:
NUCLEAR,
BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
December 23, 2007: The U.S. Army is buying another 95 M1135
Stryker NBCRV (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle)
vehicles. The first 21 were bought two years ago, mainly for evaluation and
field testing. Some were sent to Iraq, where they performed well. The army
wants to eventually have 355 of these vehicles, providing each of the army's 40
Chemical Warfare companies with six of them, while each of the seven Stryker
brigades get three. The U.S. has never
had a vehicle like the NBCRV, and during the 1991 Gulf War, depended on Czech
NBCRV vehicles to do the job. The Stryker NBCRV vehicle keeps the crew
protected from any contamination, and contains detection equipment that
provides a lower (than previous equipment) false alarm rate. The sensors
carried attempt to detect nuclear, biological or chemical threats in small
enough quantities that nearby troops can be warned to get their protective gear
on before much damage is done. The Stryker NBCRV can move about quickly on
roads, or cross country, and can be transported in a C-130 (or larger) air
transport. The detection equipment in the Stryker NBCRV is being reconfigured
so that it can operate as a separate unit, for stationary operation.