Russian forces have begun to cover some of their attack aircraft with car tires, which experts say could be an improvised attempt to protect them from Ukrainian drone strikes.
Satellite images from Maxar Engels Air Base, deep in Russia, show two Tu-95 strategic bombers with car tires on top of the fuselage.
A CNN couldn’t independently verify why the tires were put on the aircraft, but experts say it could be a crude attempt not only to add another layer of protection against Ukrainian drones, but also to reduce the aircraft’s visibility, especially at night.
The impromptu attempt may have limited effect in terms of damage mitigation, according to Francisco Serra-Martins of drone maker One Way Aerospace, whose drones have been used by Ukrainian forces.
“This may reduce thermal visibility for exposed aviation hotspots placed on airfield aprons, but they will still be observable under infrared cameras,” he told the CNN .
Steffan Watkins, an open source research consultant who tracks aircraft and ships, said that while the move “seems rather silly”, Russian forces appear “to be trying to do the best they can to armor planes that would otherwise be easy targets”.
“Whether this works depends on what the missile/drone warhead is,” he said, adding that the tires could be used to prevent fragmentation from an aerial explosion above the plane from puncturing the aircraft.
A North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military official told CNN that the alliance saw the improvised attempt.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
“We believe it is intended to protect against drones,” a NATO military official told the CNN . “We don’t know if this will have any effect.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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