The Truth About COPE CAGES

There has been a lot of speculation about the roof cages on the Russian tanks, more commonly known as the "Cope Cages".
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[@MisterW0lfe]

the V-shaped metal is called "angle Iron" in the US, it's a very common metal stock used for fabrication, welding and construction

[@TooTallDean]

Agreed. And described by dimensions such as: L2x2x1/4" (capital L to represent its shape)

[@sven9900]

or to me it looks like a vary vary long metal corner brackets prob bought from the russian equivalent of home depo

[@bipedalspecies2086]

That's what I was going to say it is here in Scotland.

[@ShifTactical]

We just call it Angle Bars

[@lasskinn474]

@@sven9900 thats what angle iron is basically. Very common in 3rd world to just do whateve whenever. With stick welders of course. Dunno why home depot wouldn't sell the stuff

[@hyrumanderson6582]

"Cope cages" were first implemented on Russian tanks in Syria, where drone dropped munitions first saw extensive use. The cages are not (were not originally) meant to protect against modern anti-tank systems like the Javelin, although I wouldn't be surprised if the Russians in Ukraine are installing them in the hopes they will. In Syria they were used to detonate drone dropped munitions, small mortars, and molotovs above the turret, to prevent damage to the sights and sensors mounted on top. If a commander cant see out of his sights and the sensors don't feed information to the computers a tanks fighting capacity is greatly reduced. Originally the cages were mounted slightly lower and with thinner gaps. It appears this Russian defense contractor saw the effectiveness of these cages in Syria and tried to modify them with some success to defeat anti-tank weapons. The "Cope Cage" is not an invention of the Ukrainian war, and its original purpose was not to defeat modern anti-tank weapons, despite the Russians hoping to use them as such now.

[@geroutathat]

Agreed, but there are enough videos online of Ukraine using cheap drones to drop grenades that I think that is why they were put on. Also kamakazie cheap drones are being crashed into tanks from above. I personally believe it is to make the troops feel better about videos they see online of the drone drops. the commanders are simply saying "we beat this threat before don't worry"

[@gerfand]

I saw lots of slat armour on Syria , specially the cool one that is a T72 going "return to Panzer 4" But never saw roof armour, do you have a way to show it?

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

@@geroutathat Ukraine do use drones this way... but the cages is flawed because it sacrifices A LOT of other things to counter a single specific threat. Drone dropped EFP. As said by you and other people, the Javelin, NLAW, Panzerfuast-3, AT4, LAW, suicide drones, and MAM/UMTAS from Tb2 drones... All would bypass the cage with little to no difficulty.

[@geroutathat]

@@neurofiedyamato8763 but its already proven to work against suicide drones and grenades dropped from drones in Syria. Isis had to start making smaller bombs in 3d printed plastic containers. Ukraine also has civilians who are dropping Molotov cocktails from drones. I personally don't see how a Soviet grenade can make it through this cage and take a tank out.

[@Slavic_Goblin]

@@neurofiedyamato8763 The actual data on effectiveness of Cope Cages on top attack AT systems like Javelin isn't rather scarce. At leas as far as I'm aware. But we do know how shaped charges a Javelin, an NLAW, etc. work . And if there's one thing shaped charges don't handle well is extra distance the jet has to go through. Javelin for example, has the stated penetration value of about 1 metre. The cope cages though, some are a very snug fit and some are pretty high above the turret. In any case, add to that the odd ERA block and you just might have a chance in preventing a very dead tank. My opinion why they didn't catch on is that the main tank killer in the latest war isn't the Javelin, but rather artilery... And with arty, the added height and consequently higher detectability probably aren't worth it.

[@jll5446]

I wonder if the cope cages were installed to try and improve morale. After all sherman crews installed concrete armor (despite it not being too effective and stressing the automotive components)

[@FeddyGrunt]

Actually I could imagine it being abit more quiet inside a Sherman tank with concrete armor when it is being peppered with MG fire.. Imagine the noise inside when your tank is being peppered on from an MG-42..

[@Frisher1]

@@FeddyGrunt True, while concrete armor does Little to nothing to stop Tank rounds and such, it would probably be able to make the tank not clink every time it gets hit by 7.92 It was 7.92 not 62

[@DOMINIK99013]

Last tank coflict, Armenia, had hig number of desotroyed tank by drons from sky, in Syria and Libya many tanks lost by RPG7 fire from top of high bilding, i thnik it was thinked in this way then like people where saying against Javelin.

