[Development] M1296 Dragoon: Cavalry in the City! - News

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M1296 Dragoon: Cavalry in the City!

20 February 2026 Development

Today we’re taking a look at one of the modern variants of the US Army Stryker combat vehicle with a 30 mm automatic cannon!

M1296 Dragoon: A Light Tank for the USA at Rank VI

At a glance:

Unmanned turret with a 30 mm autocannon
APFSDS and HE rounds
High maximum speed
Bulletproof armor
Large size

After the US Army identified the need to enhance the firepower of the M1126 Stryker, a modernization program was approved in 2015 which resulted in the installation of an unmanned turret with a 30 mm stabilized cannon. This variant was intended to fill the gap between the baseline M1126 Stryker APC, equipped with only a 12.7 mm machine gun, and the M1128 Stryker MGS fire support vehicle with a 105 mm cannon. This modernization was applied to 81 vehicles of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment stationed in Germany.

The intention of mounting a 30 mm cannon was to significantly increase the Stryker’s firepower while maintaining its mobility. The vehicle would be effective against enemy armored vehicles (using APFSDS rounds) and sheltered infantry (using high explosive rounds). Following a series of tests, the vehicle received the official designation M1296 and the name Infantry Carrier Vehicle, Dragoon, or ICVD. The first production upgraded M1296 Dragoon was delivered to an active unit of the US Army in Europe in December 2017, and the last one was delivered in late 2018.

Download Wallpaper:

Introducing the M1296 Dragoon!

Meet a long-awaited addition to the Stryker ranks, a support vehicle with a 30 mm autocannon! Signature maneuverability now combined with automatic fire and belts for all types of targets is coming to the game in the next War Thunder update! Let’s take a look at the Dragoon.

The key differentiator of the new M1296 Dragoon from the other Strykers is its new unmanned turret with a 30 mm XM813 cannon, an evolution of the well-known Bushmaster II automatic cannon. From the offset, you’ll be able to fire an APDS belt with up to 87 mm of penetration, and a later APFSDS belt which can comfortably cut through most vehicles in the game, from the side at least. There’s also HEI-T rounds, which are nicely versatile across the board. The turret also features a laser rangefinder, allowing you to easily hone in on a target at any range!

Coming in on a fast 8x8 wheeled chassis that can reach almost 100 km/h, the Stryker is well-known and needs no introduction. Combined with the new autocannon, the Dragoon will be a very dangerous vehicle on all types of maps!

As for the new M1296’s weaknesses, they’re largely the same as those of other vehicles in the family. That’s mainly its large size, a crew of just three, and light armor. When playing this vehicle you’ll need to make sure you’re getting the jump on the enemy. A burst from the cannon at a good angle can take down anything, but if you get caught on a bad angle there’s not a lot you can do, so prioritizing the mobility is key.

Right, that’s this dev blog wrapped! We look forward to welcoming the M1296 Dragoon to the US light tank line at rank VI in the next major update. In the meantime, as always we’ll continue covering the most exciting vehicles, locations, and new features in our dev blogs. Bye!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.