U.S. State Dept. approves sale of Stryker vehicles to Peru

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of 178 reconditioned Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles to the government of Peru.

In addition to the vehicles, the pending purchase also includes supporting weapons, Remote Weapon Stations, Global Positioning System navigation capabilities, special tool sets, and testing equipment. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which manages the Foreign Military Sales program, estimates the sale's value to be $668 million.

If approved by Congress, the agency says the sale will bolster Peru's homeland security assets, promote regional stability in South America, and support the country's broader strategy to build a multidimensional brigade by 2030.

The DSCA adds the vehicles will be used to support border security, disaster response, and counter-terrorism missions. General Dynamics Land Systems is listed as the primary contractor.

Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicles are armored platforms designed to assist ground-based warfighters with moving more freely throughout the battlefield while also reducing friendly-fire incidents. The vehicles being considered for sale will be armed with M2 Flex .50-caliber machine guns and M6 smoke grenade launchers.