The Stryker is a modern American wheeled armored car. The first prototypes of the vehicle were built around 2000, and serial production started in 2002 continues to this day. It is estimated that around 4,900 vehicles of this type had been built by the beginning of 2018. The Stryker is powered by an engine Catterpillar C7 o power of 350 hp. The armament depends on the vehicle version, but the basic version (M1126) includes two 7.62 mm machine guns or one Mk.19 grenade launcher and one 7.62 mm machine gun.
Vehicle concept - or actually a series of vehicles - Stryker was born at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, when the US Army command came to the conclusion that in the coming armed conflicts the key element would be speed of action, mobility and the ability to rapidly shift forces on a strategic scale. It was assumed that the US Army would have the ability to deploy a Light Infantry Brigade (later known as the Stryker Brigade Combat Team) in 96 hours anywhere on the planet. Following these requirements, a completely new armored vehicle called the Stryker was developed, which is characterized by very high mobility, high maximum speed, is susceptible to modernization, but has relatively thin armor not exceeding 15 mm. Many development versions of this vehicle were created in the course of serial production. The basic, wheeled armored personnel carrier was designated M1126. A reconnaissance version called M1127 was also created. A tank destroyer was also built, armed with the M68A2 105mm gun, designated M1128. A self-propelled mortar with 81 or 120 mm caliber, designated M1129, was also produced. In addition, based on the basic chassis, a command vehicle (M1130), a fire support vehicle (M1131), an engineering vehicle (M1132), a medical evacuation vehicle (M1133), a self-propelled anti-tank missile launcher (M1134), and finally a land contamination recognition vehicle ( M1135). At present, the Stryker vehicles are only used by the US Army. They took part in the 2003 Iraq war and the intervention in Afghanistan.