By Ann Roosevelt
The first foreign military sale of General Dynamics‘ [GD] wheeled, armored Stryker vehicles could be to Iraq.
Congress was notified Dec. 9 that Iraq has requested the possible sale of 400 M1126 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles and associated equipment with a potential total value of as much as $1.11 billion.
The potential sale could kick off other international sales.
“A strength of General Dynamics Combat Systems is that we offer a technically diverse mix of highly flexible combat vehicles which can be tailored to the military requirements of allies by drawing from a battle tested light armored vehicle baseline. The announced Stryker export opens the door for those nations who prefer U.S. Army equipped light armored vehicles,” the company said in a statement for Defense Daily.
General Dynamics has provided the U.S. Army with seven brigades worth of Stryker vehicles–with about 310 vehicles per brigade–that are available in 10 variants.
Iraq has requested only the Infantry Carrier Vehicle variant, with the munitions and support vehicles, to develop a viable police force that will ensure that the Iraq Army can sustain itself as it works to stabilize the country and prevent unrest from moving to neighboring countries. Once Congress has approved the sale, funds must be lodged with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which administers the FMS program for the Defense Department. The U.S. Army then negotiates the terms and conditions of a contract with General Dynamics. Generally, it takes about 11 months before vehicles start rolling off the production line.
The additional buy of 400 Stryker ICVs could also offer cost savings for the U.S. Army on further vehicle buys.
The procurement also could make it attractive for Iraq to buy other Stryker variants since there is an 80 percent commonality between them.
Iraq has requested the vehicles and associated weapons and equipment.
The proposed sale would require U.S. government and contractor technical assistance but that is not clear as yet.