Tsar Mangal’ – Russia’s Response To Ukraine’s Drone Attacks On Tanks

Drones have dominated the battlefield in Ukraine, with cheap, unmanned ground/aerial vehicles taking out tanks worth several thousand dollars. The Russian forces, one of the largest and most advanced in the world, are forced to strategize their operations to counter aerial threats from Ukraine – a much smaller force backed by NATO.

An odd-looking big Russian tank was spotted in eastern Ukraine a few months ago. Covered with thick armoured sheets, modified T-72 and T-90 are Russia’s response to Ukrainian drones. The Russians call them ‘Tsar Mangal’, and Ukrainians call them ‘Turtle Tanks’.

The threat from drones became imminent. Cheap UAVs emerged as an economical option over the expensive American Javelin heat-seeking anti-tank guided missile.

Videos of tanks attacked by First Person View (FPV) drones started emerging last year when Russian T-72s, T-80s, and T-90s Main Battle Tanks became targets of these small armed aerial threats. Drones are used not just for limited-scale offensive operations but also for surveillance and guiding precision artillery fire.