Book Review of
Stryker Interim Combat Vehicle
The Stryker & LAV III
In U.S. & Canadian Service, 1999-2020
Author: David Grummitt
Pen & Sword Books
ICBN: 978-1-52677-418-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $28.95
ICBN: 978-1-52677-418-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $28.95
HISTORY:
The ICV (Infantry Carrier Vehicle) Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems for the United States Army. It has 4-wheel drive (8×4) and can be switched to all-wheel drive (8×8).
The vehicle is named for two unrelated U.S. soldiers who posthumously received the Medal of Honor: Private First Class Stuart S. Stryker, who died in World War II, and Specialist Four Robert F. Stryker, who died in the Vietnam War.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type : Armored personnel carrier – Infantry fighting vehicle hybrid
Place of origin: Canada/United States
In service : 2002–present
Used by: United States
Manufacturer: General Dynamics Land Systems
Unit cost: U.S. $4.9 million (2012)
No. built: about 4,900 including 4,466 vehicles in US Army
Mass: ICV: 18.16 short tons (16.47 t)
MGS: 20.69 short tons (18.77 t)
Length: 22 ft. 10 in (6.95 m)
Width: 8 ft. 11 in (2.72 m)
Height: 8 ft. 8 in (2.64 m)
Crew: Varies, usually 2
Passengers: Up to 9
Armor: 14.5 mm resistant
Main armament: 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun, 40 mm Mk 19 grenade launcher mounted in a Protector remote weapon station, or 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II gun (on Stryker Dragoons), 105 mm M68A2 gun (on M1128 Mobile Gun System)
Secondary armament: 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 and 7.62 mm M240 machine guns (on M1128 Mobile Gun System)
Engine: Caterpillar C7 of 350 hp. (260 kW)
Power/weight: ICV: 19.3 hp./sh. ton (15.8 kW/ton)
Suspension: 8×8 wheeled
Operational range: 310 mi (500 km)
Maximum speed: 60 mph (97 km/h)
The ICV (Infantry Carrier Vehicle) Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems for the United States Army. It has 4-wheel drive (8×4) and can be switched to all-wheel drive (8×8).
The vehicle is named for two unrelated U.S. soldiers who posthumously received the Medal of Honor: Private First Class Stuart S. Stryker, who died in World War II, and Specialist Four Robert F. Stryker, who died in the Vietnam War.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type : Armored personnel carrier – Infantry fighting vehicle hybrid
Place of origin: Canada/United States
In service : 2002–present
Used by: United States
Manufacturer: General Dynamics Land Systems
Unit cost: U.S. $4.9 million (2012)
No. built: about 4,900 including 4,466 vehicles in US Army
Mass: ICV: 18.16 short tons (16.47 t)
MGS: 20.69 short tons (18.77 t)
Length: 22 ft. 10 in (6.95 m)
Width: 8 ft. 11 in (2.72 m)
Height: 8 ft. 8 in (2.64 m)
Crew: Varies, usually 2
Passengers: Up to 9
Armor: 14.5 mm resistant
Main armament: 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun, 40 mm Mk 19 grenade launcher mounted in a Protector remote weapon station, or 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II gun (on Stryker Dragoons), 105 mm M68A2 gun (on M1128 Mobile Gun System)
Secondary armament: 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 and 7.62 mm M240 machine guns (on M1128 Mobile Gun System)
Engine: Caterpillar C7 of 350 hp. (260 kW)
Power/weight: ICV: 19.3 hp./sh. ton (15.8 kW/ton)
Suspension: 8×8 wheeled
Operational range: 310 mi (500 km)
Maximum speed: 60 mph (97 km/h)
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword books is located in England.
This book is soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a Stryker M1132 ESC model from the AFV Club brand 1/35th scale kit, built by modeler David Chou. It was marked as one with the 25th Infantry Div., Kandahar, Afghanistan, 2011.
In the middle there are 3 black and white photos of Strykers.
At the bottom there is a color side-view illustration of a M1130 CV of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Div., Tal Afar, Iraq, 2004.
On the back cover at the top, there is a color photo of an M1130 CV of 2-16 Cavalry, 1172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Div., near Wawah, Iraq in September 2005.
Next is a color photo of a 2nd Cavalry Regiment M1131 FSV on the ranges at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, in March 2016.
Third down the cover is an M1126 ICVV of 4-17 Infantry, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Div., during Exercise Iron Focus in July 2018.
At the bottom there is a color side profile of an M1128 MGS of 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, March 2012.
The book contains 82 color photos (counting the ones on the cover too) and 2 black and white photos.
There are 2 data lists and 14 color side profile illustrations of Stryker variants.
There is a color portrait photo of General Eric Shinsiki and a color photo of a M777- 155mm light towed howitzer..
In the modeling section there is:
A Trumpeter Brand 1/35th scale LAV III built by Carlos Blanco, showing 2 color walk-around photos of the model and a unit badge.
