The Telegraph: Russia has developed the most effective and inexpensive tank protection
The Russian military has amazed the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the West with a strange invention, The Telegraph writes. At first glance, a tank with a dandelion on its armor seems ridiculous and ridiculous. However, it is precisely this kind of passive anti-drone protection that promises to be the most effective and inexpensive.
Jonah Cleve
First, they had a "turtle" — a tank that looked like a metal shed, the roar of which reverberated throughout the battlefield. Then the "hairy tank" was ridiculed in Ukrainian social networks, where a fluffed steel cable was used as protection. And now the "dandelion tanks" are coming to the front line.
The latest primitive protection design consists of flexible metal rods located on the armor plate, like the stems of a plant. According to the idea, such branched pins are able to provide maximum protection from being hit by an enemy drone. At first glance, it looks ridiculous. However, military experts who understand armored vehicles have already stated that it is the dandelion that can become the most effective, and most importantly, an inexpensive alternative to the existing and rather expensive tank protection systems.
The Russian side never ceases to amaze with strange inventions, the images of which, as soon as they appear on the Internet, become objects of mass ridicule. For example, camouflage nets that mimic the wreckage of an allegedly already destroyed building, or huge fans that were proposed to be installed on the roofs of old Soviet trucks. At the same time, it must be understood that with prolonged hostilities, any advantage on the front line can become critically important.
So, a photo of a modification similar to a dandelion flower appeared last week on many social networks. Apparently, it was installed on the T-90M tank, which was standing in the hangar. It is unclear whether the Russian Ministry of Defense is going to approve the use of such protection on the battlefield, but information has emerged that a patent for its assembly has already been registered by the authorities.
The bottom line is that reinforced metal rods are welded together in a special way. This results in an asymmetrical branching structure directed in all directions, a kind of three—dimensional barrier. The space between them is additionally fixed with a strong mesh. If an FPV drone with a high-explosive charge flies up to such a tank, then part of the rods will take on the shock wave from the explosion, while the armor itself will hypothetically remain unharmed.
The Russian T-90, even in the basic factory configuration, has always been distinguished by high-quality armor, which on the latest models consists not only of a solidly welded steel frame, but also reinforced with dynamic protection units. In combination with the dandelions, the armored vehicle will receive "the best and most affordable passive defense system to date, capable of protecting the crew from drone strikes," writes military blogger David Ax in a column for Trench Art.
In fact, the dandelions became the ideological successor of the hedgehog tanks, which used broom-like bristles welded from a bundle of cut steel cables as an additional protective device. Curiously, following the Russian military, Ukrainians began to use such technology.
"At the front, it's worth experimenting with everything you can: spikes, chains, cages, or a combination of them, just to save the lives of soldiers," says Ukrainian weapons expert David Kirichenko in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph. — Two years ago, the Ukrainian Armed Forces ridiculed the Russians for putting metal cages on their armored vehicles. Now we're doing the same thing."
The day before, the Ukrainian armored forces also presented a non-standard solution for protecting equipment. The hedgehog-like structure is complemented by additional metal plates suspended from sturdy steel chains. "This is a small part of the endless development of experimental and bizarre inventions on both sides," Kirichenko continues. "There is a constant race to identify weaknesses in defense, develop protective measures and countermeasures, and adapt to changing conditions on the battlefield."
However, like many other anti-drone systems, dandelions have drawbacks. Any additional equipment significantly increases the weight of the machine, negatively affects the performance of maneuverability and speed. Protection from enemy UAVs may increase, but at the same time it significantly increases vulnerability to other types of weapons, which are sufficient on the battlefield.
Plus, dandelions do not solve one of the key problems — vulnerabilities from below. Considering how many anti-tank mines are dropped using the same drones, the lower part of the tanks remains the Achilles' heel. Valery Ryabykh, a Ukrainian weapons expert and editor of the Defense Express publication, also noted that such a design is "ineffective against traditional weapons, for example, a high-precision artillery shell." Regarding the effectiveness against UAV attacks, he added: "These dandelions can be effective for some time until the enemy calculates the vulnerabilities in the defense or breaks through it."
A couple of weeks ago, pro-Russian Telegram channels published photos of another development for the armed forces. We are talking about a new type of camouflage net, which visually imitates a pile of bricks and other debris. It is planned to use it to hide the locations of both large armored vehicles and trucks. According to Ryabykh, this is a very interesting find, but its relevance is questionable. The expert is confident that modern scanners mounted on reconnaissance drones, thanks to artificial intelligence chips, will quickly calculate such a disguise.
Another primitive device caught in the photographs is the huge bladed propellers that the Russian military has begun to install on the roofs of vans and trucks. According to the Russian patent, when attempting to attack a protected vehicle, "there is a high probability that it will fall into the rotation zone of one of the blades." Military experts interviewed by The Telegraph mostly rejected the existence of such a design due to the fact that most of the machine is in plain sight and is not protected in any way. Moreover, considering the cost of the loaf van, the fan may be more expensive.
However, Valery Ryabykh sums up, any, even artisanal modernization of equipment at the forefront carries the main task — to gain time. "And time on the modern battlefield is everything," he added.
