After testing out a batch of brand new upgunned Stryker infantry fighting vehicles with outfitted 30mm autocannons in Europe, the Army is looking to extend the extra-lethal unmanned weapon system to its existing fleet of up-armored battlewagons.
In an April solicitation, Army Contracting Command detailed a new requirement to integrate the XM813 30mm autocannon capability developed under the Medium Caliber Weapon System (MCWS) moniker onto the Double “V” Hull (DVH) Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICVVA1) that the Army has increasingly embraced to deal with IED attacks.
In October 2018, the Army outlined plans to acquire around 742 Stryker DVH variants through both the new production vehicles and retrofitting existing Stryker vehicles; according to Defense News, the service pans on opening up a competition for defense contractors to present integration and fielding solutions.
According to Defense News, the Army looks to integrate and field its initial batch of upgunned Stryker DVHs to its first brigade by fiscal year 2020.
The 2015 decision to rush upgraded Strykers into the field came shortly after Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, when the U.S. forces realized that that its conventionally-armed Strykers were outclassed by Russia’s BMP-3 tracked infantry fighting vehicle that come with their own 30mm autocannon or 120mm gun mortar systems
The upgunned Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle-Dragoon developed by General Dynamics Land Systems and fielded to 2nd Cavalry soldiers in Europe for testing over the last 18 months have offered a significant range and firepower boost over the standard twin M2 .50 cal machine guns, including munitions options with airburst effects, according to Army Times,
The ICVVA1 variant of the Stryker, engineered with superior engine power and more efficient electrical systems, was “created to fill a capability gap in the European theater,” according to Defense Blog. “This variant increases lethality and provides 2CR the additional assets needed to defend the NATO Alliance against any adversaries if called to do so.”