The Army is working on a new and improved Stryker armored
vehicle variant, known as the Stryker A1, that will boost the eight wheeled
vehicle's performance giving it a bigger engine, beefier transmission, brakes
and suspension as well as adding new sensors, shot detection gear, a new
communications network and an improved remotely operated weapons turret.
The Army plans to spend $134 million on the upgraded Stryker
in 2011, according to service budget documents, and nearly $880 million over the
next five years. The designation A then 1, 2, 3 is typically added to Army vehicle names as
they go through various iterations and improvement packages such as the M1A1
Abrams, the M1A2, etc.
The improved Stryker A1 package includes adding armor to the
hull and raising the vehicle higher off the ground so that it's better
protected against IED blasts. To protect the thinly armored vehicles from
Rocket Propelled Grenades, the Army added "steel cage" slat armor around the
hull, meant to detonate the rocket's warhead before it hits.
While the steel cages improved survivability against RPGs, the
armor adds nearly 2
