U.S. Army tests new Stryker armored vehicle 30mm cannon variant in day and night live-fire trials.

U.S. Army soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team wrapped up a weeklong day and night gunnery exercise at Yakima Training Center using an experimental Stryker vehicle armed with a 30mm automatic cannon. The trials highlight how the Army is upgrading its Stryker fleet to deliver greater firepower, digital connectivity, and battlefield flexibility for future conflicts.

According to information released by the U.S. Army on December 23, 2025, U.S. Army soldiers from 1-2 SBCT (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) concluded intensive live-fire training at Yakima Training Center with the ICVVA1-30mm, a newly modernized variant of the Stryker 8x8 armored vehicle fitted with a new turret armed with a 30mm automatic cannon. The exercise combined day and night gunnery in one of the Army’s most technologically advanced training environments, allowing crews to validate how the 30mm cannon, integrated sensors, and networked systems perform under realistic combat conditions, U.S. Army officials said.
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New M1126 Stryker combat vehicles equipped with 30mm automatic cannons, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, line up in preparation for the next live-fire iteration at Yakima Training Center, Washington, December 13, 2025. (Picture source: U.S. Army)

This next-generation of the U.S. Army Stryker 8x8 armored vehicle is not simply an incremental upgrade. It reflects the culmination of years of focused modernization under a U.S. Army acquisition strategy that integrates improved firepower, digital connectivity, and battlefield survivability into a single mobile platform. The variant tested at Yakima incorporates the Medium Caliber Weapon System (MCWS) - a 30mm unmanned turret developed by Oshkosh Defense in partnership with Pratt Miller Defense and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. This system delivers significantly greater lethality and stand-off engagement capability than its predecessors, while also embedding advanced sensor fusion, targeting optics, and fire control software.

Originally unveiled at AUSA 2024, the ICVVA1-30mm builds on the Stryker Double-V Hull Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICVVA1), which Oshkosh Defense began delivering in 2022 under a 269-unit contract. That contract was awarded in June 2021 following the U.S. Army’s decision to replace the aging Remote Weapon Station on earlier Stryker variants with a more powerful, turreted weapon system capable of engaging both ground and low-flying aerial threats at extended ranges. The shift from a legacy .50-caliber or 40mm grenade launcher to the 30mm XM813 cannon is one of the most dramatic increases in firepower for the Stryker family since its initial fielding in the early 2000s.

However, what sets the ICVVA1-30mm apart from earlier efforts, including the Europe-focused Dragoon variant, is its integration into the U.S. Army’s Operational Network (OPNET) and its ability to operate as a fully digital, sensor-connected combat node. During the Yakima trials, crews trained using the Digital Range Training System (DRTS), with Instrumented Player Units (IPUs) installed inside the vehicles to track movement, firing data, crew responses, and decision-making during dynamic offensive and defensive lane iterations. Every maneuver and weapon engagement was recorded and transmitted in real time to a central control node, allowing for granular after-action reviews and performance analysis.

This digital infrastructure represents a critical departure from traditional armored vehicle employment. Soldiers in the ICVVA1-30mm are no longer limited to visual cues and voice commands; instead, they operate within a battlefield data environment enriched by high-resolution optics, terrain-aware fire control, and multi-display situational awareness tools. Vehicle commanders and gunners rely on real-time system feedback to evaluate target effects, reposition in response to terrain dynamics, and prioritize threats while communicating seamlessly across the formation.

The optical suite of the ICVVA1-30mm includes advanced thermal and daylight sensors that dramatically improve target acquisition and engagement accuracy in both low-light and obscured conditions. These visual systems are synchronized with the turret’s fire control and stabilization subsystems, allowing for high first-hit probability even when firing on the move. The MCWS turret’s independent sensor head can track multiple targets while the main weapon engages another, providing a decisive edge in complex engagements.

Compared to the earlier Stryker Dragoon, which offered a field-expedient boost in lethality by adding a 30mm gun but retained a more analog architecture, the ICVVA1-30mm represents a new design philosophy. Built on the Double-V Hull platform, it provides enhanced protection against underbody threats such as mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and its internal layout is optimized for improved crew ergonomics and interface with digital systems. The result is a vehicle that is more survivable, more lethal, and better able to adapt to emerging multi-domain threats.

The fully networked nature of the exercise enabled continuous data flow between vehicles, range control stations, and tactical decision aids. This enabled not only synchronized operations across platoons but also provided commanders with real-time visibility into unit performance. Gunnery results were not evaluated solely on hit rates but on how effectively crews processed information, responded to changing combat variables, and coordinated within the broader operational network.

This reflects the broader direction of the U.S. Army’s modernization agenda. Under Project Convergence and the development of Capability Sets 25 and beyond, the U.S. Army is investing heavily in platforms that are not just better armed but better connected, more automated, and faster in their decision cycles. The ICVVA1-30mm is a prototype of this future - a modular vehicle designed to plug into evolving network architectures, integrate new weapons and sensor packages, and support the rapid execution of complex, distributed tactical operations.

What unfolded at Yakima was not just a validation of upgraded firepower, but a glimpse into how future Stryker brigades may train, fight, and win in digitally contested environments. Soldiers are no longer just gunners and drivers; they are system operators managing high-bandwidth data streams, automated targeting algorithms, and collaborative sensor networks, all while maintaining the human judgment necessary in combat.

As the U.S. Army prepares for increasingly sophisticated adversaries capable of challenging U.S. dominance across domains, the integration of platforms like the ICVVA1-30mm will play a pivotal role. With its combination of increased firepower, advanced optics, improved protection, and networked adaptability, it is a force multiplier built for the next generation of conflict.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.