Stryker 60K airdrop

ATW, and then some!

The Army's 82nd Airborne is preparing to use a Marine vehicle for airdrops. Yes, I know this is Stryker and not a LAV, but is cool nonetheless. Who remembers when the M551 was the answer....?

For what’s likely the first time in history, the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division is having Marine armored vehicles modified for airdrops as the paratroopers consider adding the vehicle to their Global Response Force toolkit.

Last year and earlier this year, soldiers with the 82nd Airborne's 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment conducted simulator training with Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, hands-on driver training at Camp Pendleton, California, and maintenance training at Fort Lee, Virginia, said Capt. John Moore, a spokesman for the division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

The paratroopers like the Light Armored Vehicle 25 for its lighter weight — compared to the Army's Strykers — and superior firepower as compared to what they have on hand at the division, Moore said. He declined to comment on the number of vehicles or airdrop testing but did say that the airdrop ability would be a “significant capability increase.”