The British Land Rover WMIK lacks even the protection level of an armored Hummer. It's a flat-bottomed vehicle with the troops are positioned over the axles, which is where pressure mines will detonate. It has very little armor on the sides, no doors, and lacks a roof to protect its crew from the elements. Its weapons even lack transparent gunshields.
What the WMIK it does have is a pair of weapon mounts for firepower overmatch. The main mount can take a heavy machine gun for accurate ranged fire, or the 40mm grenade machine guns that have been in demand for their devastating area effects, or even a Javelin missile for use as a scouting mechanism and ultra-accurate long range shot. There's also a lighter 7.62mm machine gun mount next to the "shotgun" front seat.
The "infantry enhancement" effect is similar to adding one of the Royal Marines' popular BvS-10 Viking tracked vehicles, but with an adjusted set of plusses and minuses. Advantages include:
Higher top speed
Better all-round visibility
Air portability via helicopters smaller than a CH-47 Chinook
Lower costs
Drawbacks include:
Cannot traverse some Afghan terrain that would be accessible to BVS10s
Less armor protection in all dimensions, verging on none
Less versatility in terms of possible battlefield roles
On balance, however, these trade-offs appear to be acceptable to commanders in theater. The WMIK has become popular, and the Taliban reportedly refer to them as 'porcupines' due to their appearance and effect. They work with some reconnaissance and elite elements, act as advance scouts for some supply convoys, and also take up middle and rear positions to provide sudden firepower while the convoys are running.
