The Russians modernized the Chinese Desertcross all-terrain vehicle by adding a “grill”, smoke bombs, and an EW system to it.

The Russians published the photos of the vehicle on social media.

The photos capture the process of welding a metal frame onto the vehicle’s body for the subsequent installation of the Rabitz grid. It can be seen that an electronic warfare system is installed on the roof of the motorized vehicle.

The anti-drone net covers the entire roof of the vehicle, the front and luggage compartments, and its sides. On the luggage compartment, the Russians installed UDSh smoke bombs, which are most likely activated by pulling a wire.

In addition, the modernized Desertcross received a masking net and camouflage.

Chinese all-terrain vehicles in the Russian military

In November 2023, Militarnyi reported that the Chinese manufacturer AODES would supply the Russian military with more than 2 thousand Desertcross vehicles in various variations.

The all-wheel drive Desertcross 1000-3 is equipped with a 72-horsepower gasoline engine with a fuel tank capacity of 50 liters.

The total weight of the all-terrain vehicle is 916 kilograms. It can carry cargo weighing up to 300 kilograms, and this is quite enough for transporting towed mortars with little ammunition.

Later, the active use and destruction of these vehicles were repeatedly reported.

Development of “grills” in the Russian military

The Russians are constantly equipping vehicles and armored vehicles with massive “grills” to protect them during assault operations.

It was recently reported that Russians have started installing protective nets on their “combat” motorcycles to counter FPV drones.

The video captures a trapezoidal protective net mounted on the rear bumper of the motorcycle, which should cover the motorcyclist’s back from a drone strike.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Russians showed the Z-STS Akhmat armored vehicle equipped with a “tsar grill” to counter drones.

The structure has only one entrance in the form of a door, which is located at the back of the structure. Therefore, the only way to enter and exit the “grill” is to go through the door or crawl under the structure.

This design greatly increases the chance of survival of the armored vehicle in the event of a kamikaze drone hit, but it also significantly complicates and delays the landing and disembarkation of troops and crew, which can cost lives in combat.