via Military.com
"The Stryker needs to get up-gunned; a World War II weapon system on a Stryker? It needs a bigger gun," Carabello said. "It needs something that is a better platform than a MK 19 or a .50 caliber machine gun."Hmm.
The need is now greater, officials maintain, since the Army is cutting the number of MGS Strykers from 27 to 10 per SBCT.
Currently, Training and Doctrine Command is working with Stryker program officials on a plan that could mean mounting a 30mm cannon on to the remote weapons stations on Stryker infantry carriers.
This would give much greater firepower and still not require a turret be mounted on the Stryker, Army officials say. The plan is to purchase a company set of 30mm cannons, test them, and also try to determine should they be issued for every Stryker of have one per company, officials said.
"Looking at the fire fights we have had on a continuous basis … we see the need to be able to provide an overmatch in the close fight as well for the purpose of ensuring freedom of maneuver and action of our infantry squads," McMaster said.
A .50 caliber machine gun can be very effective, "but you don't get a round that blows up and ends firefights," McMaster said.
Lightly-armed IBCTs also need mobile protected firepower such as a light tank for forced-entry style missions, Army leaders began saying earlier this year.
The conventional Army's primary unit for that mission is the XVIII Airborne Corps' 82ndAirborne Division, "but all of our IBCTs are pretty strategically mobile," Brig. Gen. David Haight, chief of infantry at Benning.
"So in the early hours and days of forcible-entry missions, we need a light-tank force that can facilitate movement and provide those light forces with additional protection and firepower."
The 82nd Airborne Division was equipped with the M551 Sheridan Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle until the mid 1990s. Developed during the Vietnam War, the Sheridan resembled a light tank and featured a 152mm main gun capable of firing standard ammunition or the MGM-51 Shillelagh antitank missile.
The Sheridan was used in the Invasion of Panama in 1989 and Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1991, but it was considered ineffective since its lightweight, aluminum armor was thin enough to be pierced by heavy machine-gun rounds, and the vehicle was particularly vulnerable to mines.
Army officials were considering the Stryker MGS, but it has proven to be less effective in off-road operations.
Maneuver officials say they would want a platform that could be air-dropped from a C-130 aircraft. It should have a base armor package capable of defeating 14.5mm ammunition. Once follow-on forces arrive, addition armor packages could be bolted on as necessary.
One option could be to take another look at the Armored Gun System, a 105mm light tank that the Army had considered as a replacement to the Sheridan in the mid 1990s.
It met the requirement in 1996 and still does, according to Benning officials, who described the AGS as "old technology that kills T72 tanks."
Wonder how I missed this.
Its interesting that at least one publication has identified the Elbit UT-30 as the weapon system of choice. Nothing against Elbit but there are better systems available like the Canada Rheinmetall Lance or the Pence 30.
The thought that Big Army is also talking about a Airborne Light Tank again is thrilling.
If the Army keeps this up I might have to setup an alert for news from that service.
About damn time. Need to upgrade the Bradleys to 30mm across the fleet as well (same as the Brit Warrior system).
ReplyDeleteThe Warrior will be fitted with even more powerful 40mm CTA cannon firing telescoped rounds.
Deleteadaptus primus you beat me to it.... 40mm CTA cannon is a 600 lb system, with a much more lethal punch.
DeleteWell, well, well, finaly Stryker will recive some teeth.
ReplyDeleteAn Oerlikon 35 mm/1000 KDG would be cool(chuck on some ATGMs and a 7.62mm coaxial.), they have already mounted it on the skyranger.
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ReplyDeleteJust a small correction, the new SBCT structure calls for 3 MGS platoons of 4 guns each. That's 12 MGSs per brigade. All three MGS platoons are grouped together under Brigade anti-tank company. Keep in mind that MGS wasn’t approved for full rate production. Only 113 units were produced.
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ReplyDeleteA M-8 bufford light tank right under 20tn with updated armored suite with a active defense system and you would get a airborne mobile tank. C-130J has that all day, a C-17 could bring what 3 maybe 4, and hell I think a super stallion can sling load around 18tn that is getting pretty close.
ReplyDeleteThat last part means you could really put some nasty on someone. A helo assault with that kind of firepower hell if you have enough assets you could have a mechanized helo assault. Maneuver warfare extreme.
I think you are definitely onto something with developing some small lighter vehicles, especially now that we have ADS and electronic/mechanical systems that can reduce crew requirements. If designed right and utilizing modern armour technology they could probably be relatively well armoured to.
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FV101_Scorpion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiesel_AWC
This is a logical decision and I can say even a late one as well. The stryker is a 15ton 8x8 large vehicle and armed with only a 50cal on a non-stabilized remote weapon station with an uncooled low performance thermal imager and no armor protection at all!
ReplyDeleteFor a COIN mission with faced with insurgents with assault rifles or machineguns, this weapon could do the job. However what happens when you are in a stryker and suddenly come face to face with a BMP-2/3 or ZBD04?
At least some of the stykers should be armed with a turret, preferably a remote one with 30mm auto-cannon and advanced sight system with hunter-killer capability with full armor protection.
That is why I dont like the vehicle, I understand low weight front-line combat vehicles, but unless they are equally small then how can they be well armored enough? As for reduced crew requirements some of the guns like an Air-Defense gun could be automated like the South Korean AEGIS gun. But the stryker really needs to go.
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