U.S. may sell Stryker vehicles to Latin American countries

March 30 (UPI) -- Peru, Colombia and Brazil may soon look to the United States to modernize their armored vehicle fleets, the U.S. Army announced on Thursday.

The modernization push comes as each aforementioned country grapples with threats from "illicit networks" within their borders, and the U.S. Army's Stryker combat vehicle may become an attractive investment.

According to U.S. Southern Command deputy commander Lt. Gen. Joseph DiSalvo, Colombia is currently engaged in a 15-year modernization effort for its armored fleet, and its neighbor Peru is on a similar path.

"[Peru is] on the verge of signing a letter of acceptance for foreign military sales for Stryker vehicles," he said.

If authorities come to an agreement, the event would mark the first foreign military sale for the armored vehicle.

"We're seeing good examples here of smart modernization that's within budget and that will hopefully be successful for a legacy platform that will last them years out," DiSalvo added.

The M1126 Stryker Combat Vehicle is an eight-wheeled armored platform typically armed with an M2 .50 caliber machine gun, or alternatively an MK19 40mm grenade launcher mounted in a Protector remote weapon station. The vehicle can be crewed by two operators.