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By Matthew Cox
Times staff writer

The Army has fielded the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle — the latest variant to the Stryker vehicle series.

Soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Lewis, Wash., received the first three NBCRV Strykers in February, according to an Army press release.

The NBCRV is designed to locate, mark and report NBC contamination on the battlefield. It can detect and collect contaminated material on the move and automatically transmit digital NBC warning messages to warn follow-on forces.

The NBCRV vehicle is the ninth Stryker variant to be added to the Army inventory.

The only remaining variant to be fielded is the Mobile Gun System, a Stryker equipped with a stabilized, direct-fire 105mm cannon mounted on top of the vehicle for destroying such hard targets as bunkers and barricaded enemy positions.

A faulty ammunition handling system put the program behind schedule in spring 2004. The MGS has been redesigned and is scheduled to be fielded later this year, Army officials say.