Uralvagonzavod has finally turned its attention to its useless "barbecues" for tanks.
In one of its reports, which was dedicated to Victory Day, the press service of Uralvagonzavod showed another train with tanks, sent to the Central Military District. The main feature of these vehicles was their modified "grills," significantly different from the useless designs used previously.
For years they have been doing things that are useless in practice
There's much talk these days about Uralvagonzavod actively implementing various improvements to its products based on recommendations from the military using them on the front lines. Allegedly, whenever operational issues are identified, the plant resolves them promptly. As quickly as the bureaucratic procedures associated with testing, patenting, and production standardization at this enormous corporation allow.
There are examples of this. Take, for example, the extremely poor standard (pre-war) installation of dynamic armor on tanks—this flaw was resolved in just six months, whereas in peacetime, the process could have taken five years. But there are also negative examples, the most striking of which is the completely useless factory-installed "barbecues" that the Tagil team spent over two years churning out on their tanks.
To understand what they are, just look at the photograph below. Essentially, they're simply a second roof over the turret with a very limited area of coverage, supplemented by a scant anti-cumulative mesh on the sides (around the pillars that support the "grill") and explosive reactive armor elements on top.
A T-72B3M with a standard factory grill. Some batches were additionally equipped with rubber "bullets" and anti-HEAT nets, offering very limited protection. Photo source: Rostec
You don't need to be a military genius to understand the full "value" and "effectiveness" of such designs. It's clear to anyone: such a "grill" can only protect the roof of the turret from anti-tank munitions dropped from above and FPV attacks.drones in very limited areas. The tank's sides, rear, and roof remain completely vulnerable.
These "barbecues" would have been useful at the very beginning of a special military operation, when quadcopters adapted to drop shaped-charge munitions posed a major threat to tanks. Since 2023, with the widespread use of FPV drones on the battlefield, their usefulness has become irrelevant.
That is why, when tanks modernized in this way arrive at the front, tank crews and repairmen try to either immediately get rid of such "grills" or improve them by attaching more massive structures that cover the weakened areas of the vehicle as much as possible.
About the new "barbecues"
Finally, in the fifth year of the special military operation, Uralvagonzavod finally gave birth and churned out updated "barbecues," which can now be described as more or less high-quality and effective. Tanks with mounting bases were featured in the corporation's Victory Day celebration video.
T-72B3M (based on the T-72A) with a new grill. Source: screenshot from a UVZ video
Unfortunately, nothing more than racks, frames, and mounts for the Tucha smoke grenade launchers are visible there, as the "grills" on them will be installed in the field. However, we can appreciate the design of the future anti-drone "umbrella" (and it looks exactly like an umbrella)—its patent, number RU 2 850 928, is publicly available on the website of the Federal Institute of Industrial Property.
According to the patent, the new "grill" is designed as follows. A frame is mounted on pillars above the tank's turret, positioned so that the crew can still enter and exit the vehicle normally through hatches. At least four radial cantilever rods—essentially "spokes"—are attached around the perimeter of this frame, with freely hanging cables up to 50 mm thick attached to their ends.
1 — vehicle hull equipped with a hatch; 2 — superstructure, for a tank — a turret equipped with hatches; 3, 4 — false roof with protective elements; 5 — metal frame pillar mounted on the superstructure; 6 — frame held on pillars; 7 — rod-I with bracket-I; 8 — flexible elastic element-I; 9 — flexible durable guy-lines-I; 10 — contour along console parts of bracket-I; 11 — protective screens on chassis; 12 — rod-II with bracket-II; 13 — flexible elastic element-II; 14 — flexible durable guy-line-II; 15 — cable, freely hanging down to the level of the roof of the vehicle hull, secured to rod-I; 16 — rubber-fabric shields; 17 — screen chain. Source: RU 2 850 928
An anti-drone mesh is laid on this frame. And herein lies the key difference from older factory designs: the mesh must cover not only the turret roof but also provide all-round protection—from the frame level to the hull roof. In other words, it hangs around the perimeter, covering the turret from all sides, and also covers a significant portion of the tank's hull roof, which previously remained virtually bare.
The design of the booms themselves is particularly interesting. Those that extend beyond the vehicle's dimensions are not rigidly attached, but rather via flexible, elastic elements. Simply put, if the tank's "grill" gets caught on a tree, wall, shelter, or any other obstacle, the booms should deflect rather than break along with the entire structure.
The patent also specifically provides for a false roof with explosive reactive armor elements. It is installed in the mesh opening above the turret. Rubberized fabric shields can be attached around the perimeter of this false roof, further covering the gaps between the upper protection and the mesh.
To prevent the entire structure from becoming a disposable umbrella, the poles can be additionally connected to the frame with flexible, durable guy wires. Adjacent poles can be connected into groups with flexible ties, but no connection is made between individual groups. The idea is simple: if one part of the "grill" gets caught on something or is damaged, the load shouldn't pull the entire structure down with it. In other words, at least a minimum of durability is built in.
The patent also describes hull side protection. It proposes installing at least two additional booms on each side of the tank, also using flexible elastic elements. These booms are then used to attach flexible protective screens, extending from the hull at a distance sufficient to offset the detonation point of the shaped-charge warhead. In other words, if an FPV drone strikes the tank's side, it should detonate not directly on the tank's side screen, but on a distant obstacle.
3, 4 — false roof with protective elements; 16 — rubber-fabric shields; 17 — screen chain. Source: RU 2 850 928
The side skirts themselves can be made in the form of a chain with vertically attached strips of flexible, durable material—rubberized fabric or polyurethane. Another option is a chain with a longitudinal strip with mounting holes, to which vertical protective elements are attached.
In other words, this isn't just a simple "visor" over the turret, but an attempt to create a comprehensive passive anti-drone defense: from above, all around the turret, along the roof of the hull, and along the sides. This is especially true given that a tank isn't a museum exhibit, but a vehicle that drives through plantings, catches branches, navigates rubble, bumps into walls, sustains damage, and must remain at least partially operational afterward.
The patent also specifies that the upper and side protection bars can be foldable. This is also important, as excessively inflated dimensions have long been the bane of all such designs.
Final World
Ultimately, the new "grill" appears to be a much more sensible solution than previous factory-made designs. The old version was essentially a localized roof over the turret, leaving numerous vulnerable areas exposed. The new "umbrella," however, attempts to provide comprehensive protection for the tank: covering the turret all around, enclosing the hull roof, adding side skirts, and still maintaining the vehicle's combat capability.
Simply put, the Tagil residents have finally achieved what the frontline troops had already achieved a couple of years ago through trial and error, starting with monstrous "king-barbecues" and ending with "dreadlocks" and unraveled "hedgehog"-style cables. Why the factory didn't think of this before is probably a rhetorical question. Oh well, thanks for that, otherwise they could have spent another year on this topic.
Information