Slat armor (or slat armour in British English), also known as bar armor, cage armor, and standoff armor, is a type of vehicle armor designed to protect against high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) attacks, as used by anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
Slat armor takes the form of a rigid slatted metal grid fitted around key sections of the vehicle, which disrupts the shaped charge of the warhead by either crushing it, preventing optimal detonation from occurring, or by damaging the fuzing mechanism, preventing detonation outright. Although slat armor is effective against incoming missiles, it does not offer complete protection – as many as 50% of missile impacts are unimpeded by the slat design. [1] Slat armor is more likely to be effective if the spacing of the slats is less than the diameter of the incoming high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round, such as RPG rounds which are commonly 85 mm. [2]
The German Wehrmacht was the first employer of cage armor during World War II, using Drahtgeflecht-Schürzen (English: "wire mesh aprons") to fortify its tanks against shell fire. [3] In March 1943, Adolf Hitler ordered all new Sturmgeschütz, Panzer III, IV, and Panthers be outfitted with Schürzen of either the wire mesh or steel plate type. However, the wire mesh was not as easy to mass-produce as steel plate Schürzen or armored skirts. Similarly, the Soviet Red Army tanks, when faced with the Panzerfaust, were outfitted with "bedspring" armor made from expanded metal mesh grating panels.
In the Vietnam War, slat armor was commonly used on the sides of American patrol barges and boats. The CCB-18 is a surviving example of the Mobile Riverine Force which used such armor. [4] Wire fencing was also placed on vehicles such as the M113 to defeat Vietcong RPGs. The Swedish Stridsvagn 103 of the same era employed a much heavier front-mounted metal grid to protect against incoming projectiles.
In modern times, slat armor has seen use on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Caterpillar D9R armored bulldozer, the Force Protection Buffalo MPV MRAP vehicle, the General Dynamics Stryker, Ukrainian BTR-4, the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle, [5] the M113 APC, the British Challenger 2, the Leopard 2A6 main battle tank, [6] and Russian T-62 tanks. [7] Slat armor is favored over traditional plate armor not only due to its effectiveness against shaped-charge warheads, but also due to its much lighter weight, which improves vehicle maneuverability. [8]
Slat armor was first used on the Israeli IDF Caterpillar D9R armored bulldozer in 2005, and was installed in large numbers in 2006. Around the same time in 2005, slat armor was first proposed for the Stryker by a team of experts from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), the Developmental Test Command, and the Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) to protect the vehicle from RPGs. [9] Within seven days, the ARL and ATC designed and produced the first prototype, which was later mass produced at the Lima Army Tank Plant in Ohio and implemented in different variants of the Stryker. The design of the slat armor has the cage placed 50 cm ahead around the vehicle, allowing an RPG warhead to explode at a safe distance. [2] Also, the slat armor on the Stryker vehicles is reportedly effective against HEAT rounds.
In 2007, BAE Systems developed a very lightweight aluminum slat armor system named LROD, which was initially used on the Buffalo MPV, and which was claimed to weigh half the amount of comparable steel designs. [5] BAE later equipped several US Army RG-31s with a variant of the LROD system, and also developed the system for its RG-33 vehicles, the Caiman and the JERRV. Slat armor is also fielded on the American M1 Abrams as part of the Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK) urban warfare series. In the Syrian Civil War, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the Free Syrian Army and Syrian Army equipped their armored vehicles with homemade slat armor to protect them from RPG impact.
