Does anybody remember when the big seling points or the IBCT/Stryker Brigades were their abiity to deploy anywhere in the world in 96 hours and the main combat vehicle (the Styrker ) coudl be assualt landed  from a C-130?  Whatever hapedn to those requirements?

 

Striker Vehicle Controversy...

 

Deployability of the IBCT...

 

Is the U.S. Army Already "Tr...

 

Now we have paid for a monster that is not anymore deployable than a brigade equipped with Bradleys and is more restricted by terrain.

 

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Picture available at:     http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/10...
   

Stryker was intended as a modular system to a large degree with hull commonality across missions - the idea was to have a rapidly deployable system with good range, broad capabilities and a simplified supply chain - the problem as with any modular system is the initial complexity and the compromises (armour, weapon systems) that come from using the same basic system across such a wide spectrum of roles. The new IFV specified by DARPA will replace much of what the M2 could provide but will be mine-resistant, interestingly the projected weights come in at up to 80 tonnes!

 

 

 

The two major variants offered for the "battlefield taxi" are the Stryker (with tracks), and now a variant of the Bradley has been offered, that weighs up to 84 tons (more notably, than an M1A2).    The Stryker variant shares (according to the propaganda) about 80% common parts with the wheeled version, has the "V" hull, and weighs far less (current estimates are 32 tons - less than half - of the competing Bradley variant).

 

The primary objective of the AMPV is to replace the M113 - not the Bradley.  And the Stryker is far better protected than the M113. 

 

Are we perhaps getting so afraid of casualties that we're going to armor ourselves out of the ability to efficiently project power?  Where is this tradeoff?  At 84 tons,  the Bradley variant is going to be seriously limited by transportability, and the far fewer number of bridges it can cross.