Myanmar’s 68-Year-Old River Ship Fitted With Improvised Drone Protection

The Myanmar Navy has started equipping its river patrol vessels with improvised protection against drones, using car tires and metal mesh structures.

Military observer Andriy Tarasenko (BTVT.INFO) published the photos of the equipment.

The images capture a Y301 river gunboat built at the Yugoslav Uljanik shipyard in Pula (now Croatia).

Myanmar received a total of 10 such vessels. All were commissioned in 1958, meaning they have been in service for nearly 68 years.

To counter drone threats, the ship’s hull has been covered with car tires, while the superstructure has been fitted with a metal mesh anti-drone structure, informally referred to as a “grill.”

At the same time, the effectiveness of such measures remains questionable.

If the tires catch fire, flames could spread rapidly to other protective elements, making it extremely difficult for the crew to extinguish the fire.

The measures reflect the growing threat posed by FPV drones.

On June 24, it was reported that soldiers of the Myanmar People’s Defence Forces used an FPV drone to strike a Mi-17 military helicopter belonging to the country’s air force.