Stryker color

IIRC Only a few stateside test vehicles were painted in the tan.  No deployed Strykers were ever painted as such.

Yes, but why?  I'm curious about this too; when a significant proportion of the Army's vehicles are now desert sand, why not the Strykers too?

LonCray wrote: "Yes, but why?  I'm curious about this too; when a significant proportion of the Army's vehicles are now desert sand, why not the Strykers too?"

Exactly the point of my inquiry. I realize the fact that they are to be found only in O.D. in Iraq and Afghanistan, but why haven't they been repainted desert tan? Ditto the Apache helicopters being operated by the U.S. Army there as well.

The contract on the Strykers stated green in color, the Army hasn't changed that.

For the helos, Policy.  All US Army helos are Helo Drab Green.

Short answer, changing the way things are in the big Army doesn't happen fast.  We tend to stick with what works.  

But that doesn't explain the Humvees, MPCV Buffaloes, MRAPS,  M1 Abrams etc. that HAVE all received the Desert Tan treatment compliments of the U.S. Army. What I'm trying to establish is the reason why  the Strykers have not?

Because they were ordered in green and the army doesn't feel the need to repaint them all sand.  It really is that simple.  Sorry there is no big secret answer for you.

For all vehicles, they used to be painted based on where in the world they were expected to fight.  Vehicles tagged for Europe and Korea were in NATO camo.  Those tagged for the Middle East were in sand.  With the recent wars in A'stan and Iraq, vehicles were not repainted from camo to sand.  If they were camo, they stayed camo.  The same is true for the Strykers.  They came green to be deployable to anywhere, not in a specific environment, hence, they are staying green.

Strykers were designed to be rapidly deployed anywhere in the world. They were delivered in forest green in case they are needed in places other than deserts. Strykers are mainly road bound armored vehicles. No real sense in coming up with elaborate camouflage schemes for a vehicle designed to operate on roads. Additionally, one of the main reasons for camouflage patterns used to be for protection against enemy aerial observation. Since our air forces rule the skies, that's another reason why the Stryker doesn't even get a NATO camouflage scheme.

If any of you remember the old Cold War Berlin Brigade stationed in West Berlin, their vehicles were always green and not NATO patterned until they drew M1A1 tanks that came that way from the factory. No sense in camouflaging stuff you intend to fight in an urban environment with.

Thanks Rob,

Very helpful info.

Not to mention that the green does blend in well with many environments. Local dust usally coats the vehicles and tones it down if in an open arid place.

Hi Stikpusher,

And that is precisely how I intend to depict my Stryker to counter the seemingly out of place green, covered in sandy dust. ;)

One of the biggest reasons is the cost to repaint vehicles, and these vehicles are so new that they haven't been back to a depot to be reconditioned.