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US Stryker Carrier Outgunned by Russian Armored Vehicles

© Flickr / USAFE US Army Stryker infantry carrier vehicles convoy
US Army Stryker infantry carrier vehicles convoy - Sputnik International
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NATO’s Saber Strike 2015 exercises which recently ended the Baltics revealed that US armored carriers are outgunned by their Russian analogues and need to be upgraded, Defense News reported citing Army officials.

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The 2nd Cavalry equipped with the Stryker carrier completed a mission, called Dragoon Ride, which maneuvered 120 vehicles across Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and back to its base in Vilseck, Germany.

"An infantry or armor brigade combat team could not have done Dragoon Ride," the unit’s commander, Colonel John Meyer was quoted as saying. "We just reassured our allies by conducting a 2,200 km movement […] and we could not have done that with a different type of formation."

Nevertheless, in April the Army staff approved a request from Meyer to equip 81 of the carriers with a 30-milimeter cannon against the current 12.7-mm gun.

According the colonel, the 30-mm would permit the Stryker to "destroy like-type vehicles" and clear the way for infantry to use anti-tank missiles.

After the Dragoon Ride, it turned out that the Stryker is outgunned by the Russian BMP-3 transport vehicle, which has either a 100-mm low velocity gun or 30-mm auto-cannon, and Russian BTR-80/82 infantry transporters, which are equipped with a 30-mm automatic cannon, Defense News wrote citing Jim Hasik, a Brent Scowcroft Center resident senior fellow for defense.

He also noted that US allies along the eastern frontier have 30-40-mm guns on their carriers.

According to Hasik, the US Army is considering the 30-mm Bushmaster II cannon to be installed on the Stryker.

The estimated cost to upgrade the Strykers is $3.8 million each. The first unit will be equipped in 27 months.

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