A AFV Club 1/35th scale M1132 Stryker ESV built by David Chou, showing 8 walk-around photos of the model and a unit badge.
A AFV Club brand 1/35th scale M1134 Stryker ATGMV built by modeler Ramon Segarra Guerrero, showing 7 color walk-around type photos.
A AFV Club brand 1/35th scale M1128 Mobile Gun-System built by modeler Sean Lynch, showing 6 color walk-around photos and a unit badge.
A AFV Club 1/35th scale M1296 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle Dragoon (CVD) built by modeler David Chou, showing 8 walk-around color photos of the model made up and a unit badge.
A AFV Club 1/35th scale M1126 Stryker Crows-1, built by modeler David Grummitt, showing 7 color walk-around photos of the model made up and a unit badge.
Next are several pages of kits and accessories for Stryker models.
The Panda brand 1/35th scale M1296 Stryker Dragoon IFV, showing the color box art and a color photo of the model made up
The Trumpeter 1/72nd scale U.S. Army M1126 Stryker ICV, showing the color box art and two color photos of the kit parts trees.
Three 1/72nd scale wheels sets for the M1126 Stryker, two are by Def Model Co., other set is un-named manufacturer.
The Eduard 1/35th scale photo-etched set.
The Real Model brand color box art of their resin accessory it that goes on the AVFClub kit. It is a conversion set.
The RM brand 1/35th scale accessory set.
The Blast Model brand 1/35th accessory set for the AFV Club kit.
The last page of the book shows black and white illustrations of 15 cover arts of other Pen & Sword AFV books, a listing of 20 titles of other ones and a list of 5 more that are forthcoming in the future.
This is a neat book. It is aimed right at modelers planning on doing a Stryker model.
Highly recommended.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of Pen & Sword books. All of Pen & Swords titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at:
Pen & Sword books is located in England.
This book is soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a Stryker M1132 ESC model from the AFV Club brand 1/35th scale kit, built by modeler David Chou. It was marked as one with the 25th Infantry Div., Kandahar, Afghanistan, 2011.
In the middle there are 3 black and white photos of Strykers.
At the bottom there is a color side-view illustration of a M1130 CV of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Div., Tal Afar, Iraq, 2004.
On the back cover at the top, there is a color photo of an M1130 CV of 2-16 Cavalry, 1172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Div., near Wawah, Iraq in September 2005.
Next is a color photo of a 2nd Cavalry Regiment M1131 FSV on the ranges at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, in March 2016.
Third down the cover is an M1126 ICVV of 4-17 Infantry, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Div., during Exercise Iron Focus in July 2018.
At the bottom there is a color side profile of an M1128 MGS of 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, March 2012.
The book contains 82 color photos (counting the ones on the cover too) and 2 black and white photos.
There are 2 data lists and 14 color side profile illustrations of Stryker variants.
There is a color portrait photo of General Eric Shinsiki and a color photo of a M777- 155mm light towed howitzer..
In the modeling section there is:
A Trumpeter Brand 1/35th scale LAV III built by Carlos Blanco, showing 2 color walk-around photos of the model and a unit badge.
A AFV Club 1/35th scale M1132 Stryker ESV built by David Chou, showing 8 walk-around photos of the model and a unit badge.
A AFV Club brand 1/35th scale M1134 Stryker ATGMV built by modeler Ramon Segarra Guerrero, showing 7 color walk-around type photos.
A AFV Club brand 1/35th scale M1128 Mobile Gun-System built by modeler Sean Lynch, showing 6 color walk-around photos and a unit badge.
A AFV Club 1/35th scale M1296 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle Dragoon (CVD) built by modeler David Chou, showing 8 walk-around color photos of the model made up and a unit badge.
A AFV Club 1/35th scale M1126 Stryker Crows-1, built by modeler David Grummitt, showing 7 color walk-around photos of the model made up and a unit badge.
Next are several pages of kits and accessories for Stryker models.
The Panda brand 1/35th scale M1296 Stryker Dragoon IFV, showing the color box art and a color photo of the model made up
The Trumpeter 1/72nd scale U.S. Army M1126 Stryker ICV, showing the color box art and two color photos of the kit parts trees.
Three 1/72nd scale wheels sets for the M1126 Stryker, two are by Def Model Co., other set is un-named manufacturer.
The Eduard 1/35th scale photo-etched set.
The Real Model brand color box art of their resin accessory it that goes on the AVFClub kit. It is a conversion set.
The RM brand 1/35th scale accessory set.
The Blast Model brand 1/35th accessory set for the AFV Club kit.
The last page of the book shows black and white illustrations of 15 cover arts of other Pen & Sword AFV books, a listing of 20 titles of other ones and a list of 5 more that are forthcoming in the future.
This is a neat book. It is aimed right at modelers planning on doing a Stryker model.
Highly recommended.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of Pen & Sword books. All of Pen & Swords titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web-site at: