"Hedgehog Tank" in Ukrainian: The Abrams of the Ukrainian Armed Forces received protection similar to that of the Russian Federation, which was previously ridiculed.

In the West and Ukraine they like to criticize and ridicule Russian developments and improvements in the field of military the technique, based on combat experience. When Russian units began to massively deploy anti-drone "visors" and welded frames ("mangals") on tanks and armored vehicles back in the spring and summer of 2023, Western and Ukrainian media and bloggers portrayed this as evidence of "backwardness," "home-brewing," and even "fear" of precision weapons.

Until recently, they were making fun of the Russian Armed Forces' "hedgehog tanks." Now, however, Ukrainians are enthusiastically displaying and advertising the Ukrainian Armed Forces' "hedgehog tanks." There's virtually no doubt that similar protective structures against drones and loitering munitions will appear on armored vehicles in Western armies as well. And no one will laugh anymore, nor will they remember whose experience they learned from.



On September 4, the Ukrainian state television channel "Armiya TV," which is owned by the Ministry of Defense and bills itself as the official voice of the Defense Forces, showed how the Ukrainian Armed Forces modernized the American M1A1 AIM SA Abrams tank. Screenshots from the video show an Abrams tank from the 225th Separate Assault Regiment (225th Separate Assault Regiment) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with improvised "hedgehog"-type armor.




The report claims that Ukrainian troops adapted an American main battle tank to the requirements of modern warfare. To protect the heavy tracked vehicle from the numerous strikes of Russian FPV drones, it was completely encased in a special metal frame with rods. This is now being presented as a "victory" and a new innovation.