In August 2016, Russia introduced bar-slat armor developed by NII Stali and Uralvagonzavod to increase protection of Russian armored vehicles against RPG and recoilless rifle HEAT rounds by 55-60%. The armor can be integrated with a variety of old-Soviet and Russian vehicles including the BTR-50, BTR-60, BTR-70, BTR-80/82, BTR-90, BMP-1, BMP-2, BMP-3, BRDM-2, BRDM-3, and T-14 Armata, with the full kit adding 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of weight. [10]
In 2021, various Russian tanks were observed with top-mounted improvised slat armor made from steel grilles; [11] these were nicknamed kozyrek ot solntsa (Russian : козырек от солнца, lit. "sun visors") by Russian tank crews, [12] [13] and the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in mid-2021 that they were intended to enhance protection against "various weapons". [13] In December 2021, the Ukrainian Army released video of a military exercise in which an armored fighting vehicle (apparently a BTR fitted with a T-64-like turret) carrying such equipment was destroyed by a Javelin missile. [14] These implementations add weight to the tank, increase its visual profile, and make it more difficult for the crew to enter and exit the vehicle. [15] In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine where they saw combat usage, they were pejoratively termed "cope cages" [16] by English-language online communities, western military analysts, and British defence secretary, Ben Wallace, [17] expressing skepticism over their real-world effectiveness, based on the assumption by these analysts that the armor was most likely designed in an attempt to mitigate the threat of top-down anti-tank missiles such as the FGM-148 Javelin, and other top-attack munitions. [18]
Other analysts have proposed that they may instead be used as a countermeasure against HEAT warheads from weapons such as RPG-7s fired from above during urban combat, loitering munitions, or against drone attacks, as a response to lessons learned from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war [19] and First Chechen War. [20] The lack of uniformity between the makeshift cage variants made from different meshes and iron fences suggest that they are largely improvised by the tank crews, and are not standard issue. [21] [22] In May 2022, it was reported in Russian media interviews with some Russian tankers that have returned from Ukraine that their crews eventually removed the cages, as they obstructed the use of machine guns and radios, and prevented timely evacuation if the tank caught fire. [23] By Summer 2023, multiple Ukrainian tanks taking part in the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive have been spotted with various roof screens, including a Challenger 2, though instead of using slat armor most of them used netting as material. [24]
On 16 October 2023, during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Israeli Merkava tanks were pictured being deployed with slat armor, likely in response following the loss of a Merkava from a PG7V warhead dropped from a quadcopter drone on 7 October. [25] Hamas showed footage of at least two successful strikes against Merkava tanks using drones dropping IEDs and RPG warheads. However, some argue that because the slat armor only covers the turret, other parts of the tank are still left exposed. [26] [27]
On 21 March 2024, recent footage of the submarine Tula showed that it has been fitted with cage armor to prevent drone strikes, the first oceangoing asset to carry such a modification. [28]
A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired rocket weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor which propels the RPG towards the target and they are stabilized in flight with fins. Some types of RPG are reloadable with new rocket-propelled grenades, while others are single-use. RPGs are generally loaded from the front.
The Merkava is a series of main battle tanks used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the backbone of the IDF's Armored Corps. Current iterations of this tank are considered broadly equivalent to the capabilities of the M1 Abrams, Leopard 2 and the Challenger 2. The current iteration of this vehicle also shares the same MTU EuroPowerPack powerplant as a number of other tank platforms.
The T-72 is a family of Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refurbishment has enabled many to remain in service for decades. It has been widely exported and has seen service in 40 countries and in numerous conflicts. The Russian T-90 introduced in 1992 and the Chinese Type 99 are further developments of the T-72. Production and development of various modernized T-72 models continues today. Currently holds the record for the most MBT's lost in combat.
The BMP-3 is a Soviet and Russian infantry fighting vehicle, successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The abbreviation BMP stands for Boevaya Mashina Pekhoty.
The 9M133 Kornet is a Russian man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) intended for use against main battle tanks. It was first introduced into service with the Russian army in 1998.
The T-90 is a third-generation Russian main battle tank developed from, and designed to replace the T-72. It uses a 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner's thermal sight. Standard protective measures include a blend of steel and composite armour, smoke grenade dischargers, Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour (ERA) and the Shtora infrared anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) jamming system.
A tandem-charge or dual-charge weapon is an explosive device or projectile that has two or more stages of detonation, assisting it to penetrate either reactive armour on an armoured vehicle or strong structures.
Arena is an active protection system (APS) developed at Russia's Kolomna-based Engineering Design Bureau for the purpose of protecting armoured fighting vehicles from destruction by light anti-tank weapons, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), and flyover top attack missiles. It uses a Doppler radar to detect incoming warheads. Upon detection, a defensive rocket is fired that detonates near the inbound threat, destroying it before it hits the vehicle.
Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighting vehicles like tanks, aircraft, and ships.
Drozd is an active protection system (APS) developed in the Soviet Union, designed for increasing tanks' protection against anti-tank missiles and RPGs. It is considered the world's first operational active protection system, created in 1977–78 by the KBP design bureau of A. G. Shipunov as Kompleks 1030M-01. Its chief designer, Vasily Bakalov, was awarded the Lenin Prize for his work on its development.
