Ukrainian military engineers have retrofitted British-supplied Challenger 2 tanks with specialised anti-drone netting to counter the increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in combat zones.
Source- https://t.co/crNwURNIGn
Sporting folding anti-drone netting. pic.twitter.com/oAtBMUcHD5
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 5, 2024
This update enhances the tanks’ defences against the threat of surveillance and attack drones, which have become a significant factor in the conflict.
The lightweight folding netting is designed to interfere with the operational mechanisms of drones, potentially disabling them before they can deliver payloads. This is a strategic departure from the previous use of more cumbersome fixed protective cages, which although effective, added significant weight and could impact the vehicles’ agility and operational speed.
The mesh’s design not only provides a practical defence against the smaller, often commercially-sourced drones used in the conflict but also maintains the tanks’ operational efficiency without the burden of additional heavy armour.
This measure reflects a broader trend in adapting military hardware to new threats, recognising the growing role of UAVs in conflict dynamics.
Given the reported effectiveness of UAVs in recent conflicts, where drones have been responsible for significant losses of armoured units, this upgrade is yet another chapter in the ongoing adaptation of ground forces to asymmetric warfare threats.
The devastating impact of drone warfare is evident in the considerable losses sustained by Russian forces. According to recent reports, drones have accounted for a substantial portion of Russian equipment losses, with a single brigade’s worth of hardware being destroyed every two months, highlighting the urgency and relevance of integrating effective anti-drone systems.
I wonder if in decades to come we will look at these pictures like we look at pictures of dazzle cam from WW1?
It is a shame man is at his most inventive in war.
Never a truer word , however the plus side is that although war is the greatest source of to innovation. Man has reaped the benefits in peace time.
Development such as the mass production of penicillin , the jet engine were down to war innovation, regrettably so was nuclear weapons .
Well that last statement just isn’t true is it?
Wi-Fi, the Internet, Space Exploration, Smart Phones, Vaccines, Radio, Light Bulbs… all invented during peace time.
I guess you have a very low bar for inventiveness.
Strictly speaking she did not say all invention, however to a certain extent, her statement is true. The Internet was originally a military communications system. Space exploration came about from the Cold War and the race to put someone in orbit, on the moon etc. Smart phones came about from military research that led to the integrated circuit and communications. Spread spectrum tech has its roots in military tech to develop unjammable Telecoms. Radio , light bulb all peace time inventions. Btw the flat screen LED TV a British invention we all enjoy ( mostly) came about from research towards… Read more »
+GPS was military first , space exploration off the back of ballistic missile race.
If you’re going to be pedantic make sure nobody can turn your pedantry on you:
She said “in War.”
None of the things I listed where invented IN WAR.
People are just as inventive during peace as they are in war.
I was not being pedantic, I was just pointing out that war has always been a huge catalyst for technology and many everyday objects that people take for granted have military origins.
You where.
And again, a “military origin” doesn’t mean “originated in War.”
The Tank originated in a war.
The Internet didn’t.
Oh and far FAR more things have origins in the civilian world than the military btw.
Whatever floats your boat.
Not my fault that you’re wrong.
Neither is it mine that you didn’t take my answer in the spirit of the discussion it was meant to be. Whether an innovation occurred during war or was done in preparation for a future war makes little to no difference to me. Innovation is always present, people do not suddenly become creative during war but war or the preparation for war ( essentially) peace has always created a favourable environment where innovation has flourished. You can nit pick all you like but many of the innovations we take for granted in our modern world were born during war or… Read more »
Exactly and that was clearly what was meant by the original statement, I’m shocked it became so controversial and centered around ever decreasing circles of when we are or are not in actual conflict.
I think you are being deeply unfair, the original statement was ‘…in war…’ to any objective mind simply says war inspires it be it not war or Cold War, you raised the modification ‘during the war’ which completely changes the overall argument to your strict parameters rather than the originators and twists the very simple point she was making. But again the very technology that enables the internet did actually come to be conceived and patented in WW2 so where does that leave us some of the tech was and some of its tech wasn’t invented during the actual war,… Read more »
Hang on 2 points. Research started in war doesn’t necessarily create technology in that timescale but did as a result of it some time after, so surely that still qualifies. Equally while I think you are right in the post war period to say inventiveness has flourished during peace that to a degree is due to the world that the 2nd WW specifically created certainly it put progress on steroids and remember we almost instantly went into the. Old war where innovation and invention was inspired and financed because of the fear of war. So war and peace are not… Read more »
Colour tv was first shown by Mullard in the post war period, don’t know whether it originated in wartime research but I wouldn’t be surprised if radar and military sensor research was the inspiration. Certainly Britain was in no position to exploit it for commercial purposes in that period.
