Stryker

The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled, all-wheel-drive, armored combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army. Based on the Canadian LAV III light-armored vehicle, which in turn is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha III 8x8, the Stryker is the U.S. Army's first new armored vehicle since the M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle in the 1980s.

The Stryker was championed by General Eric Shinseki when he was U.S. Army Chief of Staff. The vehicle is employed in Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, light and mobile units based on the Brigade Combat Team Doctrine that relies on vehicles connected by military C4I networks.

Design
The Stryker was designed for rapid deployment into virtually any combat zone; it is equipped with various features such as a modual engine design for easier maintenence, periscopes that allow the driver and gunner to see outside without having to expose themselves, and adjustable tires for various rough terrain.

Pneumatic or hydraulic systems drive almost all of the vehicle's mechanical features; for example, a pneumatic system switches between 8X4 and 8X8 drive.

The vehicle comes in several variants with a common engine, transmission, hydraulics, wheels, tires, differentials and transfer case. Two exceptions are the M1130 Command Vehicle and M1133 Medical Evacuation Vehicle, which have an air conditioning unit mounted on the back. The medical vehicle also has a higher-capacity generator. A recent upgrade program provided a field retrofit kit to add air conditioning units to all variants.

Variants
The Stryker chassis' modular design supports a wide range of variants. The main chassis is the Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV). Additionally, there is the Mobile Gun System (MGS), a heavier chassis to support a variant of the 105 mm M68A1 rifled cannon (M68A1E4), a lightweight version of the gun system used on the original M1 Abrams main battle tanks and the M60 Patton main battle tank. The M68A1E4 also features a muzzle brake to assist with recoil and an autoloader, a rare feature on US tank guns.

The Stryker has the following configurations with more planned:


 * M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) : Armored personnel carrier that can carry nine troops. It can be armed with an M2HB .50-caliber machine gun, Mk.19 40 mm grenade launcher, or a M240 7.62 mm machine gun.
 * M1127 Reconnaissance Vehicle (RV)
 * M1128 Mobile Gun System (MGS)
 * M1129 Mortar Carrier (MC) armed with 120 mm Mortar
 * M1130 Command Vehicle (CV)
 * M1131 Fire Support Vehicle (FSV)
 * M1132 Engineer Support Vehicle (ESV)
 * M1133 Medical Evacuation Vehicle (MEV)
 * M1134 Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) armed with TOW missile
 * M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBC RV)
 * MXXXX Self-propelled 105 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) This was a prototype vehicle. It differs from the Mobile Gun System as this variant has the ability to accurately fire shells beyond its line of sight.[20] Worked stopped after the Nov. 2005 demonstration of the prototype.

In MGS4
Deployed and operated by the various Private Military Companies are the M1126 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) and M1128 Mobile Gun System (MGS) that appear in various stages in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Drebin 893 also has his own customized Stryker ICV; this variant has the ability to alter its hull color in a manner similar to Octocamo. PMC Strykers are best avoided by the player, due to their formidable battlefield capabilities.

Tactics
Strykers can be taken out with anti-tank weapons such as the RPG-7, or any other rocket launcher. Be advised that the M72A3 LAW is slightly less powerful than it's other bretheren; so you'll need at least two shots from the LAW to destroy a Stryker. When targeting one, it is best to fire from cover; since the Stryker's gunner can easily spot the player, if he or she fires an anti-tank weapon out in the open.

Trivia
The gunshield fitted on Drebin's Stryker, is not actually used on standard ICVs; they are usually fitted to Reconnaissance variants, who lack the M151 Remote Weapons Station that the ICV is equipped with.