Armour with two or more plates spaced a distance apart falls under the category of spaced armour. Spaced armour can be sloped or unsloped. When sloped, it reduces the penetrating power of bullets and solid shot, as after penetrating each plate projectiles tend to tumble, deflect, deform, or disintegrate; spaced armour that is not sloped is generally designed to provide protection from explosive projectiles, which detonate before reaching the primary armour. Spaced armour is used on military vehicles such as tanks and combat bulldozers. In a less common application, it is used in some spacecraft that use Whipple shields.
BTR-90 (GAZ-5923) is an 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carrier developed in Russia, designed in 1993 and first shown publicly in 1994. It is a larger version of the BTR-80 vehicle, fitted with a BMP-2 turret.
The BTR-4 "Bucephalus" is an amphibious 8×8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) designed in Ukraine by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau.
The BMPT "Terminator" is an armored fighting vehicle (AFV), designed and manufactured by the Russian company Uralvagonzavod. This vehicle was designed for supporting tanks and other AFVs in urban areas. The BMPT is unofficially named the "Terminator" by the manufacturers. It is heavily armed and armored to survive in urban combat. The AFV is armed with four 9M120 Ataka missile launchers, two 30 mm 2A42 autocannons, two AG-17D grenade launchers, and one coaxial 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun.
The BTR-T was a Russian heavy APC, designed by the Design Bureau of Transport Machine-Building (Omsktransmash) state-run production association.
Improvised vehicle armour is a form of vehicle armour consisting of protective materials added to a vehicle such as a car, truck, or tank in an irregular and extemporized fashion using available materials. Typically, improvised armour is added in the field and it was not originally part of the design, an official up-armour kit, nor centrally planned and distributed. Improvised armour is used to protect occupants from small arms, crew-served weapons, artillery fire, and mines. Improvised additions have included metal plate, scrap metal, sandbags, concrete, wood, and, since at least the 2000s, Kevlar. These materials vary widely in their ballistic protection.
The Zaslin active protection system is being developed by Microtek in cooperation with other military design organizations. The system is designed to protect stationary or mobile targets from anti-tank weapons with flat or diving trajectories using various types of guidance systems and warheads. Unlike the existing Russian-designed active protection systems Drozd and Arena, Zaslin can be deployed alongside reactive armour placed in the turret area, which is vulnerable to anti-tank projectiles traveling at speeds up to 1,200 metres per second (3,900 ft/s)
The T-15 Armata, with industrial designation "Object 149", is a Russian heavy infantry fighting vehicle first seen in public in 2015 during rehearsals for the Moscow Victory Day Parade. The T-15 concept of a heavy IFV is derived from design of the BTR-T vehicle that never entered military service. As of May 2023, the T-15 Armata has not entered service and the program status is unknown.
The ZALA Lancet is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and loitering munition developed by the Russian company ZALA Aero Group for the Russian Armed Forces. It was first unveiled in June 2019 at the ARMY-2019 military expo in Moscow. It is a further development of the ZALA Kub-BLA loitering munition. Iran claimed in April 2024 that it has manufactured a domestic analogue of the drone.
Turtle Tank is a series of modified Russian T-62, T-72 and T-80 tanks supplied with an improvised steel roof and siding, as well as anti-drone slat armor which covers the entirety of the original vehicle. Turtle Tanks were spotted in action for the first time in early April 2024 on the battlefield of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They also have anti-drone radio jamming equipment. Newer models are equipped with KMT 7 mine-clearing rollers with electromagnetic mine detector/trawl The consistent appearance of the tanks are also noted to be similar to the World War I era German A7V tanks.
Новое защитное устройство, установленное в верхней части башни, внешне напоминает навес, за что получило среди танкистов неофициальное название - "козырек от солнца".[The new protective device, installed on the upper portion of the turret, appears similar to a canopy, earning it the unofficial name "sun visor" among tankers.]
Защитное устройство в верхней части башни получило неофициальное прозвище «козырек от солнца». В Минобороны сообщили, что оно предназначено для усиления защиты от разных средств поражения… В военном ведомстве не рассказали о принципе действия защиты, однако отметили, что другие Т-72 тоже получат «козырек».[The protective device at the top of the turret was given the informal nickname "sun visor". The Ministry of Defense reported that it is intended to enhance protection against various weapons… the military department did not talk about the specifics of the protection, but noted that other T-72s would also have the "visor" installed.]
"The advantage Russian tanks have is that they're super small and very low, making them easy to hide. When you start doubling the height, you're getting rid of some of the advantages of the vehicle," Crump said. The cages also make it harder for the crew to get in and out of the vehicles, according to Crump.
