The new US Army APC the "Stinger"

I saw a broadcast on CNN about the new wheeled APC the US
Army was pushing called the Stinger. It costs about 2 million (US $)
apiece and the Army plans on buying about 2100 (4 billion dollar
purchase). Since an Abrams tank costs about 3 million the new
light APC costs 2/3 the price of a battle tank.

About 22 years ago the US Army and Marines were look for a
common wheeled APC. After about 5 years of games the US Marines
got sick of the games and started their own program. They took a
Canadian Grizzly (basic model: 6 wheeled, .50 cal HMG) and had it
modified so as to meet its requirements (basic model: 8 wheeled,
25mm Auto Cannon, transportable by heavy lift helicopter and it can
REALLY swim) and had about 450 of them built as the LAV25 + variants.
If you watched the news during the Golf War you probably saw them.

I assume that this new APC is the completion of the program
that the US Army started about 22 years ago. To sum it up
it costs too much, it arrived too late and I trust the US Army
will find some way to make it not quite right so a couple more
billion can be sunk into it.

Scott Siebold