage. It's the same solid color covering most military equipment throughout Southwest Asia, where encountering dust storms and sand dunes are far more common than thick jungles and rolling prairies. To lighten the current tint while in sandy terrain, Central Command war fighters have relied on dust collected in the abrasive texture of the vehicle's hull and slat armor.
The planned transition to desert tan represents the latest survivability retrofit since Stryker vehicles moved into Afghanistan this summer. Since then, GDLS welders and mechanics have installed mine protection kits, tire fire suppression kits, cameras, engine enhancements and software upgrades.
Stryker combat vehicles provide CENTCOM military operations with the following ten configurations: infantry carrier vehicle; command vehicle; fire support vehicle; engineer support vehicle; reconnaissance vehicle; medical evacuation vehicle; anti-tank guided missile vehicle; mortar carrier; nuclear, biological and chemical reconnaissance vehicle; and mobile gun system. Additional variants and improvement options are constantly explored by GDLS and U.S. government officials.
"This first tan vehicle is for soldiers in Afghanistan," said Rick Hunt, GDLS site manager at the battle damage repair facility in Qatar. "Soon, everything we receive from Iraq and Afghanistan for retrofit and repairs will leave here tan."