[@RGC-gn2nm]

@@Frisher1 Per the Chieftan every tank that was 'illegally' covered in concrete had to be put back in thier original factory paint condition. Many sledge hammer were swung until they were allowed to switch to sledgehammers. POW labor for the job was disallowed. The big army was pissed so tank commanders were requried to put in as much work as the rest of the crews. Guess who love to have their own person tank in combat? Generals, Colonels, LTCs and the rest just pulled fine vehicles full of crap wasting soldiers and tanks. Eisenhower hate blowhards and took great pride in knocking them down a notch.

[@Gyrosmeister]

the british crews in WW2 were putting spare tracks as armor protection, they didn't really do much, but the commanders encouraged it if it meant that the tank crews would be more open to take an engagement

[@olekzajac5948]

I've heard a theory (educated guess by some of the military analysts here in Poland) that these cages were designed as a protection against loitering munitions, notably the Warmate - a Polish design used by Ukraine for some time even before the invasion. Its HEAT warhead can penetrate around 200 mm RHA and is single stage, so a "cope cage" like this would probably stop it.

[@magnem1043]

it makes a great cage to set up a rain tarp, so a watchtower for the gunner, probably useful knowing russian optics

[@brian8410]

I read the V shape bars act as a high speed wing similar to Formula cars to help get extra hieght when the turret explodes off the tank chassis.

[@olekzajac5948]

@@brian8410 That's a good one! And considering the Chinese recording of this... significant emotional event, as one tank expert says, it works very well in this role: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5rck31uitp7jqM

[@TyphoonUSSR]

For 110 days, there is not a single video confirming the successful use of Javelins.

[@brian8410]

@@TyphoonUSSR Probably all the weapons west sends don't work. You think that's why Putler throws a tantrum every 3rd day and threatens severe consequenses?

[@AK47s4EveryOne]

i personally believe that they installed these cages from the lessons learned in Syria\Iraq\ISIS. Where they used low cost drones to drop bombs directly on top of tanks where their armor is at the weakest and it would not take very much to destroy the tank this way.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

I think these cages were seen first in Syria. I remember people mention it several years ago. It was in small numbers though. They probably see it work against small EFP dropped by commercial drones and used it in Ukraine expecting similar threats. Which to be fair Ukraine did use similar methods. problem is that it is a single specific threat that the cage works against. It is a detriment against literally everything else. Maybe they hope it would work against more capable munitions but logically speaking, that's unlikely. There may be some fluke cases but all the associated drawbacks just seems like its a bad idea.

[@AK47s4EveryOne]

@Работаем, брат! ayyy my man backing up all the research i had done on these since i heard the stupid phrase cope cages. i have seen the anti drone tech they are using now. it's high tech shit.

[@donavonrobbins1908]

Germans tried it in WWIi, as did US armor in Vietnam.

[@donavonrobbins1908]

@Работаем, брат! They were all designed for anti rocket protection. Some better than others.

[@Triggernlfrl]

Still they fight the same enemy as in Syria...

[@sert87]

Recently there was a post circulating on Telegram with an interview of a Russian tank crew member. He said the cages were removed as they are a nuisance. The machine gun on turret doesn't turn, it's harder to leave the tank, etc.

[@waybee100]

time for a bbq.

[@TyphoonUSSR]

For 110 days, there is not a single video confirming the successful use of Javelins.

[@NautilusSSN571]

@@TyphoonUSSR You haven't been looking hard enough then.

[@jeremyb3991]

@@TyphoonUSSR I mean I didn't even look that hard and found probably a dozen different clips of Javelins and NLAWs being used to great success

[@RutakoVon]

​@@TyphoonUSSR I could you send you 20 plus 10 if you ask nicely.

[@TheRedMartian]

“Long weird v-shaped metal” is the moment my inner welder died. Also they only tacked the angle on, didn’t even weld it. It would probably snap under that kinda pressure and cause more damage.

[@WingMaster562]

I may not be a welder, but as a frequent patron of hardware shops, I too had part of me died when I heard angle bars as weird.

[@skitidet4302]

It's not a problem if the welds fail. If they are hit with a mortar, rpg or bomb, then the cage would get messed up, how sturdy the cage is don't matter much in terms of protection as the point is to detonate the warhead away from the turret roof. If anything, having it tacked on saves on repair time as you don't have to do as much angle grinder work to stirp off the mangled bits and fit new bits on it.

[@skitidet4302]

@N Fels I know, I weld too. I'm saying that it doesn't need to be attached harder. Mortars are made so they would go off hitting soft soil, else they would be useless in fields and would leave behind tons of unexploded munitions. Just the weight of the angle and it's intrinsic inertia is enough to do the job and set of the round. It simply does not need to be welded on and it would just make refitting take longer. If we are talking about shaped charges, same thing applies, its job is to set of the charge prematurely. That little piece of mild steal is basically not going to put up any resistance, and even if it did, the inertia is way more important than the angle being fixed since the supersonic metal beam of a shaped charge moves at like 7km/s or something stupidly fast like that so it would have passed through the angle before it had time to move enough to rip the tack welds out.

