The US Army is considering using lattice armor to protect tanks from drone attacks

With the development of technology and the increasing number of attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), military departments around the world are forced to rethink their approaches to protecting equipment on the battlefield. In particular, the US Army recently announced plans to modernize about 1,500 tracked combat vehicles by installing lattice armor designed to counter threats from drones.

What is lattice armor?

Lattice armor is a type of protective structure consisting of metal lattices or interlaced elements resembling chain mail. Such armor can be made of lightweight but durable materials and is used as additional protection on top of the main armor body. Its key advantage lies in its ability to destroy or reduce the effectiveness of anti-tank ammunition strikes and, in new conditions, drone attacks.

Why now?

The threat of UAVs on the battlefield has become especially relevant after the massive use of drones in local conflicts in recent years, including the wars in Syria, Libya and Ukraine. Drones equipped with explosive devices or guided missiles can accurately hit even well-protected targets such as tanks. Traditional armor is not always effective against such attacks, especially if the blow is delivered from above or from an unexpected angle.

Therefore, the US Army turned to so-called "add—on" solutions - additional booking kits that can be quickly installed on existing vehicles without significant design modification. The lattice armor is ideal for these purposes.: it is lighter than reactive dynamic armor, less expensive to manufacture and allows you to maintain the mobility of equipment.

Prospects and challenges

However, the introduction of lattice armor is associated with a number of difficulties. Firstly, the addition of external protective elements can complicate access to the internal systems of the machine and increase its overall weight. Secondly, the effectiveness of such armor depends on the accuracy of modeling the likely attack trajectories. Thirdly, it is necessary to conduct a series of tests to determine how well the lattice structures will work in real combat conditions.

Despite this, experts point out that such measures are a logical step in an era of UAV dominance. These cheap defenses, such as lattice armor, can prove extremely effective, especially when protecting leaders and important objects on the battlefield.