Combat buses … For several decades, the M113 tracked armored personnel carrier remained the main armored personnel carrier of the American army. The car was released in various versions in a huge series, numbering more than 80 thousand units. The M113 is expected to be completely removed from service by about 2030. The veteran, designed at the turn of the 1950s-1960s, is gradually being replaced by new military equipment.
In the 21st century, the main armored personnel carrier of the American army is the wheeled M1126 Stryker. This four-axle combat vehicle is in service with the mechanized brigades of the ground forces and is the main means of transporting motorized riflemen.
From Switzerland via Canada
The new wheeled armored personnel carrier reached the United States in an interesting way, starting against the backdrop of the tranquil landscapes of alpine meadows. The entire Stryker family of four-axle wheeled combat vehicles is a further development of the Canadian Army LAV III armored personnel carriers. In turn, the Canadians created their own armored personnel carrier based on the Swiss armored personnel carrier Piranha III with an 8x8 wheel arrangement. In the course of all these alterations, the car was modernized by each side at its discretion, but the Swiss "inheritance" has not gone anywhere. The machines are still outwardly similar to each other.
The US military thought about creating a new wheeled armored personnel carrier in 1999, simultaneously with the adoption of a plan for the transformation of the ground forces, taking into account the new realities and a departure from the strategies of the Cold War period. The new combat vehicle was supposed to have good mobility, the ability to easily transport to any part of the world, while occupying a niche between the heavy BMP "Bradley" and light armored SUVs "Humvee". After going through several possible options already on the market, the Americans turned their attention to the technology of their geographic neighbor. The Canadian branch of General Motors Defense Canada offered General Dynamics to take as a basis the already finished LAV III armored personnel carrier as a base for the new combat wheeled vehicles of the American army.
In 2000, after several months of testing, the version with the modernization of the Canadian LAV III armored personnel carrier became the main one. At the same time, a contract was signed providing for the construction of more than two thousand new wheeled combat vehicles. In 2002, full-scale serial production began, in the same year the new armored personnel carrier received an official name. And already in 2003, the first 300 vehicles were transferred to Iraq, where they took part in the hostilities.
General Dynamics Land Systems is responsible for the production of the Strykers. Serial production of these combat vehicles ended in 2014. A total of 4466 "Strikers" were produced, most of them are presented in the version of classic armored personnel carriers. But in total, about ten different options were created, including reconnaissance combat vehicles, communications vehicles, command and staff versions, medical vehicles, engineering vehicles, vehicles for conducting RChBZ reconnaissance, as well as carriers of heavy weapons - 105-mm guns or 120-mm mortar. Most of the Strykers are in service with the US Army. The only foreign operator of the M1126 armored personnel carriers is Thailand, which received 60 such combat vehicles from the presence of the US Army after repairs.
Technical features of the Stryker armored personnel carrier
The four-axle Stryker M1126 armored personnel carrier with an 8x8 wheel arrangement differs in a classic layout for Western vehicles of this class. The all-wheel drive pattern is suitable for off-road driving; on the highway, the Stryker driver can use the 8x4 pattern. In the front of the armored personnel carrier, on the left side, there is traditionally a control compartment - here is the place of the mechanic drive. On the right side in front of the body is the engine compartment. Behind the driver is the place of the commander of the combat vehicle. There are two hatches in the hull roof above the crew's seats. The middle and aft part of the combat vehicle is occupied by the airborne compartment, which can freely accommodate up to 9 motorized riflemen with full equipment and weapons. The landing and disembarkation of troops in the armored personnel carrier is carried out through the aft door-ramp, you can also use the hatches in the roof of the hull above the troop compartment.
Working on a new armored personnel carrier for the American army, General Dynamics engineers used a lot of developments and technical solutions of their colleagues from the Canadian branch of GMC. So the configuration of the hull and the general layout of the combat vehicle practically did not change at all in comparison with the Canadian armored personnel carrier LAV III. At the same time, there are still significant differences in the design of the two combat vehicles of neighboring countries. First of all, all specialists pay attention to the difference in the size of the case. The M1126 Stryker is superior to its predecessors. The Americans decided to increase the height of the combat vehicle to ensure the greatest convenience in accommodating the crew, troops and ammunition being transported.
Also, the height is affected by the use of a V-shaped bottom on a number of vehicles, which protects the crew and troops from being detonated by improvised explosive devices and mines. On the roof above the troop compartment, the basic American armored personnel carrier is 25-30 cm higher than its Canadian relatives. The increase in the height of the car also affected the changes in the design of the hull. On the American armored personnel carrier, the upper frontal part turned out to be longer, it fits farther with the roof of the hull than on the Canadian vehicle.
