[BeauBo]

"Can they survive an IED?"

That was the primary requirement that initiated the replacement of the HMWWV.

The obvious higher ground clearance is a key characteristic to dissipate blast

In terms of UBB (Under Body Blast) protection, air is a cheap and potent help. As illustrated below, the distance between the source of an explosion and the truck is critical, as pressure decreases rapidly as a function of distance. So every inch that can be afforded to increase the distance of a truck’s underbody from a buried explosive yields a major protection benefit.

Reflected Pressure vs. Distance From Burst Point for 20 lbs of TNT.

The JLTV features large tires and a suspension that gives its hull a high ground clearance, comparable to the approximately 2- to 3-ft ground clearance for MRAPs. By contrast, the HMMWV has a clearance of only about 14 inches from the ground to the bottom of its hull.

[DAC21]

Thank you for the concise info. I'm the furthest thing from a design engineer, but I had wondered if a higher running chassis and maybe a slightly wedged shape under-body to dissipate energy out to the side of the vehicle could help with IED detonation.

[BwanaNdege]

Shaped charges or explosively formed projectiles will probably negate these improvements.

The main question is, “How do you transport these monsters other than by driving them to the battlefield or onboard ships?”

C-17s C-5s, C-130s and C-141s are finite in number and needed for more important cargo.

Time to re-examine your battlefield transportation paradigm. In Vietnam we walked through the rice paddies because the dikes were often mined. Same idea applies to bloated jeeps and roads.