First test-fire of Dragoon 30mm cannon Stryker 8x8 armoured vehicle by U.S. soldiers 12601173

Military Defense Industry Technology - Stryker 30mm
 
First test-fire of Dragoon 30mm cannon Stryker 8x8 armoured vehicle by U.S. soldiers.
For the first time, U.S. Soldiers has performed test-fire with the new 30-millimeter cannon mounted on a Stryker 8x8 combat vehicle called Dragoon as part of testing last week at Maryland's Aberdeen Proving Ground, the program's manager said Tuesday, January 24, 2017.
     
For the first time, U.S. Soldiers has performed test-fire with the new 30-millimeter cannon mounted on a Stryker 8x8 combat vehicle called Dragoon as part of testing last week at Maryland's Aberdeen Proving Ground, the program's manager said Tuesday, January 24, 2017. The first prototype Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle outfitted with a 30mm cannon was delivered to the Army in October. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Program Executive OfficeGround Combat Systems)
     
This summer, Soldiers with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment out of Vilseck, Germany, will get in-depth training with the new Stryker at Aberdeen before the Dragoons become the first Army unit to receive them.

The U.S. Army now has four prototypes of the new Stryker, also nicknamed Dragoon, with four more expected to be delivered in the next few months, he added.

With the program's relatively quick acquisition of the vehicles, which began in fall 2015 at a cost of more than $400 million, the Army plans to have the first of the 83 Dragoons fielded by the end of fiscal year 2018, according to the colonel Glenn Dean.

The Stryker program is now focusing more on improving the way the combat vehicle fights and moves, after years of modifying it to withstand attacks.

The upgraded Strykers will integrate a Kongsberg MCT-30mm Weapon System with a remotely-operated, unmanned turret; a new, fully-integrated commander's station; and upgraded driveline component and hull modifications, according to information from Program Executive Office-Ground Combat Systems.