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BI reported how "barbecues" appeared on Leopard and Abrams of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The American Abrams and German Leopards transported to Kyiv turned out to be vulnerable, so their chances of survival could have been increased by 30-40% by equipping them with "shashlik" on the ground. However, Ukrainian forces have already lost 40 Panthers, BI writes.
Western Abrams and Leopard tanks transported to Ukraine have proven vulnerable to Russian attacks, so Ukrainian soldiers, together with local companies, are trying to equip them locally with additional means of protection - mesh metal canopies and grilles (so-called barbecues), writes Business Insider (BI).
One of the companies that produces the additional protection is billionaire Rinat Akhmetov's Steel Front (worth $4 billion, according to Forbes). According to BI, the price of a tank protection kit made by this company is about $20,000 (about 250 million won), and the installation time is about 12 hours.
The main task of the "Barbecue" is to protect tanks from small kamikaze drones carrying explosives. This protection can vary depending on the design, and, as Steel Front notes, using this feature increases the tank's survivability by 30-40% without reducing its mobility. However, the publication writes that Ukraine has already lost about 40 Leopard tanks.
Experts interviewed by Business Insider and Forbes reported that in early May, the "Turtle Tank" or "King Shashlik" began appearing on the Russian battlefield, playing an important role as ancillary equipment. Their videos were actively published by the Russian military. As BI notes, these machines look "wild and stupid", but the Ukrainian military has already assessed their effectiveness. Because such improvised armor has little chance of being successfully destroyed by a drone.
In an interview with the publication, Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), noted that such tanks would likely be able to withstand cluster munitions. “I understand that people laugh at this, but I don’t think it’s a crazy adaptation. The Russians are adapting to the unique combat environment in Ukraine, where there are a lot of ATGMs, but there are not enough ATGMs, anti-tank mines, and artillery,” Lee said.
Forbes noted that Ukrainian drone operators were “surprised” when they first encountered the “turtle tanks” on the battlefield. The magazine called the Russian military’s use of these tanks a trend and noted that the electronic warfare systems installed on them make the tanks more effective. A Ukrainian military officer interviewed by Forbes said that drones can now be used to destroy tanks only if they are immobilized, for example by land mines.
Last August, the Ministry of Defense published a video showing how these additional protective measures are installed on equipment. "The equipment is being modernized around the clock: anti-accumulation protection is being built, armor is being strengthened, and "shashlik" is being cooked to protect against enemy drones," the statement said.