Editing Infantry fighting vehicle (section)

=== Protection ===
[[File:ZBD-04A IFV 20170716.jpg|thumb|Chinese [[ZBD-04]]A infantry fighting vehicle]]
All IFVs possess armored hulls protected against rifle and machine gun fire, and some are equipped with [[active protection system]]s.<ref name="Arms"/> Most have lighter armor than [[main battle tank]]s to ensure mobility.<ref name="Coffey"/> Armies have generally accepted risk in reduced protection to recapitalize on an IFV's mobility, weight and speed.<ref name="Coffey"/> Their fully enclosed hulls offer protection from artillery fragments and residual environmental contaminants as well as limit exposure time to the mounted infantry during extended movements over open ground.<ref name="Coffey"/>

Many IFVs also have sharply angled hulls that offer a relatively high degree of protection for their armor thickness.<ref name="USMC"/> The BMP, [[Boragh]], BVP M-80, and their respective variants all possess steel hulls with a distribution of armor and steep angling that protect them during frontal advances.<ref name=Guardia/> The BMP-1 was vulnerable to [[heavy machine gun]]s at close range on its flanks or rear, leading to a variety of more heavily armored marks appearing from 1979 onward.<ref name=Guardia/>

The Bradley possessed a lightweight aluminum alloy hull, which in most successive marks has been bolstered by the addition of explosive reactive and slat armor, spaced laminate belts, and steel track skirts.<ref name=Guardia/> Throughout its life cycle, an IFV is expected to gain 30% more weight from armor additions.<ref name="IFV obesity">{{cite book|title=Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies|year=2004|publisher=Method Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=06tIAAAAYAAJ&q=%22upgraded+throughout+their+life+cycle%22|access-date=31 March 2011|page=30}}</ref>

As [[Asymmetric warfare|asymmetric conflict]]s become more common, an increasing concern with regards to IFV protection has been adequate countermeasures against [[land mine]]s and [[improvised explosive device]]s.<ref name=Guardia/> During the [[Iraq War]], inadequate mine protection in US Bradleys forced their crews to resort to makeshift strategies such as lining the hull floors with sandbags.<ref name=Guardia/> A few IFVs, such as the [[Ratel IFV|Ratel]], have been specifically engineered to resist mine explosions.<ref name=SurviveRide/>