Some Russian tanks with improvised cages attached to them for protection against anti-tank missiles. An expert told Insider that the cages are in vain against modern weapons such as the Javelin and the NLAW. The cages also damage Russian tanks by increasing their visibility and adding weight.
Russian forces appear to be attaching makeshift metal cages to the tops of their tanks in Ukraine in a brutal attempt to protect themselves from anti-tank missiles. Analysts say the cages are insufficient protection against the modern weapons used by Ukraine and demonstrate the Russian military’s unpreparedness for war. “They have the nickname ‘counter-cages,’ which I think shows the general, more up-to-date military view of how useful they really are,” Justin Kramb, a military veteran and chief executive of Sibylline Risk Information, told Insider. “They provide psychological protection against weapons, but in reality they do very little.” The cages are supposed to defend against the anti-tank weapons that hit the top of the vehicle, where the shielding is the thinnest. “The idea is that if you start a bazooka or a Panzerfaust, which is German, they start early and so they do not hit the tank itself. “They dissipate their energy at the wrong distance to work effectively.” However, the cages are largely ineffective against the modern anti-tank weapons used by the Ukrainians, such as the Javelin and NLAW, or the next-generation light anti-tank weapon. Many modern weapons have been designed to deal with this type of protection, and the use of these cages shows an “incomplete understanding” of the latest systems, Crump explained. Earlier this week, the BBC reported the defeat of a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Voznesensk. The film, recorded by local security cameras, shows a column of tanks and armored vehicles using makeshift cages and sandbags for extra protection. The story goes on Russian tanks with cages in the turret enter the city of Voznesensk, Ukraine. Security cameras / YouTube / BBC The cages fail to protect against Ukrainian weapons, but they could also be a disadvantage for Russian tanks due to their extra weight and height. “The advantage of Russian tanks is that they are extremely small and very low, which makes them easy to hide. When you start doubling the height, you will get rid of some of the advantages of the vehicle,” Crump said. The cages also make it difficult for the crew to get in and out of the vehicles, according to Crump. The lack of uniformity of the cages and the fact that they appear only on certain tanks, shows that the Russian units are improvising them to a large extent, he said. “It is by far the least effective form of tank armor they have, and it shows more that they are limited to smarter things like what we call active defense systems,” Crump said. Ever since its invasion began three weeks ago, Russia’s once-frightened army has struggled to overcome Ukrainian resistance. It has lost at least 270 tanks so far, according to the Oryx open source weapons monitoring site – which is about 10% of its estimated active force. Some experts have said that the ineffectiveness of Russian tank attacks in Ukraine, compared to the effectiveness of anti-tank weapons such as powerful explosives and guided missiles, could undoubtedly make tanks obsolete. The Russian military makes extensive use of Soviet-era T-72 tanks dating back to the 1970s, Crump explained. While they have some more modern tanks, the older ones were more suitable for upgrading and modifying. “He always said that Russia has a big, modern army. We found out that the modern part is not very big and the big part is not very modern. And the big part is getting smaller and smaller,” Crump said. Read the original article in Business Insider
