To Protect Tanks From Drones, The Russians Revived An Idea From 1964: A Barrel Screen

The Z-1 was unwieldy in 1964, but today's tankers might feel differently

The latest innovation in Russian anti-drone protection is an idea that the Soviet army tinkered with, adopted and quickly abandoned in the early 1960s. Panels of metal mesh that attach to a tank’s barrel, forming a screen around six feet in front of the tank’s hull. The idea is that the screen will detonate incoming warheads—or drones—far enough from the tank that the shaped charge won’t penetrate the hull.

The Soviets formally adopted the Z-1 screen following extensive testing, but front-line regiments were never enthusiastic—and the introduction of new and better tanks made the awkward screens unreliable.

Flash forward six decades. Harried by Ukrainian first-person-view drones with increasingly powerful shaped charge warheads, Russian regiments are doing everything they can to up-armor their tanks and other combat vehicles. At least one regiment has revived the Z-1 in improvised form. Canadian drone expert Roy was among the first to note the do-it-yourself Z-1 on the barrel of a T-80 that also sports an extensive “hedgehog” application of unwound aluminum cabling.