The United States is considering shipping Stryker armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

Politico reported this.

Armored fighting vehicles are supposed to help Kyiv fend off an expected Russian spring offensive.

According to a Defense Department official, the Strykers might be part of the next tranche of military aid.

The U.S. administration could announce the assistance package late next week around the time of the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Germany (the so-called “Ramstein” format).

Pentagon officials stressed that no final decision on the transfer of armored fighting vehicles has been made.

The US publication suggested that Strykers would be another capability boost for the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ rapidly growing arsenal and would help meet a critical need for armor, as concerns grow that Russia is planning a second mobilization for a major new offensive in the coming weeks.

Stryker eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles can operate in snow, mud, and sand, though off-road mobility is somewhat limited by its lack of tracks.

“Ukrainians need armored personnel carriers and short of other countries providing it, is what we have in inventory. Not as good as a Bradley for a tank fight, but good to protect infantry and get up close to a fight,” the DoD official said.

Stryker as a family of wheeled armored fighting vehicles is developed and manufactured by the U.S. company General Dynamics Land Systems.

In its basic version, Stryker armored fighting vehicles were accepted to service with the U.S. Army in 2003. This configuration allows to transport up to twelve people, including three crew members. Armored vehicles in this version are usually armed with a 12.7mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun or a Mk19 40mm automatic grenade launcher.

Various combat, engineering, and specialized vehicles were created on the basis of Stryker.