$69 million Stryker contract

The US Army has awarded

$69 million to service, repair and modify 265 Stryker infantry combat vehicles that are returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The vehicles will be restored to a pre-combat, ‘like-new' condition in advance of reissuing them for their next deployment.

The 265 vehicles have been in service in Iraq since October 2003, supporting two 3,900-soldier Stryker Brigade Combat Teams.

The work is slated to begin in mid-November and will be carried out by General Dynamics’ staff in Sterling Heights; London, Ontario, Canada; and at Fort Lewis, Washington. Work is expected to be complete by September 30, 2006.

During their service in Iraq, these vehicles were driven more than six million miles, participating in assignments ranging from Fallujah, Baghdad and the Euphrates River Valley to the Tigris River Valley and Mosul. The vehicles are said to have maintained an operational readiness rate above 95 percent throughout their deployment in Iraq.

The Stryker family of eight-wheel-drive combat vehicles - the Army's highest-priority production combat vehicle program - can travel at speeds up to 62 mph on highways, with a range of 312 miles. The armoured vehicles enable Stryker Brigade Combat Teams to manoeuvre easily in close and urban terrain, while providing protection in open terrain.