The Russian military has come up with a new porcupine tank! Its design is really over the top!

Both the Russian and Ukrainian armies were highly mechanized forces before the war, equipped with a large number of tanks and armored vehicles.

After the outbreak of the war, Russia carried out military-industrial mobilization, overhauling old equipment and continuing to produce new ones; while Ukraine, in addition to gathering old and obsolete equipment within the country, also received a large number of armored vehicles from the West.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the number of armored vehicles used successively on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield can be counted in the tens of thousands.

However, it is very difficult for us to see the scene of "armored floods" galloping across the vast plains on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield-though the Russian military did attempt this at the initial stage of the war. Its poor logistics and lack of long-distance mechanized march capabilities turned all this into a disaster.

Since then, the Russia-Ukraine war has gradually shifted to a positional warfare mode. Millions of troops from both sides have massed along a frontline of more than 1,000 kilometers, with massive quantities of landmines scattered in between. Later, the increasing number of drones made large-scale armored assaults no longer feasible.

Not to mention large-scale operations, even the normal movement of tanks and armored vehicles has been greatly restricted. As a result, many of the Russian military's offensive operations and the Ukrainian military's occasional counterattacks have adopted the mode of infantry infiltrating on foot.

In order to adapt tanks and armored vehicles to combat under the new situation, both the Russian and Ukrainian armies have made various attempts. Among them, the Russian military has carried out the most modifications, as it has more tanks and armored vehicles and is in an offensive position.

Taking tanks as an example, the initial improvement was just a simple "shelter-added" modification, which could not resist multi-angle drone attacks. Later, the Russian military developed the "tortoise-style" modification. After playing a role for a while, this type of tank also became obsolete as the density of drones on the frontline increased further.

Now the Russians have come up with the "hedgehog-style" or "porcupine-style" tank. I think everyone has seen this enhanced modified tank that appeared online in the past two days.

This "new-type tank" has a large number of steel chains, steel cables and steel spikes welded onto its original additional steel frame structure, along with electronic countermeasure devices installed. This transforms the once "neat and tidy" tank into a huge "steel porcupine".

The emergence of this "steel porcupine" stems from the Russians' discovery during combat: the "tortoise-style tanks" wrapped in additional steel plates often become inoperable under continuous attacks by Ukrainian drones, and some vulnerable angles cannot be covered.

After welding a large number of steel branches, drones are often detonated in advance or directly stuck in the steel branches. Compared with the previous simple steel frames and plates, the addition of these steel branches and chains makes it easier to achieve "full coverage" of the tank.

Of course, it definitely has disadvantages. For example, the large number of attachments increases the tank's weight and reduces its mobility; it limits the tank's field of vision and lowers its flexibility; it makes it inconvenient for the crew to enter and exit, and also increases the difficulty of tank maintenance.

But given the current situation on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield, "survival factors" are the top priority first. After all, "unmodified tanks" (or "stock tanks") are far too easy to destroy-if both the crew and the tank are taken out, what's the point of talking about mobility, visibility, flexibility, or the trouble of modifications?

Anyway, there is simply no such thing as tank battles on the battlefield now, nor is there room for tanks to charge freely. Therefore, their "function" has changed, and they must "make the best use of their capabilities" to adapt to the new environment.

At present, this "porcupine tank" mainly serves two purposes: offense and defense.

In offensive mode, the tank needs to be "fully armed" - after being equipped with electronic countermeasure devices and mine-clearing kits, it acts as the lead vehicle of a convoy.

The scale of such assault convoys is not large, usually at the platoon to company level. The lead vehicle is responsible for clearing a path through minefields, attracting and consuming most of the incoming Ukrainian drones. The mission is considered a success if it can successfully deliver assault troops or supplies to the designated location.

To put it bluntly, this is essentially a "charge hard and hold fast" approach. This tactic usually works well when the opposing Ukrainian forces are relatively weak, and it must also be carried out under conditions where the enemy's strength has been reduced, routes have been carefully selected, and support has been well-prepared - reckless charging is not an option.

Among the major theater zones currently, the Ukrainian forces facing the Russian Eastern Group are relatively weak, while the Eastern Group itself has a strong offensive drive. As a result, mechanized assaults are more frequent here, and the "porcupine tank" revealed this time also belongs to the Eastern Group. (Similar assaults are far more difficult in directions like Dobropillya where Ukrainian forces are stronger; in fact, the assault units there are also deployed from the Eastern Group.)

In defensive mode, these tanks mainly stay back in rear areas and take on the role of artillery. They remain in pre-set positions and fire to strike Ukrainian targets.

Such pre-set positions are usually located within tree belts. With its structure, the "hedgehog tank" can be covered with camouflage nets and supplemented with branches or similar foliage, resulting in excellent concealment.

Even if spotted by Ukrainian drones, it is extremely difficult for the drones to completely destroy the tank, thanks to its current modified structure.

Therefore, the Ukrainian side has also adopted similar modifications, though these are mainly applied to armored vehicles. There seems to be no such application on tanks yet - but then again, the Ukrainian military doesn't have many tanks left anyway.

Finally, two points need to be emphasized:

1.While such modified tanks increase the difficulty and cost of drone attacks, they are not invulnerable. There is no need to mythologize them or assume that the Russian military will become unstoppable in its offensives with these vehicles - that is simply impossible.

Even within the Russian military, tanks modified to this extent are still a minority; they are being tested first. Most tanks are still equipped with simpler "kits" for daily use.

2. Even with these "porcupine tanks," they merely provide the Russian military with a "new piece of equipment" for offensive and defensive operations. The specific equipment and tactics used on the battlefield require comprehensive consideration.

Therefore, we will still see Russian infantry infiltrations and motorcycle raids in the future; these operational modes, completely different from "heavy assault," will continue to exist.

Even in the near future, we may witness even more exaggerated tank modifications or combat tactics - all of which emerge on the basis of massive casualties.

So whether it's the "Mad Max"-style modified vehicles or the "mobile fortresses of Kharkiv" that we see now, behind their exaggerated appearances lie actual blood costs. And this - is war.