[@skitidet4302]

@N Fels Also, as I eluded to in my previous post, stronger welds are not always better. Thus you can't say "you get much better results." There are many situations where tack welds are sufficient and it's simply a waste of time and welding supplies to weld more. In this case it could make refitting a lot harder since all the mangled angles would have to be removed with an angle grinder if you want to fit new ones that aren't mangled. Thus fixing a tack welded cage would be much less work than fixing a "proper" welded one. There is little argument for over welding it. Maybe it would make it stand up to a few mortar hits but lets be honest, if you take a tone of those, you are doing something wrong.

[@MrGreghome]

I felt like someone stuck a I beam into my heart

[@yaya_is_real]

Merkava with cope cages

[@cwjian90]

According to what I saw from Russian tank pages, they were mostly removed because they get in the way of crew evacuation

[@DanielWilliams-wb8bg]

And we all know they need to be able to evacuate their tanks as fast as possible.....

[@cesaravegah3787]

Weird, Russian tank turrets seem to have a quite powerful ejection system, the turret flies with the crew 90ft in the air when impacted.

[@clontcte1483]

Russia Cope Cages is mocked by WEST. but Ukraine tank are now installed by Cope Cage 😂😂😂😂😂

[@dmitriyalaasniy8442]

now even jews installing them on their merkavas, lmao

[@shipovnik89]

You know, we don't care. Mock us in any way you want. As we say, the one who laughs last laughs well. With love from Russia.

[@JAnx01]

@@shipovnik89 People who know a thing or two about warfare don't mock Russia. Western war propaganda mocks Russia + the low IQ people who believe it and jump on the bandwagon.

[@billyteflon1322]

This was a complaint by the DPR in the early years, '15/'16. They would capture vehicles with slat armor and would have to spend time removing it before refurbishing the vehicle to send to the front. It was a metal cage that you had to get up and step over t to jump off the vehicle. Where without it, you can jump off the side. It is a different mindset.

[@dyson9422]

The cage armor is designed to protect against anti-tank weapons like the RPG7. This is very different than the improvised canopy cage above

[@davidelliott5843]

The NLAWs detonate about 1 metre (3 ft) above the turret using concussion to do the job. Cope cage might stop an RPG but will not stop the shock wave from an NLAW or Javelin.

[@gamesguy]

NLAW does not use "concussion". It has a downward facing HEAT warhead that shoots a jet through the top armor of the tank. That's why it's ineffective in a direct attack role against armor.

[@GeneralGayJay]

Exactly my dear Russians. Now it doesn't really matter that you have designed your tanks so tiny and uncomfortable if you put a skyskraper on your tanks.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

Yea the cage ironically sacrifices one of the key advantage to their tank designs for a very minimal gain against a single very specific threat... and is a detriment to everything else

[@gitgood8509]

Well, Russians are still winning, despite trying their hardest to make their tanks easier targets to hit.

[@dj1NM3]

Those "cope cages" are clearly made from "angle bar" or "angle iron", which (angle iron) is a cheaper way of making long, rigid beams with little material by hot-rolling a steel billet into a ninety-degree shape along its length. Perhaps the effect of properly designed slat armour could have ben replicated if the bars were welded onto their frames with one flange flat and the other sticking up like a fin, so that it's effectively bars spaced as per the factory design to an incoming RPG warhead.

[@thecossackcrusaderofholybr8448]

And when Israel does it they call them “cage armor”

[@HelmetlnTheBush]

Cope

[@wtfronsson]

Perhaps next they will try "ablative tanks". Attach another main battle tank on top of the tank they need protected. Seems about the most effective way they can hope to survive a javelin.

[@gvaik]

I like how all of you make fun of it. The javelin this, the javelin that. The super weapon. How many tanks the javelin actually killed we will never know. I bet Ukraine would flood the net with such videos if they had incredible successes with them. But from what I hear many of them had dead battery packs!!

[@barryporteous4904]

The long metal is not "weird" is is well known throughout the whole world as angle section or angle iron in the US and UK. I noticed in one of one of your other videos that you had to make changes to appeal younger audiences, maybe that is the case here, also.

[@rps215]

My biggest concern as you can see in the pictures is that these things obstruct the machine gun. It can be annoying for those manual controlled ones as you probably need to raise the gun to turn it if the armor's 'legs' are in the way, I guess if it is the RCWS model it can be a nightmare to operate if you have to constantly turn it. Also good luck trying to aim for the guy with a Panzerfaust 3 on the roof of an apartment block, or a drone dropping molotovs on your head.

