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How Ukraine Upgraded US Bradleys to Survive Russia’s Drone Warfare
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian defense engineers have developed a specialized protection system to increase the survivability of American-supplied M2A2 Bradley ODS-SA infantry fighting vehicles against drones and other modern threats.
The solution, known as Tower 1, has been installed on several vehicles and continues to be refined based on battlefield experience.
M2A2 Bradley IFV in Ukrainian service, sporting a new Ukrainian add-on armor package from Iron Nuts. pic.twitter.com/FFkIdfL6gu
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 16, 2025
According to Defense Express on August 18, the new protection system was created by the Ukrainian company Iron Nuts.
Elements of the design are already in service with the 47th Mechanized Brigade, and a prototype of an upgraded version, Tower 2, is under development but has not yet been revealed publicly.
Iron Nuts representatives report that Tower 1 has been tested in combat, where it repeatedly worked against shaped-charge munitions.
The structure combines rigid framing with flexible mesh screens, reducing the penetration capability of incoming warheads and increasing the chance of deflecting them from their trajectory.
The first images of this system appeared in September 2024. Since then, the final design has been adjusted to reflect battlefield feedback, differing from earlier concepts.
While the Bradley platform itself has proven resilience and strong protection in previous conflicts and during its deployment in Ukraine, vulnerabilities remain against strike drones, making additional measures necessary.
Specialized solutions such as Tower 1 are considered more effective than improvised field modifications, commonly seen as mesh “grills” on tanks, armored vehicles, and self-propelled artillery systems like Caesar.
These improvements aim to extend the operational effectiveness of Bradley vehicles in Ukraine’s current defense operations.
Earlier, Ukraine modified US-supplied M1 Abrams tanks with steel cages to protect against Russian drones and explosives. The retrofit, developed under the Steel Front initiative, increased tank survivability by about 35 percent and was later applied to Bradleys and Soviet-era tanks.
Despite their reputation as top-tier vehicles, several Abrams were damaged or destroyed by FPV drones, prompting the widespread adoption of these $20,000 protective screens, now installed on 25 Abrams, 100 T-72s, and 75 Bradleys.