They have indeed been mockingly dubbed by Western analysts as 'emotional support armour' or 'cope cages'. Superficially, they are an example of what is known in military circles as field-expedient armour—in other words, stuff that has been added to vehicles after they have entered service.
Érdekes egy szót említeni a „kutyaólként" vagy "csirkeketrecként," angolszász forrásokban „cope cage," vagyis durván „dolgozd fel ketrecként" emlegetett improvizált páncélzatról a tornyon. A páncélzat célja az lenne, hogy megvédje a harcjárműveket a felülről érkező drónrakétáktól vagy páncéltörő rakétáktól.[It is interesting to mention the terminology surrounding the improvised armour on the tower, referred to as 'dog kennel' or 'chicken coop' in Hungarian, or 'cope cage' in Anglo-Saxon sources. The purpose of the armor would be to protect the combat vehicles from drone missiles or armor-piercing rockets coming from above.]
These are colloquially termed 'cope cages' by various communities on the internet. Of course, they will do little to minimise the impact from a missile, but they do demonstrate that Russian soldiers are fearful of the threat the missiles present.
Social media has been littered with photos of destroyed Russian tanks with cages. The images have acquired a symbolic resonance so quickly that Internet users have coined the term 'cope cage' earning a page on the Internet's primary meme directory.
Russian soldiers' futile use of pine logs as makeshift protection on logistical trucks and attaching overhead 'cope cages' to their tanks, it's nothing short of tragic. But their commanders' failures to adapt before entering them into such a conflict is criminal.
They appear to be oriented in a way that protects only against attacks from above. In principle, that might help against Javelins, which have a 'top attack' mode ... [but] even if the cage sets off a Javelin's precursor warhead, the main charge is still more than powerful enough to punch through the top armour and destroy the tank
"The cages are supposed to defend against anti-tank weapons that strike the top of the vehicle, where the armor is the thinnest. "The idea is that if you set off a bazooka or a Panzerfaust... they're set off early and so they don't hit the tank itself..." Crump explained. However, the cages are largely ineffective against the modern anti-tank weapons used by the Ukrainians, such as the Javelin and NLAW... Many modern weapons are designed to counter that sort of protection
Another idea is that the cages are a response to the conflict in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan, over Nagorno-Karabakh, in which large numbers of Russian-made Armenian tanks were destroyed from above by MAM-Ls ... A third possibility is that the cages are meant as protection against RPGs ... which are being fired at tanks from above. This ... is a preferred tactic in urban warfare, where buildings offer shooters the necessary elevation.
Ces structures approximatives sont ce qu'il est devenu coutumier d'appeler des cope cages en anglais –des «cages pour faire avec», pour traduire grossièrement l'expression. Elles sont le résultat des observations par l'armée russe du conflit opposant Azerbaïdjan et Arménie dans le Haut-Karabakh.[It has become customary to call these makeshift structures "cope cages" in English, an expression which roughly translates to "cages pour faire avec". They are the result of observations made by the Russian army towards the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.]
...the Russians might have had another defence in mind, possibly drones with small missile warheads attacking from above, or RPGs being fired from rooftops in urban battles, a problem Russia encountered in Chechnya.
The lack of uniformity of the cages, and the fact that they are only seen on some tanks, shows that Russian units are largely improvising them
…even in cases where the slat armour could be useful, perhaps against small "kamikaze drones" or small munitions fired or dropped from drones, the DIY nature of the Russian cages could still be a fatal flaw. Quality engineering "does not apply to the 'cope cage'… The 'grill' appears to be less dense than proper cage armour and constructed from random household materials in some cases."
Обвесы (металлические решетки для защиты от противотанковых ракет) мы сначала все наварили на танки, а потом их все сняли. Во-первых, неудобно: пулемет не двигается, антенна когда замыкает об решетку – сгорает радиостанция, связь пропадает. И если будет какое-то возгорание, там просто нереально будет вылезти из танка… Поэтому их все сняли и выкинули.[At first we welded the body kits (metal grilles for protection against anti-tank missiles) to the tanks, but then they were all removed. Firstly, it is inconvenient: the machine gun is unable to move, and the radio connection disappears when the antenna touches the grille. If there is some kind of fire, it will be simply unrealistic to get out of the tank… So they were all removed and thrown away.]
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