This article is within the scope of the Military history WikiProject. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a
list of open tasks. To use this banner, please see the
full instructions.Military historyWikipedia:WikiProject Military historyTemplate:WikiProject Military historymilitary history articles
This article has been checked against the following criteria for B-class status:
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Russia, a
WikiProject dedicated to coverage of
Russia on Wikipedia. To participate: Feel free to edit the article attached to this page, join up at the
project page, or contribute to the
project discussion.RussiaWikipedia:WikiProject RussiaTemplate:WikiProject RussiaRussia articles
The following large and apparently well-sourced passage was deleted a month or so ago with an edit summary claiming it is all "pro-Ukraine propaganda", and it has not yet been reverted. Editors might want to review the deleted material to see if some or all of it should be reinstated, as I can't see a problem:
Russian forces attempted to counter these top-attack missiles by adding improvised
steel grilles—sometimes referred to as "
cope cages"[1] due to skepticism from military analysts over their effectiveness—to the top of the turret.[2][3][4][5][6][7] This
improvised armour adds weight to the tank, increases its visual profile, and makes it more difficult for the crew to escape from the tank.[8] Analysts have speculated that they may be potentially used as a countermeasure against RPG-7s fired from above during urban combat,
loitering munitions, or against drone attacks, as a response to lessons learned from the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.[9][10] The lack of uniformity of the makeshift cages made from different meshes and iron fences suggest that they are largely improvised by the tank crews, and are not standard issue.[11]
On May 4, 2022 in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, a T-90M Proryv-3 was destroyed in action, the first confirmed destroyed in the war.[12][13] The tank, which appeared near Kharkiv on April 25, was destroyed by soldiers of the 127th Territorial Defence Brigade[14][15] using a
Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle. On September 18 in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, a T-90M was captured - the first confirmed in the war.[16][17] As of December 4, a second T-90M had been captured by the
Ukrainian Army.[18] As of the May 3 2023, at least seven T-90S export variant had been lost whilst in Russian service.[19]
The captured tank was investigated by Ukrainian tank designers who described it as "not different from T-72B", with the primary difference being fire control system largely built on parts imported in bypass of Western sanctions.[20]
^"Russian tanks in Ukraine are sprouting cages". The Economist. March 14, 2022.
Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. They have indeed been mockingly dubbed by Western analysts as "emotional support armour" or "cope cages". Superficially, they are an example of what is known in military circles as field-expedient armour—in other words, stuff that has been added to vehicles after they have entered service.
^"Igazi tankszörnyet zsákmányoltak az ukránok". Portfolio.hu (in Hungarian). March 2, 2022.
Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022. (From Hungarian) the improvised armour on the tower, referred to as ... "cope cage" ... to protect the combat vehicles from drone missiles or armor-piercing rockets coming from above.
^"Speech by Defence Secretary on Russia's invasion of Ukraine". gov.uk. 9 May 2022.
Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-09. Russian soldiers' futile use of pine logs as makeshift protection on logistical trucks and attaching overhead 'cope cages' to their tanks, it's nothing short of tragic. But their commanders' failures to adapt before entering them into such a conflict is criminal.
^"Russian tanks in Ukraine are sprouting cages". The Economist. March 14, 2022.
Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Another idea is that the cages are a response to the conflict in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan, over Nagorno-Karabakh, in which large numbers of Russian-made Armenian tanks were destroyed from above by MAM-Ls ... A third possibility is that the cages are meant as protection against RPGs ... which are being fired at tanks from above. This ... is a preferred tactic in urban warfare, where buildings offer shooters the necessary elevation.
^"Les "cope cages", protections bricolées et moquées des chars russes impuissants". Slate.fr (in French). March 23, 2022.
Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022. Ces structures approximatives sont ce qu'il est devenu coutumier d'appeler des cope cages en anglais ... Elles sont le résultat des observations par l'armée russe du conflit opposant Azerbaïdjan et Arménie dans le Haut-Karabakh. [It has become customary to call these makeshift structures "cope cages" in English... They are the result of observations made by the Russian army towards the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.]
I just wrote what is contained in the sources. I just updated the page's content (which is relied on a source from 2022 while the situation has obviously changed) using only reliable Western sources.
XANTHO GENOS 5.5.2024 (
talk)
12:02, 25 October 2023 (UTC)reply
When I saw this video I regretted it instantly. The only thing I could think about was people being killed. If this was intentional destruction by the operator please correct the caption. If it is not, please remove this video as I consider this graphic content.
2601:155:8403:EDD0:AC09:ADED:C5F8:4446 (
talk)
10:27, 8 November 2023 (UTC)reply
The article doesnt really explain T-90 was the T-72BU re-labelled, to remove this latest variant from the taint of the T-72s poor survivability in combat. It was originally to be renamed the T-88 (contraction of the internal design program); the designation T-90 was eventually adotped to imply it was the first 'new' tank design of the nineties. source: Zaloga: "T-90 Standard Tank"
LoatesyJnr (
talk)
13:02, 10 December 2023 (UTC)reply