Thailand orders more US Stryker 8x8 armored vehicles.

According to information published by the Thai Armed Force Blog on September 21, 2020, the Thai army will procure more Stryker ICV ( Infantry Combat Vehicle) 8x8 armored vehicles in the defense budget plan 2021. In September 2019, the Thai army has taken delivery of the first batch of Stryker 8x8 armored vehicles.
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Royal Thai Army Commander-in-Chief General Apirat Kongsompong inspects a Stryker combat vehicle after it arrived on August 29, 2019, at Don Mueang Military Airport in Bangkok. (Picture source U.S. DoD)

In July 2019, the U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Thailand of 60 Stryker infantry carrier vehicles with equipment and support for an estimated cost of $175 million.

The Government of Thailand has requested to buy sixty (60) Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICV); and sixty (60) M2 Flex .50 cal machine guns. Also included are spare parts, Basic Issue Items (BII), Components of End Items (COEI), Additional Authorized List (AAL) (specific items for operations and maintenance), Special Tools and Test Equipment (STTE), technical manuals, OCONUS Deprocessing Service, M6 smoke grenade launchers (4 per vehicle) and associated spares, AN/VAS-5 Driver's Vision Enhancer (DVE), AN/VIC-3 vehicle intercommunications system, contractor provided training and Field Service Representatives (FSR), and other related elements of logistics and program support.

In Fiscal Year 2020, Thailand has ordered another batch of 50 Stryker vehicles. For the Fiscal Year 2021, Thailand will procure 10 more Stryker vehicles and will have a total of 130 vehicles to equip three infantry battalions.

The Stryker is a family of 8x8 armored fighting vehicles derived from the wheeled armored vehicle Canadian LAV III, which in turn was based on the Swiss Mowag Piranha III 8x8, and produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army and recently by Iraq.

The M1126 variant is the ICV (Infantry Carrier Vehicle) in the Stryker family. The Infantry Carrier Vehicle provides protected transport and, during dismounted assault, supporting fire for the infantry squad. The Stryker is a full-time four-wheel drive, selectively eight-wheel drive, armored vehicle weighing approximately 19,000 kg which carries an infantry squad of 9 soldiers with their equipment.

The M1126 ICV is fitted with a Protector remote weapon station with a universal soft mount cradle, which can mount either a .50 caliber M2 Browning machine gun, a 40mm MK19 grenade launcher or a 7.62×51mm NATO M240 machine gun. It is also armed with four M6 smoke grenade launchers.