Here the view from the soldier on the ground that use
Stryker:
Soldiers in field stand up for Stryker
By Edward Harris
Associated Press
April 05, 2005
MOSUL, Iraq For soldiers inside the Armys newest troop transport
vehicle, the armored combat Stryker rides like a cross-town bus as
it sways softly atop its rubber tires, its brakes hissing quietly
before the back shoots open and troops leap onto the streets of one
of Iraqs most dangerous cities.
Some 300 Strykers are patrolling northern Iraq after their
September 2003 introduction vanguard of a multibillion dollar
program that commanders say boosts their chances in a largely
hit-and-run battle with insurgents.
Rank-and-file soldiers hailed the Stryker during recent patrols in
Mosul as faster, quieter and safer than other combat vehicles
despite last weeks internal Army study that found numerous design
flaws.
Weve been hit with (roadside bombs) and rocket-propelled grenades
several times. We have taken direct machine-gun fire, said Spc.
George May of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division based in Fort
Lewis, Wash. The Stryker has saved everyones lives at least once.
Its perfect for what were doing, which is urban warfare.
Strykers are designed to carry troops on patrols and into combat
like Bradley fighting vehicles, or the Humvees that have came under
criticism for lacking proper armor. But while the boxy Strykers
somewhat resemble tanks, they generally lack heavy cannons and are
propelled by wheels instead of tracks.
In Mosul, Iraqs third-largest city with more than 2 million
people, the Strykers race along main streets and creep quietly
through winding back alleys, searching for insurgents who bury
artillery shells and mines in roadsides and target the vehicles
with rocket-propelled grenades.
Soldiers say the Stryker is quieter, allowing them to sneak up on
the enemy. And they say its partially jerry-rigged armor guards
them better than Humvees.
Unlike the tank-like, tracked personnel carriers that predominate
across the rest of Iraq such as the Bradley the four wheels on
either side of the 19-ton Stryker give it speed, stealth and
mobility that allows it to outmaneuver insurgents, officers
say.
For what were doing, I think the Stryker is excellent, said May,
a 27-year-old native of Upper Dublin, Pa.
Still, an Army report from the Center for Army Lessons Learned
found the vehicle bogs down in mud and the engine strains under
5,000-pound armor added by the Army.
The metal mesh armor, designed to deflect rocket-propelled grenades
and large shrapnel from improvised bombs, has earned it a nickname:
the bird cage.
The report also said the armors extra weight has caused problems
with the automatic tire pressure system, requiring crews to check
the tires three times a day.
The Army should not put inadequately tested equipment in the
field, as it creates a false impression that the troops are
properly equipped to fight in combat, said Eric Miller, who
investigates defense issues for the oversight group.
In Iraq, infantrymen and officers bridled at the report, saying
many of the problems have been fixed and insisting the Strykers
speed upwards of 60 mph outweighs any deficiencies.
The soldiers duties in Mosul center on countering the militants
favored attack tactics: suicide car bombings, roadside
remote-controlled explosives and anti-tank mines wrapped in garbage
bags and left along roads.
Soldiers who ride inside or stand up through portals in the roof
spring from the Strykers back hatch to search vehicles for car
bombs or passengers for illegal weapons. Bristling with guns and
antennae, the vehicle will lurch to a halt while an officer
screams: Get out! Get out! Get out! to urge his soldiers down a
back ramp.
The soldiers say they often confiscate weapons and arrest suspected
insurgents contending the Strykers agility gives them the upper
hand.
And without clattering tracks, the vehicles draw less attention,
especially at night and during clashes, they say.
For what were doing, the Stryker is much better than a Bradley,
because its much faster and quieter, said Spc. Michael Neel, a
24-year-old Stryker driver from Ridgecrest, Calif., who has also
piloted a Bradley.
Being quiet is an advantage because they dont know where were
at. If they attack us, we can circle around behind them without
them hearing us, because the firefights are loud. You cant even
notice us driving up.
Still, Neel says hed rather ride in a Bradley during a large-scale
battle between massed forces because of its heavier
firepower.
The $7 billion Stryker program is intended as a stepping stone to
the ultimate goal: a high-tech family of fighting systems known as
the Future Combat System, expected to include unmanned ground and
aerial vehicles.
Officers say the Stryker is part of a larger drive by the Pentagon
to turn the Army into a fighting force that can react to threats
more quickly.
Lt. Col. Michael Gibler, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 21st
Infantry Regiment, said his squad of Strykers has weathered about
100 rocket-propelled attacks, without one of the rounds ever
killing a soldier inside.
Like the troops, Gibler, 41, of San Antonio, Texas, said hes
surprised by the Strykers civilian vehicle-like ride.
Ive got a Ford F-250 at home that I haul my horses around with,
he said. And the Stryker arguably handles better than my
truck.
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-766691.php
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe for urban warfare, we do need something like that.
In fact, I hope that SAF will replace the old V-200 with the
Terrex, it certainly offer better protection and mobility than the
old 4x4 V-200.
The advantages of having a wheeled vehicle for urban warfare is
that they are quiet and faster speed as compare to a tracked
vehicle.
But for conventional warfare, tracked still rule.
