DTN News: General Dynamics Awarded $55 Million To Reset Stryker Vehicles

DTN News: General Dynamics Awarded $55 Million To Reset Stryker Vehicles *Source: DTN News / General Dynamics (NSI News Source Info) STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. USA - July 23, 2009: General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command (TACOM) to reset 330 Stryker infantry combat vehicles. The contract has a maximum potential value of $55.2 million.The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled all-wheel-drive armored combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army. Based on the Canadian LAV III light-armored vehicle, which in turn is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha III 8x8, the Stryker is the U.S. Army's first new armored vehicle since the M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle in the 1980s. The Stryker was championed by General Eric Shinseki when he was U.S. Army Chief of Staff. The vehicle is employed in Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, light and mobile units based on the Brigade Combat Team Doctrine that relies on vehicles connected by military C4I networks.

Through this contract, General Dynamics will service, repair and modify Stryker vehicles that are returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom, restoring them to a pre-combat, like-new condition in advance of reissuing the vehicles prior to their next deployment.To date, General Dynamics has delivered 2,852 new vehicles for seven separate Stryker brigades to the Army. With more than six million miles accumulated through two completed Operation Iraqi Freedom rotations since October 2003, the Stryker vehicle has demonstrated a combined fleet operational-readiness rate of 96 percent. The Stryker is an eight-wheeled vehicle, which is lighter, smaller and more readily deployable than other Army combat vehicles and can travel at speeds up to 62 mph on roads with a range of 312 miles. There are 10 configurations of the Stryker: Infantry Carrier Vehicle; Anti-tank Guided Missile; Mobile Gun System; Mortar Carrier; Command Vehicle; Reconnaissance Vehicle; Engineer Squad Vehicle; Medical Evacuation Vehicle; Fire Support Vehicle; and Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Reconnaissance. The variants have 85 percent parts commonality, which simplifies logistics. Strykers operate with the latest electronic equipment and an integrated armor package to protect soldiers against improvised explosive devices, rocket propelled grenades and a variety of infantry weapons.General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 92,900 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com..