By Ann Roosevelt
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.–For the first time, General Dynamics‘ [GD] Stryker vehicles are being delivered to a Heavy Brigade Combat Unit rather than Stryker Brigade Combat Teams.
Since the beginning of the year, 30 Stryker Medical Vehicles, (MEV) have been delivered to the 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga., and will deploy to Iraq with the unit.
The eight-wheeled, armored Stryker MEV is one of 10 Stryker vehicles and fielded at all seven Stryker Brigade Combat Teams. Eight of the Stryker variants are in full rate production, two–the Mobile Gun System and NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle–are in low rate production.
“The Army selected this MEV to go across the Army, starting with the Heavy [brigades],” Joanne Cavanaugh, Stryker program manager for General Dynamics Land Systems, told Defense Daily here at the Association of the United States Army Institute for Land Warfare Winter Symposium.
The MEV has a lot of features soldiers like, she said, a lot of stowage, patient monitors, oxygen storage and suction apparatus, all clearly labeled. The lights also have a green mode that makes it easier to identify blood.
“It’s configured in a way that’s easy for medics to access the items,” Cavanaugh said.
The litters are the same as those used in UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters, so a wounded soldier can be easily transferred from the Stryker to the helicopter in the same litter, and an empty litter from the helicopter put into the Stryker MEV.
Reducing trauma to the patient, inside the MEV a switch activates a lift system to lower the top litter so a patient can be loaded, then moved up into place, Cavanaugh said. The lower platform moves out into the body of the vehicle to load a patient then can slide back in.
With the focus on the “golden hour,” a principle of rapid treatment after injury that can improve the chance of survival, the Stryker with its stable ride and top speed of about 60 miles per hour allows medics to get wounded quickly to where they can receive full treatment.
The Stryker MEV crew consists of a medic, and a driver and troop commander both of who are medically qualified.
Standing by to discuss the Stryker MEV was Sgt. Scott Mills, 2-23 In 4/2 ID, a medic recently returned from Iraq. “Eight-wheel drive is good in all the different terrain,” he said. His Stryker MEV took on mud, water, ice and even snow in Iraq.
“It does have speed. It’s good in all terrain. The armor holds up reasonably well compared to what we’re dealing with. There’s space back here and a capacity of four litters,” Mills said. “There’s adequate room to move around and treat patients.”
Mills said the MEV could be utilized in different ways. It can take four patients in litters or eight ambulatory, or a combination of four to five ambulatory patients and two on litters. Or, he said, it can carry 12 uninjured infantry in full gear, though it’s cramped.
“The air conditioning works well, we keep it up to date, it must be working or the patients suffer,” Mills said.
Mills’ Stryker brigade has about 24 MEVs. For Iraq, slat armor was added for safety and security.
“My battalion saw the most action out of my brigade,” Mills said.