Anti-drone mesh

Anti-drone meshes (commonly nicknamed "barbecues" or "mangals"[a] in Ukrainian or "cope cages"[1]) refer to metal lattices that surround ground military vehicles to provide additional protection from drone strikes, a practice which became widespread during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[3][4] Ukrainian military media outlet Militarnyi considered their effectiveness in preventing Javelin strikes to be questionable, and noted they also hindered crew operations and increased the size of the tank's outline.

One of the most common means of protection was a variety of nets and grilles to stop the fall of a free-falling munition, cause a premature explosion of the shaped charge of the drone, or prevent its detonation.

Later, both the Russians and Ukrainians began to actively install lightweight metal fencing on their own equipment, including self-propelled artillery, tanks, and multiple rocket launchers.

[23][24] On 21 January 2025, during DefenceIQ’s International Armoured Vehicles exhibition and conference, the British Defense Ministry announced that it was trialing Challenger 2 tanks equipped with anti-drone cages.