US-made armor with unusual new shields takes hits and survives in Ukraine

A Ukrainian initiative, Rinat Ahkmetov’s Steel Front, has built dozens of steel screens for Abrams and Bradleys to give the vehicles an extra layer of protection against incoming threats.

A senior official affiliated with the armored initiative said the screens “work well” as vehicles catch fire and are attacked.

“They take hits, and after every hit, you have to repair it,” the official, who was granted anonymity for security reasons, told Business Insider, explaining that the goal is for the screen to absorb damage and “not allow damage to the parts main parts of the vehicle”.

Ukraine and Russia have equipped their armored vehicles with these mesh-like screens throughout the war to give them additional defense against incoming munitions, especially the small exploding drones that have been a dominant feature on the battlefield.

Improvised armor is sometimes referred to as a “cage cover”. It can vary in appearance and effectiveness, with some more sophisticated in design than cruder alternatives such as the unusual Russian “turtle tanks”.

“The main purpose is to protect the crew,” said the official who spoke to BI. “So that’s why we’re installing it. And after that, the second (purpose) is to protect the armored vehicle.”

The official said if the vehicle is hit, the damage will ultimately depend on where the explosive struck. For example, a shield may not be effective against a direct hit, but could help reduce damage if the blast is indirect or originates further away.

Fully destroyed shields can take two days to repair, while moderately damaged ones can take just a few hours to weld back into place.

A complete shield for the Abrams weighs about 900 pounds and can cost up to $20,000. The Bradley display is significantly lighter at around 550 pounds and can cost closer to $12,000. It takes a day or two to make a screen for either vehicle and another 12 hours or so to install.

While a single screen can be much more expensive than a drone or tank shell, it’s still a relatively inexpensive way to give a multi-million dollar armored vehicle and its crew the extra protection they need. The screens are also provided to the Ukrainian military for free.

The Steel Front Initiative has been making fenders for Ukraine’s old Soviet tanks, such as the T-64 and T-72, for over a year and a half. So far, it has produced hundreds of screens for these vehicles.

The armor operation expanded to Abrams tanks earlier this summer and to Bradleys more recently. Since then, it has produced 25 displays for the American-made tank and at least 70 for the infantry fighting vehicle, the latter receiving its first installation about a month ago.

Since Western countries began donating armored vehicles to Ukraine in early 2023, the US has equipped Kiev with 31 Abrams and more than 300 Bradleys, according to the latest Pentagon data.

While the provision of these battle-proven American vehicles has significantly improved Ukrainian armor capabilities, they are not invincible.

At least 13 Abrams and 99 Bradleys were damaged or destroyed in the battle, according to Orxy, an open-source intelligence platform that tracks battlefield losses on both sides. Other Western armors also suffered losses.

The BI official speaking about the ongoing additional armor efforts said that, as far as I know, Abrams and Bradleys equipped with protective screens have not suffered losses in the past month.

The US-made Tank Armor Initiative has begun work on protecting the German-made Leopard main battle tank. The first version of the screen will take at least a week to make before it is sent to the Ukrainian military for testing. Once full production begins, the official said it will likely take about two days to make a screen.