Stryker
i'm a stryker commander based in iraq and i can tell you firsthand the problems of the stryker are greatly overstated. for instance, the suseptibility to rpg fire. the slat armor does protect very well from rpg PENETRATION. it is true we do take shrapnel when taking a direct rpg hit. but that shrapnel can be negated by soldiers standing outside the hatches keeping a low profile. my vechicle has taken 3 direct hits from rpgs in the past 6 months; the worst thing i had to do is change out a tire. i've also seen the AIF disable an abrams with one hit to the rear. personally, i think the slat armor is worth its weight in gold. this vechicle can pretty much stop anything the enemy can throw at us, short of a monster shape charge ied. but then, what vechicle can? i was also recently hit by a suicide vbied from a distance of less than 20 meters. the explosion was calculated to have a 10% higher yield than a 500 pound bomb. only was soldier was injured, and that is because he was up high out of the hatch trying to engage the vechicle. the main damage to the vechicle was the 8 flat tires(blown out by the pressure). the vechicle self-recovered to the fob and was fmc 4 hours later. as for the weapons system, i have engaged targets on the move at speeds greater than 50mph and scored direct hits on two mg positions. i don't think the problem is the equipment in that case, i think its the soldiers' lack of training. now don't get me wrong, i'm not saying the stryker's perfect. but its continually improving. since we've been in country we've added armor for the soldiers in the hatch, a new horn, and new seatbelts. but i think the survivability of the stryker is already excellent. i mean i couldn't imagine being hit by an svbied and having to put my track back together. this thing will roll for 50 miles on 8 flat tires WITH the slat armor on.