How Russian tanks are saved by ‘dandelions’ from Ukraine’s drones? ‘Oduvanchik’ armours explained as speed vs shield debate resurfaces

The yellow flowers that can pop up in the middle of lawns out of nowhere. After a while, they become white, fluffy balls that fly away when you blow on them...

The easiest way to identify dandelions can be thus summarised. It is when the seeds of these common garden weeds mature that the dried flower head opens into a perfect sphere. Their journey from a bright yellow flower to a white, fluffy globe (often called a "puffball" or "dandelion clock") is one of nature’s most poignant metaphors—a silent transition eternalised in art and pop culture as the universal shorthand for the drifting passage of time.

But not many are aware that dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are also champions of survival in the wild—the reason for their ascent as one of the most successful plants on Earth. Beneath the beauty of the flower, literally, lies the deep taproot, which makes the plant incredibly difficult to pull out entirely.

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Perhaps it was this inherent toughness, rather than the dandelion’s ("oduvanchik" in Russian) poetic journey through the wind, that inspired the Russians to devise their latest tank "cages"—designed to safeguard against the ever-threatening first-person view (FPV) drones on the Ukrainian battlefields. Amidst talks of a US-brokered peace deal, the war rages on with both sides leaning heavily on drone warfare to inflict heavy losses on the other. The hunt for smarter, cheaper means to surprise and outperform the enemy remains never-ending.

The latest of these battlefield experiments was the Russian dandelion-inspired anti-drone armour for the T-90M tanks. The Kremlin's war machinery seems to have come a long way from simply covering their tanks and vehicles with metal cages so that incoming kamikaze drones cannot easily take out precious resources. They even tried to improvise by giving camouflage features to these cages, and Ukraine also started using welding machines to ensure it takes more than a stray UAV to take out one of their machines.

Russian military innovators have come up with the "dandelion" cages after having introduced the "hedgehog tank," modified from T-72 and T-80 tanks, to take on the drone menace. These tanks had metal cables wrapped around their entire bodies to entangle drones or damage their propellers as they descend. Some of them were also equipped with electronic warfare (EW) systems to jam the first-person view (FPV) drones as they made their descent.

The metal 'floret': How oduvanchik cages protect tanks?

According to Western media, the dandelion-inspired gears were first spotted at the beginning of this year, seen for the first time last week covering a stationary T-90M tank inside a warehouse. It is not yet known if the design has made its battlefield debut, but it has been confirmed that the Russian Defence Ministry has patented the design.

A dandelion is not actually a single flower, but a composite head made of hundreds of tiny individual flowers called "florets." Inspired by this biological aspect, the protective cage is designed with reinforced metal rods that are welded together to form a three-dimensional barrier that resembles the florets of a dandelion. This tree-like structure branches out into several tiers, with high-strength mesh stretched to fill any possible gap between these branches.

When a suicide drone approaches the tank, it makes contact with the rods instead of reaching the areas where armour is vulnerable, if not penetrable. Thus, the explosion happens at a safe distance from the tank, shielding not just the crew but the entire tank. The further away the drone, the better. When against a swarm of drones in the open, the numerous dandelion metal branches ensure a better survival rate for the T-90Ms, the reports pointed out.

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The logic is simple: if it takes about a dozen or so drones to disable a standard tank, then it may take several more to disable one equipped with dandelion armour and caging. Initial drones may penetrate the outer layers and clear a path for follow-up drones to strike the actual tank armour.

How effective are the cages? The debate wages on

According to the Ukrainian-American expert David Kirichenko, Russia’s approach has focused on using tanks and heavy armour to push through defensive lines and get as much infantry across as possible. All of the additional armour and “dandelion” structures are meant to ensure the tank survives for a bit longer. Put simply, the “dandelion” is designed to detonate a drone further out, limiting the impact of the blast on the tank itself. The more spikes and layered armour, the better for those inside. These structures may help against RPGs, but their primary use on today’s battlefield is protection against drones. If the main threat were RPGs, that would more likely be in an urban environment, where operators would need greater visibility.

But the system does not come without shortcomings, other claim. The "hedgehog tanks" were slow due to the added weight of their shields. Pro-Kyiv reports have claimed that all these cages did was turn the tanks into sitting ducks for drones and rockets. The same scrutiny also applies to the "dandelion." In its case, there are added questions about the "florets" diminishing the visibility of the driver and gunners inside.

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However, these arguments are not black and white. "The exact weight of the tank armour depends on how much extra protection is added. Crews can add layers of plates, cages, and dandelion-like structures in an effort to protect the tank. This additional armour not only slows the tank down but also limits visibility. For the purposes of the battlefields in Ukraine, however, these tanks are meant to charge forward, especially across open fields. If a tank were operating in a tight urban environment where visibility was critical, this would be a significant problem for gunners and operators," researcher and military analyst David Kirichenko told THE WEEK.

"On the frontline, I have seen cases where Ukraine struggled to disable Russian tanks equipped with effective electronic warfare systems, making it very difficult for radio-controlled drones to operate. In those cases, it took dozens of drones to disable a single tank," Kirichenko, who is an Associate Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank focusing on military strategy, added.

Despite the propaganda push, Kirichenko, who is also a noted war journalist, vouched that he has spent time on the frontlines with Ukrainian tank operators who adopted similar outer-cage strategies to steer clear of the drone threat. Additional protection is liked by most sides despite having to compromise on mobility. "It’s a constant battle of countermeasures and adaptation. One side discovers a vulnerability, and the other is forced to find ways to close it. Whether on offence or defence, both sides must continually adapt under the persistent drone threat. The resulting solutions may look strange, but soldiers are experimenting in every way they can to stay alive. With time, Ukraine will discover ways to counter these new structures as well, restarting the cycle," he reminded.