[@demongo2007]

I like how these cope cages completely negate the low-silhouette advantage intended by having the original tank design use an autoloader. With the cope cages the tanks now are more visible than their western counterparts...

[@abas656thegodemperor9]

It really doesnt matter how small your tank is anymore,it just has to be below a certain size to reduce the effectiveness of artillery and stuff like that,the optics on a tank gun can track you,the missiles can change where they aim AFTER being fired,theres not much of a point to it,and since they already have enough space for everything,they could use the extra space to add more composites,they probably wont because of funding and all that talk

[@ukuskota4106]

crew member said: Динамическая защита. Я всегда к ней скептически относился. И вот два попадания - я своими глазами видел: срабатывает, реально помогает. Обвесы (металлические решетки для защиты от противотанковых ракет) мы сначала все наварили на танки, а потом их все сняли. Во-первых, неудобно: пулемет не двигается, антенна когда замыкает об решетку - сгорает радиостанция, связь пропадает. И если будет какое-то возгорание, там просто нереально будет вылезти из танка. Потому что когда встаешь в полный рост - упираешься. Поэтому их все сняли и выкинули.

[@nothingness29]

Reactive armor. I've always felt sceptical about it. And then, I saw the tank being hit two times - I saw it with my own eyes: works, really helps. We've welded metallic cages against anti-tank rockets, and then took them off. First, it is unconvinient: machine gun does not move, and sometimes short curcuit in antenna is caused by cage, and when it happens - radio breaks and communications are lost. And when there is a fire, it's impossible to get out, because when you get up - you rest against it. That's why we took them off and threw away. Sorry, my english is not ideal.

[@ukuskota4106]

@@nothingness29 use yandex-translate)))

[@shocknaw]

It’s called a cope cage to help the ghosts of the tankers to cope with their deaths

[@marcusmt4746]

The cumulative jet has a focus point for which it is designed. If you move the moment of detonation away from the surface of the armor, the penetration depth drops critically. In this case, there is no destruction. However, the inconvenience is far greater than the benefits.

[@kameronjones7139]

I have heard that some tank commander have removed them because of the down side to them

[@gerfand]

Yup, the problem is not if it stops ATGM, RPG or whatever, or not, is if its worth it to defend against that, biggest problem I would point would be worse sighting, being spotted easier is a problem, and being hatder to flee as well, but not as bad as that

[@stanielb2005]

@@gerfand Those are only issues to the dead, and soldiers have a tendency to ignore that part of the class. It's more likely that it was interfering with weapon systems, communications, and maintenance.

[@gerfand]

@@stanielb2005 I dont think so, because the first tests was during 2020 if not earlier So have plent of time to see those problems

[@stanielb2005]

@@gerfand I assure you, nobody in the Russian high command cares. If they think it'll make 5% of their tanks live longer, they'll order every tank to have them. Once those tanks get away from their senior officers, the useless shit comes off and the useful stuff doubles up.

[@gerfand]

@@stanielb2005 that is dumb take, if they dont care that they tank get destroyed then they also dont care about victory

[@sebastiangarcia-yb5ro]

cage armor actually somewhat useful at stopping older rpg-7 warheads which with a shot to the turret from above or behind could score a mobility or mission kill. javelins and nlaws while numerous not the most likely threat these tanks are likely running into

[@moonasha]

I always thought these were to conceal people peeking out from the hatch from snipers in buildings. None of those cages are going to do anything to stop a top attack weapon like javelin

[@c.j.1089]

the javelin is specifically designed to defeat this type of armor with it's tandem charge.

[@bluemountain4181]

Tandem charges are to deal with ERA not slat armour

[@grahamlucas2712]

As Blue Mountain has said. Tandem charge designed to defeat ERA. BUT the welded angle iron cage offers no protection as the kinetic energy of the missile warhead would easily overcome the mild steel frame. The secondary shaped charge will still penetrate and blow up the tank.

[@Panzermeister36]

Great video. Thanks for all the information backing up what you show. So much speculation a d knee-jerk takes going on these days...

[@andrewallen9993]

Expanded steel mesh worked for RPG7 protection for the hippie kombis the Rhodesians made into MRAP vehicles.

[@TRPilot06YT]

Correct statement. Rhodesia approves

[@someturkishguy8638]

@@TRPilot06YT no way rhodesia official youtube account?

[@TRPilot06YT]

@@someturkishguy8638 H*ck yeah 😎😎😎

[@signs80]

You can use em for specific warheads with proper spacing, but no way in hell do the Russians have a chance considering the gigantic variety of anti tank weapons in use in Ukraine

[@andrewallen9993]

@@signs80 Like I said the Rhodesians were able to prevent RPG7 missiles from penetrating their VW T2 kombi mraps. Look up the " Leopard" for details.

