08:48 GMT, October 10, 2009 STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. | The U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems a $647 million contract for 352 Stryker vehicles.

Work will be performed in Anniston, Ala.; Sterling Heights, Mich.; Lima, Ohio; and London, Ontario, Canada. Vehicle deliveries will begin in July 2010.

This award continues vehicle production under the Stryker program, which was initially awarded to a General Dynamics team in 2000. To date, General Dynamics has delivered 2,988 vehicles and trained 18,438 soldiers in their operation.

The U.S. Army has seven Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, three of which are deployed in combat zones: two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

Stryker Brigade Combat Teams have operated with "historically high" mission availability rates in Iraq since October 2003, demonstrating the value of a force that can move rapidly as a cohesive and networked combined-arms combat team. Stryker vehicles have logged a total of more than 24 million miles during twelve rotations at an average sustainment cost of $14 per mile.

Stryker is a family of eight-wheel drive combat vehicles that can travel at speeds in excess of 60 mph on highways, with a range of 312 miles. It is the Army's highest-priority production combat vehicle program and the centerpiece of the ongoing Army Transformation. Stryker operates with the latest C4ISR equipment and an integrated armor package protecting soldiers against improvised explosive devices, rocket propelled grenades, and a variety of infantry weapons.