M1304 Stryker ICVVA1-30mm

History

The M1304 Stryker ICVVA1-30mm is a 30 mm-armed infantry carrier vehicle based on the Stryker Double-V Hull A1 chassis. It combines the upgraded DVH A1 automotive platform with a remotely operated medium-caliber weapon system intended to increase the direct-fire capability of Stryker Brigade Combat Teams.

The U.S. Army selected Oshkosh Defense, Pratt Miller Defense, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in June 2021 to integrate a 30 mm Medium Caliber Weapon System onto the Stryker ICVVA1. The program was intended to retain the mobility and survivability characteristics of the Double-V Hull A1 while adding a substantially heavier direct-fire weapon.

The vehicle was initially known as XM1304 before entering Army fielding as the M1304 ICVVA1-30mm. It is intended to replace the earlier M1296 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle – Dragoon in formations receiving the new configuration.

Development and testing

According to Oshkosh Defense, the Army selected the Oshkosh-led team in June 2021 under a requirements contract covering production and logistics support for the 30 mm Medium Caliber Weapon System. The contract allowed the system to be supplied for up to six Stryker Brigade Combat Teams.

In April 2022, Oshkosh Defense completed government-planned Risk Management Testing of its design and began producing systems for Product Verification Testing scheduled to start later that year. By July 2022, Army orders covered 269 upgraded vehicles for three Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, in addition to 20 vehicles for Product Verification Testing, Follow-on Operational Testing and Evaluation, and logistics development. The three production orders were valued by Oshkosh Defense at a combined $356 million.

Secondary reporting states that initial vehicles were delivered in 2022 for production verification testing. Operational feedback from testing was subsequently incorporated into the configuration.

Fielding

On January 15, 2025, the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division became the first active formation reported to receive M1304 ICVVA1 vehicles. The vehicles went to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The Army planned to field 269 M1304 vehicles across three Stryker Brigade Combat Teams by the end of 2025.

In August 2026, the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment conducted live-fire gunnery with the ICVVA1-30mm at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany. The event marked the first reported live firing of the newly upgraded variant by the Vilseck-based Stryker unit in Europe and demonstrated the type with a forward-deployed U.S. formation on NATO's eastern flank.

Design

The M1304 is based on the Stryker Double-V Hull A1 configuration. The Double-V hull is designed to redirect blast effects from mines and improvised explosive devices away from the crew compartment. Reported protective features include bolt-on ceramic armor, a Kevlar spall liner, and blast-attenuating seats.

The DVH A1 automotive upgrade incorporates a 450 hp Caterpillar C9 engine, an enhanced suspension and drivetrain, and a 910-amp alternator intended to support increased electrical demand. The vehicle also incorporates an In-Vehicle Network Architecture for communications and data management. The platform has a reported gross vehicle weight rating of 28,576 kg.

Medium Caliber Weapon System

The defining feature of the ICVVA1-30mm is the Oshkosh Medium Caliber Weapon System. The remotely operated turret is based on the Rafael Samson Pro design and carries the XM813 Bushmaster chain gun. The XM813 uses 30x173 mm ammunition and retains extensive logistical commonality with the Mk44 cannon family.

Reported ammunition types for the XM813 include Mk 258 armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot tracer ammunition, Mk 238 high-explosive incendiary tracer ammunition, Mk 264 multi-purpose low-drag tracer ammunition, and Mk 310 programmable high-explosive airburst tracer ammunition. A linkless dual-feed system permits the weapon to draw from separate ammunition supplies.

The turret installation was redesigned compared with the earlier M1296 Dragoon arrangement. Reported changes include preservation of the forward crew hatches, revised 30 mm ammunition stowage, additional internal space, and a commander's independent thermal viewer.

Sights and secondary weapons

The M1304 is reported with updated electro-optical and infrared sights for the commander and gunner, providing a hunter-killer capability in which the commander can detect and designate a target while the gunner engages another. A coaxial 7.62 mm M240C machine gun supplements the main cannon.

A turret configuration displayed in 2024 also incorporated a retractable dual missile launcher. The displayed launcher was described as reloadable from inside the vehicle and compatible with Javelin missiles and Spike LR anti-tank guided missiles. This displayed missile configuration should not be treated as evidence that every fielded M1304 carries the launcher.

Operational history

The M1304 began active-unit fielding in the United States in January 2025. Its subsequent deployment to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany extended the ICVVA1-30mm configuration to a forward-deployed formation in Europe.

During the August 2026 gunnery at Grafenwoehr Training Area, the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment fired live ammunition from the upgraded Strykers. The event represented a notable step in introducing the 30 mm DVH A1 configuration to U.S. Army units operating in Europe.

Variants

• XM1304: Development and test designation used for the 30 mm-armed Stryker ICVVA1 before fielding as the M1304.
• M1304 ICVVA1-30mm: Fielded Stryker Double-V Hull A1 infantry carrier vehicle equipped with the remotely operated 30 mm Medium Caliber Weapon System.

Operators

• United States: U.S. Army operator. The Army ordered 269 upgraded vehicles for three Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, with additional vehicles allocated for testing, evaluation, and logistics development.

Specifications (M1304 ICVVA1-30mm)

General characteristics

• Configuration: 8x8 wheeled armored infantry carrier vehicle
• Approximate weight: 26 tonnes
• Length: 6.95 m
• Width: 2.72 m
• Height: 2.8 m
• Crew: 3
• Passengers: Up to 9 troops
• Engine: Caterpillar C9 diesel, 450 hp
• Transmission: Allison MD 3066P, six forward gears and one reverse gear
• Electrical system: 910-amp alternator
• Gross vehicle weight rating: 28,576 kg

Performance

• Maximum road speed: Approximately 110 km/h

Armament

• Main weapon: XM813 Bushmaster 30 mm chain gun
• Main-gun ammunition: 30x173 mm
• Secondary weapon: 7.62 mm M240C coaxial machine gun

Related equipment

• M1296 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle – Dragoon: Earlier 30 mm-armed Stryker configuration developed for increased direct-fire capability in Europe. It uses a different turret arrangement and the earlier flat-bottom Stryker hull rather than the Double-V Hull A1 platform.

Additional technical and program details have been reported by Army Recognition.