[@notmyburner3225]

Any improvised armor that isn't an APS isn't going to stop NLAWs or Javelins from damaging or killing a tank. Warheads used on those munitions aren't susceptible to slat armor.

[@Exster-ev4td]

(Use Google Translate if you do not know russian) From an interview with Russian tank commander, basically he admits that cages were a very bad idea and everyone removed them from their tanks. К вопросу наваривания металлических "козырьков" на башни танков. «Обвесы (металлические решетки для защиты от противотанковых ракет) мы сначала все наварили на танки, а потом их все сняли. Во-первых, неудобно: пулемет не двигается, антенна когда замыкает об решетку - сгорает радиостанция, связь пропадает. И если будет какое-то возгорание, там просто нереально будет вылезти из танка. Потому что когда встаешь в полный рост - упираешься. Поэтому их все сняли и выкинули». Из интервью танкиста капитана Алексея Ухачёва газете Московский Комсомолец.

[@roughneck371]

Great analysis! I've seen a lot of jokes about the cages but I have been interested in what the intended use of the cages were and how effective they actually were. I'm happy that you did the research so I don't have to😁

[@foedspaghetti3290]

Good job! Interesting topic.

[@joshb5197]

You're not going to have many videos showing a javelin destroy a tank and cage. It's a fire and forget anti-tank weapon, unlike the stugna which is easy to record and capture video.

[@Av-vd3wk]

Don’t intend to help the enemy, but the secret it, to have an inch thick steel plate raised above the tank at the same height as the cages. Higher the better. Of course, thicker the better…like 2 inch steel… yah, they’d be pretty safe

[@SergeyMorsin]

Authors of those improvised cages only heard of Javelin missile, but failed to read all the details. As usual, of course. They heard it strikes upper armour. And they assumed it does that strictly vertical. But it does not. Javelin in upper flight profile strikes at around 40 to 45 degrees and misses those over-the-top cages completely. Those cages are also useless against nlaw missiles as they detonate about 1-1,5 meters above the tank forming a very narrow hypervelocity coper stream downwards that pierces tower. Some improvised field upgrades also featured false targets for heat seekers - some kind of a 2-meter long horizontally installed pipe extended to the right or to the left of the vehicle with a cup of burning oil at the end of it. That practice was abandones shortly after beginning as it proved to be unpractical and cumbersome to maintain.

[@pisko1969]

.... they studied most recent Armenia - Azerbaijan war and effects of Baryaktar TB-2. That is exactly angle for that cages, not Javelin or NLAW. But, for western ego, acceptance that something else bother Russians more than western armament is not an option. And "cages" are abandoned not because they missed the point, but because TB-2s are circumvented en masse on other ways. During NATO attack at SR Yugoslavia, Serbs put cages with grass bushes at top of tanks and IFV-s, usually wet, but, not above cupolas but above engines - to lessen thermal signature.

[@Love-wj5vi]

This is Nicholas’ Cage

[@bradleyhalsey8523]

NATO vehicles in Iraq and Afghan had cages too. It prevents stick bombs, c4 satchels and other homemade IEDs being used to make direct contact with the tank hull where they could cause damage. They are especially useful in urban warfare.

[@CJacquot]

"Long weird metal bent in a v shape" Yea that would be called "angle iron" they are bent in a 90 deg angle

[@zramirez5471]

The v-shaped structural metal is called Angle Iron and it is a very common material for metal fabrication in a wide variety of widths and wall thicknesses. The reason tanks need roof protection over the top is for TOW missiles, which fly straight up and hit the lightly armored top of the turret coming down vertically: considering the amount of US aid Ukraine is receiving, it makes sense to at least be prepared to encounter American munitions.

[@xxcommentator]

Ivan : Cope cage? No comrade it is the gulag tank, it prevents gopniks from escaping

[@cbank7684]

The reason we haven't seen lot javalin footage is apparently because most of the javalin were old and the battery's had fail resulting large numbers of unusable javalins

[@thomasstevenhebert]

It’s because they went to the professional units, who as a whole have posted far less videos.

[@cbank7684]

@@thomasstevenhebert How do you know? Ukrainian government have said performance was poor due to power pack and battery failure. Usless theyre lying

[@BM-979]

Metal comes in flatbar, round stock, angle iron, I beams and rebar if you want to get into the basics.

[@cal5566]

It's only a cope cage when it's not used by NATO or its allies

[@gouravthakur8094]

hey man I've been following your content for sometime you make really dope videos, besides what I really like is the amount of effort that is put into research. Keep up the good work

[@DivusMagus]

I had the thought they may have been useful if building debris falling onto tanks was a concern, and considering how many buildings are barely standing it could be a risk to tanks.

