Designs in motion for new combat vehicles

When the Humvee replaced the jeep 20 years ago, the military wanted better basics: a strong engine and more capable off-road suspension.

Now, as the Pentagon speeds its search for a Humvee replacement, those basics along with better armor — still count. But the modern military, like American motorists, wants vehicles laden with electronics, air conditioning and other options now considered critical to battlefield performance.
Not only must the Humvee replacement better defend troops from bomb blasts, it must:
• Support built-in computers and Global Positioning System and communications gear, instead of the welded-on brackets and tangles of wires in Humvees......