A medium weight family of vehicles would have a max weight of 41 tons, enabling two to be carried by a C-17A. This means greater strategic mobility and an easier system to maintain and supply from a logistics point of view. However it won’t have the same degree or armor protection that extra weight can provide.

I presume light options are off the table after the cancellation of the Future Combat Systems MGV program, which was a family of AFVs weighing roughly 25 tons. While it would be great if the Army could afford a few divisions equipped with such rapidly deployable AFVs, in the current political climate they cannot. And while not as capable as what MGV promised, the Stryker fills the same role.

While this “Super Stryker” looks like a fine vehicle. I don’t believe it is the right solution, especially if the Army wants to use the GCV chassis as a basis for a number of different designs. Even if you could fit it in a C-130, you wouldn’t be able to take off anyway. Hopefully some of the improvements will find their way into the regular Stryker fleet, without such a large weight increase.

This thing is bigger and MUCH heavier than any of the current Stryker variants.

The current Stryker variants just barely “fit” in a C130 (in some cases making a total mockery of the requirement to be C130-transportable in a combat capable configuration).

But GDLS says this thing will “fit” in a C130

I want some of whatever drugs these guys are taking.

“Gee GD wants in on the gravy train called Stryker, more for less money, of course they now are now in competition with Government Motors. This could become like Boeing and NG are real cat fight.”

General Dynamics purchased GM Defense several years ago. It is now General Dynamics Land Systems — Canada. They are already on the “gravy train”.

Also concerning the Hummer sale, if I remember right, the Chinese got the Hummer Brand, the dealer network, the designs for the H2 and H3 Hummer, and the right to buy H2s and H3s and parts for both vehicles from GM for something like 5 years. Hard to develop a conspiracy theory from that.

http://www.generaldynamics.com/prod_serv/combat/S…

From a money stand point purchasing the “Super Stryker ” because the commonality with the normal Stryker should cut down on maintainance costs and parts purchasing. That savings could allow the army to have that many more vehicles at the same cost.

If you did want to speculate, China may simply have bought the Hummer brand to expand their ability to purchase higher quality parts that they still can’t reverse engineer.

I don’t see much disagreement here. I agree the military variants frame, drive train and body were made by AM General, then the vehicle was sent around the country for up armor, glass and finally to Army/Marines Depots for the the electronics and weapons.

The Chinese have had problems with reverse engineering. Frankly they have yet to have a success where a domestic manufacturing could copy a foreign product successfully, be it military aircraft, (Russia, France and Israel), armor (Russia, France and Israel) or ship building, (Germany, France, US, Japan etc.).

The Chinese have been students of the U.S. and Iraqi war and have been strongly impressed with the Humvee as a light urban combat fighting infantry carrier. I believe that the acquisition of the Hummer line and the two civilian models with greatly increase the ability of the Chines to produce the military vehicle they are looking for.

The irony is that that vehicle may be produced in Louisiana and Mississippi where 3K jobs are on the line. When the lease agreement is up in 2012 and the decision will have to be made either for the Chinese to buy the assembly lines dismantle them and ship them and reconstruct them in China or keep the American lines going where during normal time their is a market for 30-50K Humvees and do Chinese domestic production in the United States.

As far as a Chinese Humvee being a military threat to the U.S., it is very unlikely. The PLA’s biggest concern as show by their las war games, which showed mobilization of the PLA with in China is domestic terrorist and open rebellion by minorities mostly in the southwestern part of the country. For this type of operation the armored/armed Humvee would be a preferable weapons platform to their IFV’s and Type-99 tanks.

The comparative low cost of the Humvee would make possible larger production runs and a combat vehicle to the Peoples Militia and the PAP. Both of these revamped commands will have a larger roll in future domestic paramilitary activity involving the civilian population. No more tank and students in large public squares for the international media to martyrize .

ALLONS,
Byron Skinner

Gee GD wants in on the gravy train called Stryker, more for less money, of course they now are now in competition with Government Motors. This could become like Boeing and NG are real cat fight.

Another story that happened yesterday, and to change this well worn subject of FCS’s, is the sale by GM of the Humvee brand to the Chinese “firm” of Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company os Sichuan Provence China. It’s no secret that Tengzhong is operated by the PLA. Like with the sale of IBM to Levono a couple of years ago there is a great deal of dual use and purely military technology being sent to the PLA, considering the much discounted $150 million price for the brand and everything else Hummer it’s one heck of a bargain.

Beside the obvious here there is a back story and that is the Purchase of India last year from Ford of Jaguar and Land Rover. Land Rover being a UK military staple for decades gave India access to a stable and well proven light combat military platform, something China was lacking, the Chinese admiration of the U.S. Humvee in the urban fighting in Iraq is well know. The inability of China to build a platform like the Humvee was one of the issues in a recent paper on modernization of the PLA.

When GM first floated the sale of Humvee besides China there was Canada (Bombardier) and Embraer of Brazil. The asking price was if I recall about $2.5 billion, Embarer passed as did Bombardier when the Canadian Government took a 10% equity share of GM in the bankruptcy.

ALLONS,
Byron Skinner

The acquisition of Humvee will fill a gaping hole in Chinese Military platforms and will have a considerable impact on the PLA ground doctrine and with the advantage of sales in the U.S. and domestic to the civilian market that will turn a profit to the PLA.

there has been work in the US to create land-based AMRAAM systems, even recently the announcement of a submarine-launched AIM-9 in the works (or at least to prove it can be done).

My thought is, if we’re in dire need for land-based AA vehicles that can also act in the C-RAM type roles if necessary, what about a land-based RAM (RIM-116) missile vehicle?
Should have more reach and punch than any Stinger-based system,
and the missiles themselves aren’t really any bigger than the AIM-9 family, that was at one time used in the Chaparral system (something similar could resurface with AIM-9X’s which are vastly superior to those older AIM-9s).

Figure we’ve effectively transitioned Phalanx CIWS into a land-based C-RAM system (called Centurion), why not go for the added range and warhead of the RAM missiles?

It almost suggests a dual-application missile like the ADATS, which can engage aircraft and vehicles.
Shouldn’t take much to further it into adding C-RAM capability also (the ADATS missile body is large enough).
Figure also that the Centurion system is really only software-modified for land use (plus HE ammo instead of APDS), so the 11-round SeaRAM that uses the same “R2D2” Phalanx radars could theoretically work in a land-based configuration with the proper software for the missile.
It might even be possible for the same platform to almost simultaneously take out both the ATGM fired at it and the helicopter or aircraft that launched the missile.

I hope we develope somthing like this, to add to our missile defense in the near future.

We will always need a gun. We need to defend against at least a RPG because Humans will get into close against a armored vehicle and take it out, or die trying.

One thing they did not mention other than fitting into a C130, is European Clearances. You need to be able to fit the Vehicle onto Euro Trains, through euro tunnels and other restrictive places.

Personally I prefer Abrams and Bradley. Plenty of firepower, armor and backup. The Striker and the Wheeled Marine Armored vehicles are very good for what they do. I’m pretty impressed with them.

At the end of the day you need to have a vehicle that is Easy fix, able to be self sufficient for a while, able to function in situations not planned for and be useful. But above all things, it must be able to absorb enemy fire and survive or at least provide survive to the Infantry inside.

If I was a enemy force, I fear recon most. I dont wish to be spotted while making movement to contact on my terms. Because I may not enjoy the networks that are developing with US forces to spot me, locate and fix vehicles and call in strikes from just about anything in range up to and including Navy ships thousand miles away.