[@jagx234]

I don't see it in the first couple hundred comments, but "weird v metal" is angle iron. Extremely common metal fabrication material.

[@Superbowfin60]

My dad was in the 14th armored 47th tank battalion in ww11 he ran into panzerfousts driving into Germany a German youth shot my father's driver with one killing him instantly but didn't hurt the tank after that they tied logs and sand bags on the tank my dad's tank had bars welded all over it the logs worked good at stopping the panzerfoust but didn't work at stopping the panzershrek.

[@gerfand]

Pretty sure Panzerfasut has bettee capacity in damage than a PanzerSchreck because of how they worked The main advantage of a PanzerSchreck is being reloadable but hey the US uses a AT4 not a "rpg7"

[@Superbowfin60]

@@gerfand wasn't sure I thought the Shrek was worse .

[@gerfand]

@@Superbowfin60 its not that they are worse, its just that Panzerfasut have multiple variants that can pen more or less, but they deal more post pen damage, I forgot about the fact Panzerfasut came in all sort of ways. That was my mistake Overall tho If not wrong PanzerSchreck is better most timed because it has a bit more range and you can reload, but its also super heavy compared to the panzerfaust. Well they used both because they saw situations where one or the other was more usefull

[@jondrew55]

5:30 - if you can find this original video of a test shot of a Javelin with sound you’d hear one of the launch crew yelling “Holy shit!” when the tank explodes

[@giantenemycrab5596]

“Nice cope cage bro, but maybe you should cope harder”

[@pavelslama5543]

When it comes to the cage armor, the only chance it has against shaped charges is by breaking the igniter. Because if the missile explodes against the cage armor, the copper jet retains much of its energy over the distance of several meters (remember, its a kinetic energy based on mass and velocity), thus being able to penetrate the thin roof even if it explodes a meter above it. The only other chance (which is extremely unlikely) is by redirecting the movement of the incoming missile on a very sharp angle without actually making it explode during the process, which to me seems so unlikely that I´d not even count it.

[@infernaldaedra]

It shows in the random screen grab how they are expecting it to work. The cage essentially deforms the shaped charge so it is no longer a true shaped charge when it detonates.

[@_setanta_]

I could see these becoming an actual useful piece of equipment should Russia attempt to take Odessa where ukraine will most likely put up extremely significant resistance and would likely employ older anti armour systems to bulk up capabilities.

[@signs80]

These aren't stopping any HEAT rounds from the last 70 years unless they happen to be the perfect spacing to disrupt the projectile copper liner, which would be only a very narrow range of missile calibers for a given spacing of the metal slats

[@chamonix4658]

i dont think an assault on odessa is likely anymore, that would be pushing russian capabilities beyond max

[@AniMageNeBy]

The cope cages are primordially there for the bombs of drones and light suicide drones. I've seen an actual (real) scene here where a drone attacked a tank on the front, and it exploded on his cope-cage, and there was no damage (aside from the cage itself); the tank could continue. It's highly likely, without the cage, the damage would have been far more severe, maybe to the point of destruction of the tank. So I do think they have their uses. Plus, it's easier to get camouflage on.

[@pixelpatter01]

It might be to just add some shade and be a place to put a tarp in rainy weather too.

[@Oleksiy-Ziuzko]

The only thing that those cages proved to be effective at is blocking ability of tank pilots to escape the tank :)

[@ccg40]

not true

[@ccg40]

also, pilots? lmao. they have more then one hatch.

[@HereComeMrCee-Jay]

One of your most interesting and informative videos, a genuine contribution to understanding. Thanks!

[@unclesamuk8687]

Those are Angular steel ribs if you are wondering, these are mainly used for building construction and to some extend vehicles. I'm surprised the russians would use them as cage armor. Could be effective or does nothing at all, one thing is true these dont provide protection against top attack munitions.

[@mcmoose64]

The RPG has a contact fuse located at the very tip of the projectile . Bar armour works by allowing the fuse to pass between the bars , with the sides of the projectile impacting the bars. This causes damage to the projectile, specifically to the cone metal liner/penetrator and the actual shaped charge itself . It basically breaks up the projectile before detonation occurs. Should the projectile (impact fuse) strike one of the bars , a low probability , detonation would occur as normal and the penetrator go about its business. Bar armour would have little effect on proximity fused munitions other than increasing the stand off distance of the detonation.

[@bobthebomb1596]

"Should the projectile (impact fuse) strike one of the bars , a low probability , detonation would occur as normal and the penetrator go about its business. " Not quite. Optimal penetration is achieved at a specific distance from the target; premature detonation will reduce performance somewhat, possibly enough to prevent penetration of the armour.

