Armor: Strykers Done Ten Million Kilometers

Strykers Done Ten Million Kilometers

July 25, 2006: The U.S. Army has ordered another 103 Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, and another $9.5 million worth of spare parts to repair those coming back from Iraq. Some Stryker units have done two tours in Iraq, and the entire Stryker fleet (about 2,000 vehicles) has accumulated some ten million kilometers of travel. The Stryker fleet has averaged 96 percent readiness. The new ones will cost $1.24 million each. Not cheap, but armored trucks designed for Iraq operations are costing about half a million dollars each. Strykers, like all combat vehicles, are expensive to operate. When you include the cost of maintenance, spare parts, but not fuel, it costs about $7.51 (about $8 with fuel) for each kilometer traveled. In Iraq, Strykers average 12,000-16,000 kilometers on road for each year long tour. So far, the Stryker has been successful in combat, and the troops who use it, like the vehicle. This, however, has a lot to do with the large array of electronic gear each Stryker is outfitted with.