Photo By Spc. Alicia Clark | The Stryker Mobile Gun System is an eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle mounting a...... read more read more
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By Pfc. Alicia C. Torbush
20th Public Affairs Department
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - Since July 2007, the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment has been training on the newly developed Stryker variant called the Mobile Gun System.
The MGS looks a lot like a tank, said Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Miller, MGS commander from B Company, 3-21st.
The MGS is designed as a light-armored vehicle used to support an infantry element and is controlled by a three-man crew, and has high mobility and agility that a tank lacks. The system can be used to destroy a hardened bunker or as a wall-breaching weapon to create a large hole for a unit or squad to enter and clear a building, Miller said.
He added that the system also has tank-destroying capabilities and has been used to take out sniper nests.
The MGS has embedded simulator training with battle scenarios, said Miller. It's like a virtual reality video game.
All of the system's functions and simulators work with the battle scenarios as they would in a field environment, as each target is set to mimic those found in actual engagements.
The MGS has three guns, said Miller. It has a turret mounted 105 mm cannon, a mounted M-240C machine gun and a pedestal mounted M-2.50 caliber machine gun for the vehicle commander.
The cannon fires four types of ammunition - high explosive to take out machinegun nests and sniper locations, breach a wall, and destroy hardened bunkers; kinetic energy rounds can destroy armored vehicles; high explosive anti-tank rounds can stop a tank and canister rounds are used for anti-personnel.
Although there have been some issues with the MGS, said Miller, the bugs are being worked out. Problems are typical with any newly launched vehicle or system, but the designers quickly find solutions.
"You can't ever put something together and go 'Bam! It's perfect'," said Miller.
The MGS has been in testing for five years and been fielded to the force at Fort Wainwright, Alaska for about two years, said Miller. The MGS is the last Stryker of 10 variants to be fielded.
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 05.16.2008 12:53 |
| Story ID: | 19471 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 125 |
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