[@grahamlucas2712]

Nice theory Anthony. The angle iron bars won't have any significant effect on the shaped charge warhead. Kinetic energy of the anti tank armour missile will defeat mild steel angle iron nearly every time.

[@stanleynowak9325]

Well, now the Abrams can be retro fitted with even more advanced cages. Hey, thanks Vlad!

[@areyouundoingthatorwhat9181]

The proof is in the pudding and from what we have seen so far, these cages are completely in-effective.

[@AKKK1182]

You seem to equate the testing results against over 60 years old RPG-7 warheads with ANY shaped charge munition. This is clearly a false equivalence. You can't take data on bike helmets preventing injury during bike accidents and apply the data to any and all traffic accidents.

[@bibby659]

Its funny how they chose to only now add those protections, but also how they dont actually work. I have seen that the cages dont actually work much at all, especially since the fragments can pen the armor sometimes, but also alot of the cages locked the soldiers inside their tanks, and they are the ones that most especially are destroyed. The US, spent millions perfecting its cage systems and counter measures, and trust me, a cheap alternative doesn't work. If nothing else, 1 in ever 1000 tanks are probably saved by the crude design and functionality of the cages, but they are mostly used to lock the crew into the tank rather than protect them.

[@gamesguy]

You're misunderstanding how cage armor works. These thin bars of metal have no effect on HEAT warhead jets and modern HEAT warheads maintain penetration for several meters, so it wouldn't even function as spaced armor. Cage/net/slat armor ONLY works against simple RPGs with a piezoelectric fuze. The bars catches the warhead between them and crushes the outer shell of the warhead, this causes the metal skin of the warhead to contact the fuze, which causes it to short out and fail to detonate on impact. That's why the bars are narrower than the RPG warhead. Cage armor has no effect on ATGMs which do not use this type of fuze, which is all modern ATGMs.

[@dyson9422]

The cage armor is designed to protect against anti-tank weapons like the RPG7. This is very different than the improvised canopy cage above the tank turret meant for protection from the Javelin. This video has no Ethos,no Pathos, and no Logos.

Completely wrong they are actually roof racks for carrying stolen washing machine ECT.

[@anihopkins6788]

I can’t help wonder if the heavier cages might be more helpful for defending against modern AT weapons - an NLAW isn’t relying on a shaped charge making contact with the armor, and if you have widely spaced thin bars, it seems like the penetrator is more likely to hit through those gaps. On the other hand, closely spaced angle irons seem a lot more likely to deflect/break up/absorb a penetrator and diminish its kill capacity. Wonder if there have been any studies on this?

[@anihopkins6788]

On the other hand I’m not a munitions expert I’m a goof with a phone, so I have no idea how ANY cage would hold up when faced with an NLAW penetrator. Materials get weird under such extreme circumstances

[@UntiltedName]

They're just hot rolled steel strips. In the US they can be found in any hardare store as they're weldable and easy to cut into shape for whatever project you need. It makes sense that's what they are using because they could find it anywhere.

[@edwhitson9873]

The"long wierd metal" is common mild steel angle iron it appears. The frame that holds up your bed is a slightly harder version

[@saddlepiggy]

3:40 looks like normal angle iron (steel). Really cheap and widely used/available.

[@tankenjoyer9175]

it would worth more in the tanks sides than in the top itself they could use it as addon armor against common RPGS and more area of effectiveness

[@TheMinimumPC]

This is what happens when you treat armour like a group arts and crafts project at your local barracks 🤣🤣

[@shanerooney7288]

Ukraine: Winning the propaganda war. Russia: Winning the war.

[@a.m.armstrong8354]

I agree. So many experts on this comments thread..

[@ntks6720]

1 hour 22 min lol

[@tonk2796]

Cope harder

[@davidnayr301]

I assumed it was meant to confuse NLAW projectiles, the ones that fly above the tank an detonate downwards (right?), making them fly higher than they should. I don't know much about boom sticks though so don't trust me on that. Is that an NLAW thingy at 1:52 btw?

[@RADkate]

ah yes the Cope cage is made of cope cage. these seem way to dangerous for the crew if they have to bail

[@Brslld]

There's an escape hatch just behind the drivers seat.

[@donaldpetersen2382]

Couldn't these block the hatch when damaged? Just drop anything heavy on top of these tanks to put them out of commission.

[@_gungrave_6802]

FYI that "long weird bent metal" as you called it well in english its commonly called Angle Iron regardless if the actual metal itself is made of iron or not. Its a sort of nickname for that type of metal. Figured I'd let you know since Angle Iron is easier to say than long weird bend metal lol.

