Why were lightly armoured vehicles vulnerable in Iraq and Afghanistan?

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armoured vehicle A British Warrior mechanized combat vehicle serving in NATO's Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1997.

Lightly armoured vehicles, such as the Stryker and the Humvee, proved vulnerable during the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War due to their susceptibility to specific asymmetric threats. These vehicles were frequently targeted by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mines, and rocket-propelled grenades.1

The primary challenge arose from IEDs buried in roadways, which targeted the vulnerable underside of these vehicles. Initial attempts to mitigate these risks—such as adding metal caging to trigger warheads prematurely or retrofitting Humvees with additional armour—were largely ineffective against the most lethal explosive devices.1

To address these critical safety concerns, the U.S. military transitioned to Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles. These were engineered with a V-shaped hull specifically designed to deflect the force of explosions away from the troop compartment, significantly increasing survivability compared to standard lightly armoured platforms.1