In the month of June some began to arrive disturbing images From the war in Ukraine. We had previously seen how First and second World War were recognized in Some practicesbut the last was radical: waves offensive of Russian troops on two wheels, in motorcycles as a main tool to move towards the Ukrainian lines, in an attempt to avoid the destruction of their armored Modern to the power of drones.
To that phase He has followed another almost traced to Miller’s movie.
An improvised armor. Yes, the war in Ukraine has turned the battlefields into stages that remind of Mad Max universewith military vehicles covered by improvised shields seeking to resist the scourge of explosive drones.
A recent image Taken in Kostiantynyaivka, north of Donetsk, showed a Humvee American used by Ukraine surrounded by a huge metal cage with networks and sticks protruding from its structure, an extreme example of solutions of fortune That both Russians and Ukrainians develop to try to protect themselves from an increasingly lethal enemy: the small drones that, with costs of just a few hundred dollars, are capable of destroying armor of millions.
Origin and evolution. These protective screens, popularly known as “Cope Cages”began to be seen months ago, when the proliferation of drones transformed the land war. Initially they were installed only in combat cars and armored vehicles, but soon They spread to a wide range of systems.
Your designs They vary greatly: Some structures are crude and heavy, others are better planned, incorporating metal cages, steel plates, chains, skewers, camouflage networks and even reactive armor to reinforce the most vulnerable areas. In the Russian case, some tanks have become completely coveredwhat has earned them the nickname “Tortuga tanks” for its resemblance to the shell of these animals.


Industrial adaptation What began as improvisation of the soldiers themselves has evolved towards a more organized production. In fact, the Russian army already distributes official instructions for the construction of these cages, while in Ukraine several companies have developed versions adapted to different models, since T-64 and T-72 tanks of Soviet origin to the Abrams and Bradley supplied by the United States, even through Patriot antiacere systems.
Despite this, the real effectiveness of these devices is the object of debate. The reason? Although they can offer some protection against FPV drones and some anti -tank weapons, Its weight and volume They usually hinder mobility and vehicle operations.


The omnipresent drone. It We have counted many times. He drone boom low cost, used massively by both sides, has consolidated its role as asymmetric factor Decisive: They are able to neutralize high -value vehicles or eliminate entire crews with a minimum investment. The proliferation of this type of weapons has forced the last resort defenses as These “Cope Cages”but it has also promoted the development of more sophisticated technological measures.
Electronic countermeasures. Both Ukraine and Russia resort to extensively to The electronic warblocking communications between operators and drones or interfering with your systems GPS navigation.
In response to this, new generations of drones resistant to these techniques have emerged, such as connection models by optical fiberthat maintain a direct physical link with the operator and leave behind cable kilometers in the field. Outside, drones endowed of artificial intelligence They begin to be used more frequently, capable of completing their missions even if the connection is interrupted.
Race between attack and defense. If you also want, the image of vehicles covered by improvised cages is the visible materialization of the New war dynamics In Ukraine: a constant career between the offensive capacity of cheap drones and the defensive creativity of soldiers and engineers.
Although, as we said, some of these shields offer limited protection, their expansion reflects the urgency with which both armies try to adapt to an environment where the main threat does not always come from a long -range missile, but from a small artisanal drone that, thrown by an operator kilometers away, can decide the fate of a combat car that costs a fortune.
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