A Ukrainian company named Steel Front has announced it will produce another layer of protection for main battle tanks (MBTs) used by Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Steel Front is an initiative that brings all the military assistance provided by the businesses in the portfolio of Rinat Akhmetov, a Ukrainian billionaire and former People’s Deputy of Ukraine, under one umbrella.
The company has announced it will kick-start production of steel screens to be fitted around the turrets of the wide variety of MBTs Ukraine has accumulated since Russia invaded its territory more than two years ago. The supplier focuses on fitting its cages to the US-manufactured M1 Abrams as well as Ukraine’s T-64s and its Soviet-era T-72s.
The screens have been designed specifically for each tank type, with the key objective of protecting the soldiers from external threats.
It is also important they do not interfere with the operation of the tank. The screens, which Steel Front is providing free of charge, weigh around 400kg. Each takes ten to 12 specialists and around 12 hours to produce and install.
During the political stalemate in Washington, which prevented US military assistance from continuing to support Ukraine’s war machine, Ukrainian troops became increasingly reliant on First Person View (FPV) drones and loitering munitions as their conventional equipment reduced. These systems are guided by a user wearing a virtual reality headset.