The U.S. Army is moving to qualify a new 30mm gun for its Stryker vehicles in anticipation of a major land war at some point in the future. The tests will assess the new airburst ammunition while preparing the troop carrier for a number of high-intensity future battlefield contigencies, service officials say. A number of prototypes of the emerging 30mm armed Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle, whic is called the Dragoon, have been received by Army developers as part of a long-term “Stryker Lethality” program. The new weapons and systems are designed to provide support for fast-moving ground troops in major conflict, assist infantry formations in ground warfare, identify and destroy air threats from greater ranges, and generally help the Army be successful in battle against near-peer competitors in a large-scale armor-and-infantry battle scenario (think Russia and/or China). “The Stryker Lethality ONS effort is going extremely well. Vehicle build is ahead of schedule, gun and ammo are in qualification, all eight prototypes have been delivered, and the first production vehicle will is on the line at Anniston Army Depot,” Ashley Givens, spokeswoman for the Army’s Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems, told Scout Warrior. Current qualification efforts including firing the Kongsberg MCT-30mm weapon system. Army planners hope to deploy the new 30mm gun system to Europe with the Army’s 2nd Cavalry Unit early next year.
