What is the 'turtle shell' anti-drone canopy seen on tanks?

The 'turtle shell' is a slat-armor or metal grille structure welded over the top of a tank or armored vehicle. It is designed to intercept or prematurely detonate FPV loitering munitions before they can strike the vehicle's thin top armor. The design was widely adopted by Ukrainian forces during the Russia-Ukraine war and has since spread to other militaries.

Why is Iran using an old M60A1 tank, and why retrofit it now?

The M60A1 is a U.S.-designed Cold War-era platform that Iran has operated for decades. Rather than replacing aging inventory, Iran is opting for low-cost retrofits — such as anti-drone canopies — to extend the combat viability of existing tanks against the growing threat of cheap FPV drones on the modern battlefield.

Are anti-drone canopies effective against FPV drone attacks?

Anti-drone canopies offer passive protection by physically intercepting or deflecting small FPV drones targeting the vulnerable top armor of a vehicle. While not a complete solution, they significantly raise the difficulty of a successful top-attack strike and are regarded as a practical, low-cost countermeasure when active electronic countermeasures are unavailable.

Iran Fits M60A1 Main Battle Tanks with Foldable Anti-Drone Canopies

Leaked imagery shows the Iranian military has retrofitted its M60A1 main battle tanks with foldable anti-drone canopies. The protective structures closely resemble the 'turtle shell' cage armor widely adopted on the Ukrainian battlefield, and are designed to defend against top-attack drone threats.

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軍事無人機

FPV競速

飛行安全

產業動態

Highlights

Leaked imagery confirms Iran has retrofitted M60A1 main battle tanks with foldable anti-drone canopies to counter top-attack FPV drone threats.

The Iranian canopy design mirrors Ukraine's 'turtle shell' slat-armor structures, which emerged as a passive countermeasure during the Russia-Ukraine war.

The M60A1 is a decades-old U.S. Cold War-era tank platform, and Iran's retrofit reflects a broader trend of low-cost upgrades to legacy armored vehicles.

Small, low-cost FPV loitering munitions have become a defining asymmetric threat in modern warfare due to their ability to exploit thin top armor on conventional armored vehicles.

Multiple militaries worldwide are now actively modifying existing armored fleets with improvised top-protection structures in response to the proliferation of drone threats.

Iran Fits M60A1 Main Battle Tanks with Foldable Anti-Drone Canopies

Recently leaked imagery confirms that the Iranian military has fitted its M60A1 main battle tanks with foldable anti-drone canopies, a modification aimed at improving vehicle survivability in drone-contested environments.

Design Mirrors Ukraine's 'Turtle Shell' Approach

The canopy-style protection closely mirrors the so-called 'turtle shell' slat-armor structures that have become commonplace on the Ukrainian battlefield. Faced with a sustained threat from FPV loitering munitions diving onto the thin top armor of armored vehicles, Ukrainian forces progressively began welding metal grilles and folding roof covers over their tanks and armored personnel carriers as a passive countermeasure.

Drone Attacks Have Become a Defining Threat on the Modern Battlefield

In recent years, low-cost, single-use FPV drones have emerged as a significant asymmetric threat due to their affordability, maneuverability, and ability to exploit the relatively thin top armor of conventional armored vehicles. In response, militaries around the world have been actively upgrading their legacy platforms with improvised protective solutions.

Iran's decision to retrofit the M60A1 — a platform originally designed in the United States during the Cold War and now decades old — with foldable anti-drone canopies underscores how the proliferation of drone threats is compelling armed forces to pursue low-cost modifications to existing equipment rather than waiting for next-generation replacements.

Image source and further real-time battlefield updates: follow the official Drone Wars social media accounts.

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