Seems like cope cages are not a bad idea
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Probably quite effective against small/light munitions dropped from above. Not going to trouble a Javelin equivalent much I would have thought.
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Another view of “The Bull”. There’s a bat in the background on the left…
H.P.
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yep, cope cages are a thing now,
fast learners… unlike some
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Wasn’t that their original intention in the first place? They proliferated after the use of drones in Nagorno-Karabakh, not after javelins were introduced.
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Actually, I don’t know. I thought the Russiscts were fitting cages to their tanks (not all of them its true) from the start?
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The initial cope cages were rather heavy and protected the turret from vertical attacks.
The smaller suicide drones can be stopped, as has been seen, with sturdy mesh cages.
Using heavy metal bars suggests that Russia thought that suicide drones could penetrate
simple mesh OR they were preparing for heavier ordnance such as the weapons dropped/launched by TB-2’s, Bayraktar, and possibly weapons such as the Javelin.
The current mesh cages attempting to cover the whole tank is more in line with the threat from suicide drones. The other, heavier, weapons require more than simple mesh and probably also heavier than the cope cages used by Russia in the beginning of this war.
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The shape and size of those cages look to be very uniform, if not identical, so I’m guessing these are purpose built items and not workshop or crew modifications. Be interesting to know more- such as if they have been in the works for a while or are they are a rapid response to Hamas’ use of drones during the initial attacks.
Closer shot via Defence Blog. The slats appear tighter than rudimentary cages and there appears to be mesh between the slats.
Compare that with a Russian MBT’s cope slat cage…
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Given the proliferation of “Kamikaze” drones made by Iran and used by Russia in Ukraine; it’s safe to say that the Iranians will give Hamas a lot of them to use against Israeli armor. Good on the IDF to take note on this.
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Plus if you are planning to move tanks through an area with high rise buildings a cage is probably a good idea. Even lots of people throwing a bunch of stones at your turret roof is really uncomfortable and may cause damage.
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Not to mention RPGs from afformentioned rooftops
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Calm before the storm.
Sure hope the Bison/Star decal guys are taking note!!
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And the mainstream kit manufacturers, and the after market crowd, and, you get the picture.
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Hope to see an “Ofek” conversion kit coming out in due time.
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