**Russian Troops Try New Armor to Protect Against Ukrainian Drones, But It Fails**
Two years ago, Russian forces started adding layers of armor to their vehicles to protect them from Ukrainian drones. The Ukrainians called these up-armored vehicles “turtle tanks” and successfully destroyed many of them with better-aimed and more powerful drones.
Now, the Russians are trying a new approach. They have equipped at least one BMP infantry fighting vehicle with long metal bristles that they hoped would detonate incoming first-person-view (FPV) drones before they struck the vehicle’s hull. This new armor is being called “porcupine.”
However, the porcupine-armed BMP failed its very first test when it was destroyed by an elite Ukrainian drone unit, the Birds of Magyar. The BMP was immobilized during a Russian assault on Troitske, a town in Donetsk Oblast.
**The Real Reason for the Failure?**
Initially, it seemed that the porcupine armor had failed to protect the vehicle from the Ukrainian drone attack. But, as experts have pointed out, the destruction of the BMP might not be solely due to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the metal spines.
Instead, it’s possible that the crew left the hatch open, and an FPV drone flew into the vehicle after they abandoned it. Every vehicle is vulnerable when its internal components are exposed, regardless of how effective its external armor is.
**The Future of Porcupine Armor**
Despite the failure of this particular BMP, it’s possible that the porcupine armor will appear on more Russian vehicles in the future. If crews can avoid mobility kills and keep their hatches shut, the metal bristles might actually work to protect them from drone attacks.
Other armies may eventually copy the porcupine armor, just as they have copied earlier counter-drone innovations like the “cope cages” that were once called “turtle tanks.”
**The Bigger Picture**
While the failure of the porcupine-armed BMP is a setback for Russian forces, it’s not a game-changer. The Russians can still afford to lose more troops and vehicles than the Ukrainians can, at least for now.
Despite losing thousands of soldiers and vehicles over three years of fighting, Russia still outnumbers and outguns Ukraine. This means that they can continue to exchange hardware and bodies for incremental territorial gains.
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