In 2018, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) has delivered 30mm lethality to the U.S. Army’s Stryker fleet with the ICV-Dragoon in collaboration with Kongsberg Defense. Now in 2020, General Dynamics Land Systems is proud to offer the Stryker MCWS (Medium Caliber Weapon System) – upgraded based on two years of Soldier experience and fully integrated on the new Stryker A1 chassis. The Stryker A1 has new features including enhanced 360-degree situational awareness, redesigned squad leader/driver hatch, redesigned 7.62mm coaxial machine gun under armor, relocated smoke grenade launchers and enhanced storage.
While the U.S. Army plans to initially procure three brigade sets of the Stryker MCWS DVH A1 — a total of 83 vehicles per brigade — the service could procure systems for additional brigades at future decision points. The decision to outfit Strykers with a 30mm cannon was based on lessons learned during the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Europe’s evaluation of the Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle Dragoon, built rapidly to fill an urgent operational need in that theater. The U.S Army received $300 million to develop and field a Stryker with a 30mm cannon — supplying eight prototypes to the Germany-based regiment. The funding also covered upgrades to 83 production vehicles plus spares.
General Dynamics and Kongsberg have jointly developed a 30mm turret for integration onto US Army’s Stryker A1 infantry carrier vehicles. The service spent 18 months to put together its Stryker Dragoon using off-the-shelf solutions such as the remote turret from Kongsberg in Norway and the 30mm cannon from Orbital ATK, now owned by Northrop Grumman. The vehicles were shipped off to Europe for a year-long evaluation. Feedback from the evaluation suggested some improvements are needed, particularly related to situational awareness. The turret for the cannon takes up a lot of roof and hatch space and also affects how equipment is stowed, for instance.
The Stryker A1 is upgraded with a new armor package on the floor of the vehicle providing combat-proven double-V hull (DVH) configuration to enhanced survivability against mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The A version is motorized with a more powerful 450-hp diesel engine, a 60,000 pounds (30-ton) suspension, 910-Amp alternator and in-vehicle network. The Stryker A1 retains seating for a 9-Soldier squad, plus a 3-Soldier crew and increased stowage. In July 2020, the Stryker A1 Medium Caliber Weapon System (MCWS) successfully conducted live-fire with its 30mm cannon. According to GDLS, the vehicle is now ready for production.