The Americans paid serious attention to armoring the armored personnel carrier. The body is welded from armor plates up to 12 mm thick, located at rational angles of inclination. In the basic version without attached armor, it provides all-round protection against 7, 62-mm armor-piercing bullets, and in the frontal projection against fire from 14, 5-mm small arms. When using mounted ceramic armor, all-round protection is provided against 14.5-mm armor-piercing bullets and fragments of 152-mm shells, and in the frontal projection, the armor is able to withstand shelling from a 30-mm automatic cannon from a distance of 500 meters. True, when using attachment armor kits, the mass of the combat vehicle increases significantly - from the standard 16, 5 tons to almost 20 tons.
The heart of the armored personnel carrier is the Caterpillar C7 350 hp diesel engine. The engine works in conjunction with an Allison 3200SP automatic six-speed gearbox. When driving on a highway, an armored personnel carrier can reach speeds of up to 100 km / h. The fuel reserve of 215 liters is enough to cover up to 500 km when driving on the highway. The armored personnel carrier cannot swim, but it has good maneuverability, including thanks to a clearance of 500 mm. The machine can overcome walls with a height of 0.6 meters, ditches up to two meters wide, and fords up to 1.2 meters deep.
The armament of most of the M1126 Stryker armored personnel carriers is exclusively machine-gun. The vehicles are equipped with RWS remotely controlled weapons modules with either a large-caliber 12.7 mm M2 machine gun (2000 rounds), or a single 7.62 mm M240B machine gun (4500 rounds), or a 40-mm Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher (448 grenades). Also, the RWS installation usually accommodates up to 4 blocks of four-barreled M6 smoke grenade launchers as standard.
BTR Stryker named after real military personnel
The American wheeled armored personnel carrier M1126, like the entire family of Stryker wheeled combat vehicles, is named after the real-life American military personnel. This is a very rare story in relation to armored vehicles. All Stryker wheeled armored vehicles are named after two dead American soldiers who were posthumously nominated for the highest American military award, the Medal of Honor. The value of the award is evidenced by the total number of awards - approximately 3,500 for all years, of which 1,500 awards occurred during the American Civil War of 1861-1865.
The Stryker family of wheeled combat vehicles are named after Pvt. First Class Stuart S. Stryker and Pvt. Robert F. Stryker. Stewart died at the age of 20 in Germany near the city of Wesel on March 24, 1945. Private 17th Airborne Division Stuart Stryker raised a platoon that lay under enemy machine-gun fire to attack, inspiring his colleagues who followed him by personal example. As a result of his personal courage and the actions of a platoon that had risen to attack, other units of the company were able to bypass the well-fortified house occupied by the Germans and forced the enemy to surrender. Approximately 200 enemy soldiers were taken prisoner, and three American pilots were also released, who were held captive by the Germans in the house.
Private 1st Infantry Division Robert Stryker died in Vietnam at the age of 22 on November 7, 1967 near the locality of Lok Nin. A recon team that Stryker served was ambushed in the jungle. The squad engaged in combat, during which Private Robert Stryker saved six of his comrades from the damaging elements of an enemy-placed Claymore directional mine by covering it with his body.
Evaluation of the M1126 armored personnel carrier
As we can see, the Americans approached the choice of the name for their new wheeled armored personnel carrier with a fair amount of patriotism. As Captain Vrungel said in the famous cartoon: "As you name the yacht, so it will float." The United States has coped with this task for sure. But there are certain questions about the car itself.
Unlike the first models of the tracked M113 and all Soviet / Russian armored personnel carriers of the BTR-80 family, the new American armored personnel carrier lost the ability to float.
Also, experts attribute weak weapons to the disadvantages of an armored personnel carrier. It is clear that such vehicles are not called combat buses for nothing, their main purpose is to bring soldiers to the desired point under the protection of armor. But if necessary, the Strikers can often only support motorized riflemen with machine-gun fire. Most machines are equipped with either 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns. There are also versions equipped with 40mm automatic grenade launchers. It is almost impossible to fight such a set of weapons even with lightly armored enemy vehicles. At the same time, there are plans to increase the firepower of the armored personnel carrier. Options are being considered with the installation of a turret with a 30-mm cannon and a remotely controlled module with the ability to launch a Javelin ATGM.
At the same time, the car has obvious advantages. One of them is a well-developed layout and a good base. The machine is a modernized version of the time-tested and well-proven MOWAG Piranha armored personnel carrier, which is in service with many countries of the world (more than 20 states). As in the vast majority of modern armored personnel carriers, the landing takes place through a ramp located in the rear of the hull, which provides the safest of all possible options when the infantrymen from the front are protected by the entire hull of the combat vehicle. Separately, a good level of armor protection can be distinguished, including through the use of additional mounted ceramic armor; powerful engine; high ground clearance; as well as good mine protection: some of the vehicles were modernized and received a V-shaped bottom with reinforced armor.
