RE: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,149011,00.html

After 5 yrs in Iraq I find it silly to even try to armor a Humvee. The thing is a piece of junk for what it is being used for. It is NOT an armored car. I always said if you want an armored car then make one. Don't try to make a purse from a pig's ear. I can not believe this country can't make a decent cheap armored car like a Russian BMP that would be better then this. You can do anything you want to it, it is still a piece of junk.

"...whose frames and bodies are made of a combination of Fiberglas, balsa wood, foam and carbon reinforcements held together with resin..."

Balsa wood? Foam? uh...
I sorta get the idea, less vehicle weight makes more room for more armor, that makes sense; but i sorta have my doubts about structural integrity of the frame(made from a combo of balsa wood and foam) the vehicle may survive a bomb, but i think its gonna crumple like a beer can on a frat boy's head...

900lbs only accounts for 2 DOORS on an M-1114 HMMWV

quote:

Originally posted by jt_def187:
Balsa wood? Foam? uh...
I sorta get the idea, less vehicle weight makes more room for more armor, that makes sense;

Don't knock it. Balsa wood and foam are some of the strongest structural materials on a per-pound basis. Doors on US Navy 5" gun mounts are made from fiberglass skinned balsa wood for this reason.

quote:

...but i sorta have my doubts about structural integrity of the frame(made from a combo of balsa wood and foam) the vehicle may survive a bomb, but i think its gonna crumple like a beer can on a frat boy's head...

Got a hint for you: modern automobiles are designed to protect the passengers by having select parts of the frame fail by controlled collapse. Depending on the size of the IED, more than a few present Humvees are write-offs following an explosion.

Stop beating the dead horse. HUMMERS in any iteration are inadequate for the conditions our troops face in Iraq and Afghanistan unless you put them inside a purpose designed MRAP. The Humvee was a fine utility vehicle to replace the Jeep. It can never be up armored enough to be the vehicle of choice in an IED laden environment.

It may well be great from a planning standpoint. But, unless it has a V shaped hull to divert the blast from beneath outward it will still not be what we have needed for a long time.