US Army fields M1253A1 anti-tank guided missile combat vehicle

The advanced version of the Stryker is said to be able to detect, identify and engage targets at a range of more than 4.5 km 

US Army fields M1253A1 anti-tank guided missile combat vehicle

Photo by Lawrence Boyd, U.S. Army Operational Test Command

The U.S. Army has begun fielding the M1253A1 Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATVV-A1) combat vehicle, an advanced version of Stryker missile carrier. According to a post on Twitter, the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and 4th Infantry Division have begun fielding their recently received M1253A1 vehicles.

According to the Defence Blog website, the new M1253A1 is an improved version of armored vehicles from the Stryker family. The vehicle provides an anti-armor over watch capability that allows the Stryker Brigade Combat Team to concentrate on the use of M1126 infantry carrier vehicles to deploy soldiers in a relatively fast and protected manner. The ATVV-A1 features a new Precision Far Target Locator (pFTL), Image Enhancement (IE), HD color camera, and Upgraded TOW Missile Launcher (UTM), the report said.

In addition, the M1253A1 provides the capability to detect, identify and engage targets at more than 4.5 km. The vehicle’s purpose is to provide the brigade’s main tank killing capability, using heavy anti-tank missiles to defeat enemy armored vehicles before they can return fire, according to the report.