Taiwan’s army has begun equipping M60 tanks and Yunpiao armored personnel carriers with special protective nets to counter drone attacks.
The military magazine of the Armed Forces of the Republic of China reported this. It was noted that the vehicles with the new protection have already participated in the Hangguan 41 exercises.
“Day five of the Hangguan’s 41 exercise: ground troops defend important facilities,” the report said.
On the M60 tanks, the grids were additionally covered with dark covers that hide the grids’ design and prevent the enemy from assessing their shape or vulnerabilities.
Yunpiao armored personnel carriers have received mesh turret protection to counter drone strikes, including grenades dropped on the vehicle’s hatches or roof.
In this way, Taiwan is adopting the experience of Ukraine, which has been installing improvised “anti-drone” grids on armored vehicles on a massive scale since 2022.
Such structures can either force the charge to detonate prematurely or reduce the penetration of the ammunition due to the distance from the hull.
In addition, the nets can sometimes completely stop the grenade, preventing it from reaching the armor of the vehicle.
The Yunpiao armored personnel carrier is a family of armored vehicles designed specifically for the needs of the Armed Forces of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The name Yunpiao means “Cloud Leopard” in Chinese. These vehicles provide mobility, protection, and fire support for infantry on the battlefield.
The vehicles are developed by the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense and manufactured by the state-owned Ordnance Readiness Development Center (ORDC).
