The US military’s effort to upgrade the firepower of its Stryker 8×8 combat vehicle in response to increased competition from Russia has led to hardware and software problems affecting the platform, according to a report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). .
Released March 20, the GAO report says that as the U.S. military sought to upgrade existing Stryker vehicles with more firepower, it did so without “fully analyzing and addressing potential production risks,” resulting in issues during duration of the program.
In August 2022 Oshkosh Oshkosh Defense Corporation’s subsidiary has delivered the first upgraded Stryker Double-V Hull Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICVVA1) to the US Army, featuring the 30 mm Medium Caliber Weapon System (MCWS). In June 2021, the US Army selected Oshkosh Defense and partners Pratt Miller Defense and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to integrate the 30mm MCWS into the Stryker ICVVA1.
Subsequent additional contracts resulted in a total program of 269 upgraded vehicles valued at $356 million, an additional 20 vehicles for product verification testing, subsequent operational testing, and logistics evaluation and development.
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GAO report on US Army Stryker upgrade finds problems
The GAO report found that after the U.S. military withdrew its armored fighting vehicles from Europe in 2013, the agency assessed its fleets and found that Stryker brigades lacked “sufficient firepower” compared to peer and near-peer threats. . The result of this was the MCWS program to modernize hundreds of Stryker vehicles.
According to the GAO, the US military followed best practices in developing requirements for the MCWS, such as using a 2018 test with German-based elements to field test 83 modified Stryker platforms to “update and improve” its requirements weapon system to increase lethality, survivability and situational awareness.
The US military then developed a rapid acquisition approach for the system by placing it in the Stryker Family of Vehicles program, rather than designating it as a separate program of record. The GAO report states that this “allowed the US military to minimize the documentation required for approval,” speeding up the acquisition timeline by two years.
But the U.S. military “did not fully implement best acquisition practices” to mitigate production risks, which were introduced, in part, by using a different turret and frame than the one tested in Germany, the GAO found. Since production began in March 2022, the US military has found problems with the contractor’s manufacturing processes as well as software issues, the report said.
The consequences of problems in the Stryker upgrade resulted in the US military stopping accepting vehicles in February 2023, after delivery of 19.
In presenting its recommendations, the GAO said the U.S. military should implement “major acquisition practices before it begins production of future Stryker upgrades,” which the agency agreed to in response.
Such acquisition practices include conducting effective production readiness checks and ensuring that software was working as it should before most were ordered, the GAO said.
Read the original at Defence247.gr
