Russian tanks T-72B3M, T-80BVM, T-90M and BMP-3 are being fitted with protective screens known as "awnings". This is evidenced by pictures made during the international exhibition "Army-2023", as well as photos from social networks.
It is believed that such "awnings" protect heavy machinery from ammunition dropped by FPV drones and quadcopters. According to Yuri Lyamin, an employee of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), this tactic was used in conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
Drones dropped a homemade explosive device on the American M1A1M Abrams tank, upon hitting the hatch, it incapacitated the combat vehicle, he explained. Similar attacks damaged Humvee armored vehicles. This forced Western manufacturers to install protective screens, the same "awnings", above the gunner's workplaces, Lyamin emphasized.
Against the backdrop of increasing drone production in different countries, the use of protective "awnings" will be a long-term fixture in military practice, summarized the expert.