The US Army selected a version of the Light Armoured Vehicle III (LAV-III) in late 2000 for its new Interim Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) following an international competition. The service has since renamed the LAV-III, based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha, as the Stryker.

The US Army is expected to procure 2,131 Strykers under current plans to equip six IBCTs. The first production vehicles were completed in March 2002 and the vehicle has already seen combat in Iraq.

The baseline version is the Stryker infantry carrier vehicle (ICV), which carries nine troops plus commander and driver. This is fitted with a Kongs-berg Protech remote-controlled weapon station that contains a day/thermal sighting system and is armed with a 12.7mm M2 machine gun or a 40mm MK19 automatic grenade launcher.

In addition to the Stryker ICV, a number of variants have been developed, including the 105mm Mobile Gun System (MGS); the 120mm mortar carrier; reconnaissance; anti-tank with Tube-launched Optically tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles; fire support; engineer support (which can be fitted with various types of mineclearing equipment); command and control; medical evacuation; and nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) reconnaissance.

The 105mm MGS has a three-strong crew (commander, gunner and driver) and is armed with a 105mm rifled gun in an external mount fed by an automatic loader. Canada has also selected the 105mm MGS to replace its current Leopard 1 tank fleet. The main role of the MGS is fire support, including breaching concrete bunkers.

Standard equipment on all Strykers includes hydro-pneumatic suspension, powered steering, central tyre-inflation system, afire-detection and -suppression system, a winch, a nuclear, biological and chemical defensive system, applique passive armour and night-vision equipment.

For operations in Iraq a new slat-type armour system was developed and fielded to provide more protection against rocket-propelled grenades and other anti-tank weapons.