[@PAcifisti]

The shape of the cages on top of the tank don't matter as much as the flat side cages. The side cages seem to directly interfere with the projectile, deforming or destroying the head of it before it activates. On top firing ammunition, there might not even be a direct impact with the cage as the round might explode above it and given the difference in in the warheads it would have a totally different result anyways.

[@giovanni-ed7zq]

really i have heard russian tankers removing them because it makes it harder to escape the tank when its hit basically causing the soldier to have higher risk of injury or dying when tank is hit from side in a cook off.

[@harlander-harpy]

I'm betting they just made them from angle stock because its super easy to get that. Its a really common construction piece

[@pauld.b7129]

They know Americans are supposed supposed be sending Javelin missiles, I think that's why they added the cages to the top. They're a similar munitions to Rpgs so it would probably work well...

[@gobot4455]

If the were to defend against low cost drones, my question would be wouldn't it make more send for drones to attack the power pack to get a mobility kill? You don't even need to have a particularly powerful warhead for it, just jellied gasoline. After all, there are only so many charges of fire retardant on board.

[@Привид_Бандери]

5:58 Wrong. I have against the Javelin anyhow, you'll have to look but there are photos of such tanks destroyed. I've seen them, I distinctly remember laughing my arse off at the useless cope cages.

[@thomaslinton5765]

The cages pictured do not even attempt to protect the track systems. A "mobility kill" with an RPG is a big victory for the force using the RPG.

[@rodiculous9464]

This might sound goofy but hear me out. The rockets like nlaw needs to fly over the tank and detonate downwards to be successful. The way the front of the cope cages are sloped makes it seem like it's almost meant to deflect an oncoming threat, like an nlaw, before it flies over the top part of the tank to explode. Ofc, I doubt it would work, but that is what came to mind

[@killmeh2]

yep, in theory such system should work very well against nlaw's (which is what mainly destroying their tanks, not javelin lmao) - you just need to slightly angle it and charge blows to the side, and not in the center. Shame channel didn't mention the most likely intended purpose...

[@nicm.z9868]

What if they mount ERA on the cages? Would that work?

[@michaelturner6358]

Those aren’t roof cages! Those are bbq racks for tanker flesh.

[@kristofnagy5829]

I come across a Bayraktar video, where they mentioned that the cages were built against the MAM-L and MAM-C.

[@TnD_BigJax]

It almost looks like the cages are designed to make getting out of the tank difficult in the event of being set upon by AT crews, preventing retreat and subsequent surrender

[@nikhilsahu1576]

Maybe it is there for a psychological reason , cause if u have a roof above your head it is likely of u to feel safe and makes u feel safe to open the hatch and use whatever method u have in your hand to destroy the target. I don't know, it sound's good to have even if a little hope of surviving when u have death surrounding u.

[@nudgeunit]

We call that stuff "angle iron". I'm pretty sure the Americans do too. Wouldn't surprise me if almost all english speaking areas use that term.

[@Ronmexico211]

Seems like Russia didn't study the US Iraq (both) and Afghanistan wars. They've had 20 years to study the effects of armour, vehicle designs and tactical adjustments to counter/limit ATGM ambushes, but they didn't

[@kingsfan62]

The cage doesn't take into consideration the precharge explosion to penetrate exploding armor and cages the precharge will destroy the cage which is why the the American javelin and one of the others has actually melted the armor it was fired at no matter what it had.

[@angelopugliese6034]

They are for helping the turret stick the landing after it's separation from the hull.

[@bobflatman278]

Remember one of the design features was a shorter tank(height) cage just about liminates that advantage

[@aaronwilkinson8963]

The 90 degree metal is called angle iron. You will find it quite common in metal fabrication workshops

[@F23GreyGhost]

I don't know if there's a more correct name for them, but if it helps, I've heard those long bent pieces of metal they use are called "angle iron" where I'm from.

[@GamingHoplite]

Hi Red Effect, great content. Can you do a video about the effectiveness of ERA (Kontakt 1+5 and Relikt) against modern ATGMs like NLAW and Javelin? Kontakt-1 seems ineffective due to the precursor warhead. Is Kontakt-5 and Relikt more resitant? Thanks

[@Al-ng2wn]

Yep, seems cope cages are the trend now.

[@michaelstewart1526]

"long weird metal in a v shape". It's called angle iron

[@Stray03]

They are designed for shaped charges since the efficiency of them depends on the distance from target. Disrupt or fire the explosive before the optimum distance and you have better survival chances. EFP dont care about the cages and any weapon using that will defeat it.

[@ryanweltz4076]

They were originally designed to stop drones and RPGs against a tandem warhead, they are useless.

[@GrasshopperKelly]

I got the impression they were only intended possibly as grenade cages. Similar to Russians using bed frames in the 40's.