High ground clearance and thus standoff
are important for under vehicle explosions, no question -- but the V shape is also important as it allows the explosive force easy exit as opposed to being trapped by a flat hull -- particularly a flat hull bottom with tracks or closely spaced wheels serving as side walls which traps the force and exacerbates the intensity by reverbration as opposed to simply deflecting (or absorbing) only the initial force.
If that under vehicle explosion rises against a flat bottom, is is simply reflected right back the way it came (even if it does rip through all or part of the bottom, there's still excess force to be reflected). Vehicles can be flipped by the force as well as having bottoms penetrated. that is common with flat bottom hulls and very rare with V-bottoms.
The best V-hull designs have a minimum number of wheels and those are at extreme ands and designed to be sacrificed to aid in hull and thus crew survival.
While the V-hull and high ground clearance are beneficial in lessening the effect of buried mines or IEDs, Neither offers any protection from side or angle mounted IEDs.
It's hard to dispute that anything that keeps the troops alive is not beneficial but my sensing is that once again we have tried for a technological solution to a training and operating problem. Some were necessary and beneficial but the sheer number we're buying is probably excessive and was driven by Congressional reaction to incompetent media noise. I suspect that most will be transferred to the Iraqis. Some day... :cool:
other options besides 113
has anyone looked into OTHER vehicles that have most of the strykers advantages but cost less, are easier to maintain, easier to transport and did I mention cost less? (May even be smaller then a large city bus too)? Dingo-2, Bushmaster, the New Wildcat (Built for RPGs baby!), etc.? The you could mix and match with a light armoured track such as the BVS-10 and never have to listen to "Gavin" vs Stryker arguments ever again. Otherwise, If it HAS to be a huge honking 8x8, I want at least a 20mm cannon and powerful IR capabilities.
Reed