Ukraine's 'Mad Max' war machines: From spiked Humvees to Frankeen tanks in the fight against drones

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is getting terrifying as time progresses. To cope with Russian drone threats, specifically explosive FPV drones, Ukrainian forces have started adding crude "cage armour" over vehicles like Humvees and even M1 Abrams tanks. Both Russia and Ukraine have started to protect themselves with an extensive DIY aesthetic that resembles the post-apocalyptic, dystopian action film ‘Mad Max’. A Humvee near Donetsk feature a cage structure with metal spikes- that are designed to repel drone strikes.

Traditional armour is no longer enough. A Kyiv-based team led by ‘Musa’, a former doctor, has built one-off buggies with welded frames, oversized wheels, and decorative teeth on the grille. These serve as rapid response, transport, and evacuation vehicles. The speed of the evolving drone technology in the span of the war has compelled both Russia and Ukraine to improvise. Last month, a video surfaced which shows a tank shielded by a massive cage, which reportedly needed 60 drones to take out. The armouring effort includes integrating metal cages, netting, chains, protruding spikes, metal plates, and more, sometimes alongside additional explosive reactive armour.

Pick up trucks such as Mitsubishi L200, Ford Rangers, Toyota Hilux, are weaponised with machine guns, rocket launchers and anti-air weapons, to act as agile militarised platforms. The long, drawn-out war has pushed Ukraine to the brink. To save lives and money, hybrid armoured vehicles named “Frankentanks” are constructed, combining the hull of a T-62 tank with a turret of a BMP-2 armed with a 30 mm 2A42 autocanon; these are born not out of flamboyancy but out of necessity.

The surge in drone warfare has led to the need for creative solutions for both sides. Caged armour can be seen as one of them. But these don't come with drawbacks, at times limiting mobility and visibility. These improvisations are salvaging something out of nothing, turning civilians into military parts and creating life-saving military tools on the frontline.