I tend to agree with you to a degree though war has certainly advanced technology on a massive scale though I agree not exclusively. But then most of the technology you mention was greatly set free or motivated by the economic momentum, wealth influence and facilities that were created in the US during and as a result of the war and exploited thereafter to create that first great American surge. Oh and on a particular note while WiFi wasn’t inspired by wartime technology it was fundamentally only made truly possible by the patent taken out by Hedy Lamarr and George… Read more »
Necessity is the mother of invention. There is no greater necessity than survival. Everything from modern computers, space exploration, internet, even radio, which Marconi had part funded by the Royal Navy.
I think man is being at his inventive best in Ai and robotics presently and that will only grow stronger up to the point Ai is doing most of the inventing in this and no doubt in other fields including military all for good or bad.
Did you notice how fast those CR2s were travelling…or, did they just speed the film up a tad ?! 😆 .
Ukrainians are resourceful people , it wouldn’t surprise me if it had been “ modified”
No, that’s pretty much 40 mph.
We’re Kmh down here in Aus so that nearly 65 Kmh. That’s a fair clip for a 70tn tank.
Yeah, this is one of the points I kind of try to make rather often, Tanks are surprisingly fast, to the point where cross country it’s actually very difficult to go faster than tanks go without damaging the crew.
Cross country the Chally 2 can easily keep up with the more powerful Leo and Abrams. The hydrogas suspension makes up for the lower power. Compared to the torsion bar suspension the other tanks use, hydrogas gives the crew a much smoother ride.
Hydrogas is great, but I think that 30mph is very much a sort of magic number when it comes to off road.
I didn’t know Napoleon conquered Austrailia. How did I miss that? mph is the anglo-sphere term.
Contrary to what mainly American critics say, CR2 is a quite fast tank.
Very fast cross country too – a lot has to do with its vastly superior suspension compared to Abrams and Leo2.
Whoa!how dare you make such a statement 😂👍
Sorry mate, but there are too many Chally critics out there!
Our equipment will be excellent.
There just isn’t enough of it.
True, except that Boxer MIV is to do the wrong job!
There being so few of them left, the CH2s should be declared a protected species.
Yes, impressive. A (one of many) standard speed limit here in Sydney is 60kmh so that’s quite fast. Need some bloody good brakes too!
And the CR3 will likely be even more agile.
Ok for fishing 🐟 I suppose 🤗 on a serious note I wonder if this is something the British Army will adopt ?
What is it made of? Presumably, it needs some rigidity to neutralise hollow charge munitions.
It’s not to neutralise hollow charge munitions, it’s to entangle the drone before it sets it’s munitions off. Cam nets do the same thing for fixed gun positions.
So no use against a drone dropping a bomb, only against a kamikaze drone.
It did look like camouflage netting.
Depends on what’s being dropped. The traditional dropped hand-grenade style bomb is not going to phase a tank if the hatches are closed, and a net might actually catch a bomb before it impacts (remember it’s only accelerating under gravity and a net might not be substantial enough to detonate a fuse).
Much yet to learn about dealing with new technology but this is one example, simple but useful……possibly? I just wonder what the boffins are up to as in WW2 the odd ones proved to be indispensable.
Are the nets been knitted by grannies in Dorset ?
This could lead to a shortage of “shreddies”. Other breakfast cereals are available 😀😀😀😀
Interesting concept akin to the old anti torpedo nets. Cheap and innovative solution. Should mean warheads are triggered away from the hull hopefully improving vehicle survival
Looks like the Ukrainians have added extra armour to the front glacis (watch the lead tank closely in the video). I know Dorchester armour is roughly 30yrs old now but it is still technically classified. I wonder how well it has performed in Ukraine. There are pictures circulating showing what appears to be a strike from a sabot round on the turret cheek of a C2 used in the Kursk offensive. The turret roof plate seems to have buckled from the cheek plate but it appears the turret itself wasn’t penetrated and the crew survived. I have also read there… Read more »
I think that Dorchester armour is used on the hull and turret front. There are several levels of enhancement for operations to add composite panels to the hull and turret sides, as well as ERA blocks. I assume the engine deck remains the most vulnerable area, patricularly to top attack missiles.
I think you mean ‘cope cage’
“a single brigade’s worth of hardware being destroyed every two months”
Makes you think our tiny tank force won’t last long in a real war.