Turtle Tanks, "Cope Cages" & Modified Vehicles in Ukraine - Purpose, Evolution & Effectiveness

A few addenda here with a late pinned comment. Since this video was produced there has been even more footage of turtle tanks / assault sheds come out, so I doubt we've seen the last of them.

I've also started breaking down the 2024 imagery for tanks and IFVs more closely (despite the risks of smaller sample sizes) and my rough read is that Russian usage rates are higher now than before, but I'll provide an update once I can say that with more confidence.

Finally, I have some updates I might be able to give on the IDF usage of these kinds of add-ons, but didn't want to distract the video. I'll look for a chance to speak to those in future.

Born too late for the golden age of tanks. Born too early for the age of mechs and lasers. Born just in time for the golden age of assault sheds, cope cages, and mobile battle houses.

"Organic Carbon Plating" is the best way to describe attaching wood to a vehicle for protection.

"and it doesnt take a particularly high IQ drone operator to get suspicious when they start seeing a bunch of bushes doing 20 kmh down a road" 🤣

Great deadpan delivery

thanks for the shout out Perun, great rundown as always. Learned a ton in this one. It's true, we ghetto rigged our Strykers. They looked like something out of "pimp my ride" by the end of the tour with all kinds of bullet resistant glass and sniper nets welded onto the top. the modifcations we're seeing in Ukraine look like they're putting that to shame though

Just remember kids; Red Ones go Faster

"Emotional Support Armor". Perun certainly has a way with words!

16:00 "Why can't we just stick it on the back of a truck...?"
And a million BAE, LockMart, and General Dynamics contractors cried out in horror.

The "Technical" originated from NGOs working in Africa where they didn't have a budget line item for Mad Max Military vehicles, so the costs were listed under the "technical" column.

On the sandbags, some tank commanders reported that they were aware that it wasn't a lot of protection, but the sandbags did muffle the sound of small arms pinging against the hull, letting the crew maintain better communication with each other and helping to steady the nerves of the tank crew.

Take a shot every time Perun says “All else being equal” challenge

You overlook the point of turtle tanks/assault sheds. If 95% of armor is destroyed while away from their bunker, then it can be assumed that bringing the bunker with you decreases your chances being hit drops.

Gamer Logic.

I met an Iraq War 3 vet many years ago in college. His squad only had a HUMVEE. He told me about how their welder was the 3nd most important peice of equipment they had. They used it to weld on extra armor and do ad-hoc modifications. The 2nd and 3rd most important had to be the window air conditioner they bought at a market, and a generator to power the thing. They would seal up a room in a house to get some relief from the heat.

“All the way to stuff that looks like it was welded together on a workbench 200 years after the apocalypse”😂😂

I actually laughed out loud when I saw the ERA in front of the windshield of the truck😂, can’t make this stuff up.

My understanding of the term "technical" came at the start of the conflict in Somalia in 93ish. Journalists reporting on the crisis were not allowed to expense body guards or other protection supports. There solution was to hire guys with anti aircraft guns on their toyota and refer to them as Technical Advisors when submitting their expenses. Since shortened to just technical.

I was never a tank driver. My military service was in the electronic warfare community so I’ve never had the stress and anxiety of constantly worrying about something fast, pointy, and explosive entering my office. That said it’s wild to me how being in a giant armored vehicle makes the crew anxious but then zip-tying a fucking patio onto the top of that alleviates that anxiety.

"Applique carbon armour"

*chef's kiss

"Cope cages" sounds like something a fulfilment worker at Amazon would have to deal with.

Ultimately, everything comes back around to the genius of Bob Semple. -:)