Pre-Cruise Friday Part 4: Ferndale Stryker

The U.S. Army's TACOM set up this Stryker vehicle on the median in Ferndale. Several TACOM employees were there to answer questions. I asked about IED survivability, and they explained that while the Stryker was designed before the Iraq and Afghan wars, and was not equipped to handle roadside bombs, they are retrofitting them with a thick aluminum underhull, offset from the main hull, which can help absorb the blast energy. The next generation will be designed with a "double V" hull.

A large vehicle, it was designed to fit inside of military transport planes.

It looks light and airy, but actually there isn't a ton of room inside. The gunner sits below the gun (to the right and behind of the driver) and can control it remotely while looking through periscope prisms and a camera screen. The driver space looked tight.