Air Transportable/Internally Carried Tactical Vehicles...Infantry's quiet mechanization....

Pics via bndestem.nl of the VECTOR (Versatile Expeditionary Commando Tactical Off Road) Jeep made by Defenture.

Below are pics of the Polaris RZR in use by the 82nd Airborne, Army Light Infantry and Special Ops.

Below are pics of the USMC ITV (Internally Transportable Vehicle)...

I gave you a big warm up for this pitch.

Military forces worldwide are turning to on light weight tactical vehicles able to be carried internally by helicopters to conduct raids on targets or to simply  provide improved tactical mobility for Marines, Airborne or Special Ops personnel.  Despite my doubts HQMC got this one right, Infantry & Artillery Marines along with Recon/Force Recon proved it to be a great idea and now everyone is biting on the concept.

Even the S. Korean company Kia Motors is about to develop a version...

Following the latest photo releases of Iron Man look-a-like robot prototypes, Hyundai’s plans to develop advanced weaponry have also been revealed. The group’s subsidiaries, including Hyundai Motor, Kia Motor, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Rotem, and Hyundai Dymos, are planning to develop and manufacture the world’s best tactical vehicles and armored cars.
For starters, Kia Motors will start manufacturing mini tactical vehicles this year.
The vehicles will be bullet-proof, and feature run-flat tires. Other commercial vehicle accommodations such as air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, automatic transmission, and a rear camera and monitor will also be included.

Here is where I hit you with the question.  Is this a developmental dead end?

High mobility is awesome until the bullets start flying.  Has the iron triangle moved from being too far in the armored protection side to now too far over to the mobility?  

We'll find out soon enough.  Below are pics of the Chinese version of a Light Weight Tactical Vehicle...

But perhaps the most impressive Light Weight Tactical Vehicle is the Argentine/Brazilian Gaucho...

For better or worse, light weight tactical vehicles are the current hotness.  There are so many that I just gave this quick over view but its obvious that infantry is undergoing a quiet mechanization.  Strategic and Tactical mobility as we've known it is undergoing a type of revolution.

A hold over from fighting too long in the desert?  Maybe.  I can't see these vehicles being useful in the fighting in Ukraine/Europe.  Definitely not the Pacific.  Maybe parts of Africa.....we'll see what we'll see.