STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., May 12 (UPI) -- Flat-bottomed U.S. Army Stryker combat vehicles are to be converted to a double-V hull design to better withstand improvised explosive devices and landmines.

The work on 93 of the infantry vehicles was commissioned by the Army's TACOM Life Cycle Management Command and will be performed with General Dynamics Land Systems under a contract that carries a value of $163 million.


"The Army partnered with General Dynamics in 2012, launching a Stryker DVH-exchange pilot program validating that Stryker flat-bottom variants can be quickly refurbished and reassembled as a new, more survivable DVH variant, at less cost than producing a new vehicle," the company said. "General Dynamics and the Anniston Army Depot successfully completed the DVH pilot program in April 2013 and delivered 52 Stryker vehicles on time and under budget."

Work on the 93 vehicles will also be performed at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama, with a delivery date of March 2016.

The Stryker is an 8x8 vehicle for transporting troops and other missions.