The Polish Army tests rod and mesh screens as protection of the Rosomaks against FPV drones armed with, among others, cumulative heads. specified shields may impede an effective attack, but will not replace detection, jamming and active combating unmanned vehicles. The lives of Polish soldiers and the ability of the army to draw conclusions from the war in Ukraine are at stake.
The FPV drone changed the rules of the fight.
Small FPV drones have become 1 of the most serious threats to vehicles in the modern battlefield. The operator sees the camera image in real time and can guide the device to the selected condition of the car. erstwhile an unmanned individual moves a cumulative head, hitting a little protected region can harm or harm the vehicle.
The experience of war in Ukraine triggered a wave of improvised and mill shields. Above the towers and hulls there were metallic frames, rod screens, and open grids. akin solutions are tested by many armies, including the Polish Army. The question, therefore, is not whether to react, but how to combine a simple shield with the full defence system.
As Defence24 points out, the experiments besides include Rosomak transporters. This is the right direction, provided that the tests are carried out in conditions as close as possible to real use, and that the conclusions will rapidly scope individuals and national industry. Poland cannot wait until the opponent verifies our solutions with fire.
What can give a grid screen
The screen creates a physical distance between the drone and the primary armor. It can disrupt the operation of the warhead, harm the unmanned structure, or origin detonation distant from the vehicle surface. However, there is no guarantee. The consequence depends on the location and angle of the hit, the kind of load, the plan of the shield and the way the attack is carried out.
The advantage is comparative simplicity. The grid or screen can be created and repaired more easy than the advanced active protection system. specified a solution can besides be rapidly adapted to the dangers observed on the front. In mass war, not only does method excellence matter, but besides the scale, cost and pace of implementation.
Weaknesses are equally real. Additional plan increases the vehicle’s dimensions, can make it hard to decision in built-up areas and between trees, restrict the crew’s access to hatches and complicate the handling of equipment. The badly designed shield will become a burden that hinders soldiers, not a shield. Therefore, it is not to be assessed solely on the basis of an effective photograph from the camp.
Protection must have respective layers
The grid is simply a passive average and only works erstwhile the drone reaches the vehicle. Real defence starts early. Means of reconnaissance, crew warning, communications and navigation interference and effects are needed to destruct the unmanned. Equally crucial stay masking, movement, distraction and appropriate procedures.
No single component can solve the problem. The jamming may be ineffective against any control modes, and the physical screen may be bypassed or broken. Only applying multiple layers increases the chances of endurance of the car and crew. This requires the cooperation of the armored troops, reconnaissance, electronic combat, anti-aircraft defence and operators of their own drones.
Rosomak remains an crucial mobility tool of the Polish Army. Its protection must not end with armor designed before the age of mass FPV attacks. Modernisation must cover both equipment and combat organization.
Polish manufacture must act quickly
The most crucial conclusion for Poland is simple: anti-drone solutions should be developed and produced in the country, close to the user. The war in Ukraine shows that constructions and tactics change faster than classic, multi-annual purchasing programs. The army needs a short way from observing the threat through an effort at the camp to order and modify the equipment.
This does not mean giving up rigorous research. The screens must be checked for resistance, mass, impact on mobility, crew evacuation, field of view and arms handling. The test should besides answer the question of how rapidly soldiers will mount, remove and repair the shield in field conditions.
Grids on the Rosomaki make sense as an additional layer of protection. They would be a dangerous illusion if presented as a ready-made consequence to the drone revolution. The Polish army needs a system, not 1 gadget. The quality of this decision depends on taxpayers' money, combat readiness of individuals and, above all, the lives of Polish soldiers.
Source: Defence24
