Army hopes to improve life for soldiers in Alaska by ditching Strykers that don't work in the cold

[rebewranger]

Army hopes to improve life for soldiers in Alaska by ditching Strykers that don't work in the cold
Haley Britzky - Yesterday 3:08 PM
 

Soldiers in Alaska will be saying goodbye to Arctic-challenged Stryker vehicles, in a move that service leaders hope will improve their day-to-day lives — and by extension, the lives of their families.

The Army announced this week that the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, would be redesignated as the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division. The change is part of the Army’s reactivation of the division, which unites soldiers from two brigades previously with the 25th Infantry Division based in Hawaii, and U.S. Army Alaska.

The division, which has been deactivated since 1965, will be at the center of the Army’s arctic strategy, looking ahead to a possible conflict with Russia and China. The Strykers are one change coming to soldiers in Alaska, which according to Military.com, who first reported the news, were “no good in the frigid and snowy Arctic conditions.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/army-hopes-to-improve-life-for-soldiers-in-alaska-by-ditching-strykers-that-don-t-work-in-the-cold/ar-AAYjKzh?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=ae5b11464d9a40b88c6b44d58a4895d5

[PeteS in CA]

Strykers have been in use for years. How did the Army not know long ago they were unsuited for Arctic weather?

[Smokin Joe]

I'm curious why thee Strykers won't work.
I wonder because the Oil industry has been operating in arctic conditions for decades,  and sometimes something as simple as the right hydraulic fluid, motor oil, grease, or gear lube (or fuel) can make the difference between go and no go.
Yes, there are modifications (block heaters, synthetic oil, reduced airflow over radiators, high CCA batteries and running with two batteries, etc.), even to ordinary gasoline engine vehicles, that significantly increase the probability of success. The question is whether it is possible to make these to the Strykers, or if the design is too desert oriented to function in the cold.

[PeteS in CA]

That's a good question. Military hardware is usually tested across a temperature range that simulates desert and arctic conditions. At a previous job, we did that kind of testing with every MPM (Microwave Power Module) we produced. Because those MPMs could operate at altitude in non-pressurized spaces, they were also tested in an altitude chamber. The temp testing was interesting when the CO2 valve stuck - we called that a "snowball event", because the chamber would be half-filled with CO2 "snow". At another job (aircraft displays), vibration tables were built into the temperature chambers.

Anyway, since The US military has to be able to operate in Alaska or, hypothetically at least, Siberia, I don't understand why a standard-issue fighting vehicle could not operate in Alaska.