Slat armor Slat armor , also known as bar armor , cage armor and standoff armor , is a type of vehicle armor designed to protect against anti - tank rocket - propelled grenade ( RPG ) attacks . It takes the form of a rigid slatted metal grid fitted around key sections of the vehicle , which disrupts the shaped charge of the warhead by either crushing it , preventing optimal detonation from occurring , or by damaging the fuzing mechanism , preventing detonation outright . Although slat armor is effective against incoming missiles , it does not offer complete protection – as many as 50 % of impacts are unimpeded by the slat design . Combat history . World War II . The German Wehrmacht was the first employer of cage armor during World War II , using " Drahtgeflecht - Schürzen " ( English : " wire mesh skirts " ) to fortify its tanks against shell fire . It was found to be just as effective as the steel plate " schürzen " also being utilized . In March 1943 , Adolf Hitler ordered all new Sturmgeschütz , Panzer III , IV , and Panthers be outfitted with " schürzen " of either the wire mesh or steel plate type . However , the wire mesh was not as easy to mass - produce as steel plate " schürzen " . Red Army tanks , faced with the new and highly effective German Panzerfaust , were similarly outfitted with " bedspring " armor made from expanded metal mesh grating panels . Cold War era . In the Vietnam War , slat armor was commonly used on the sides of American patrol barges and boats . The CCB - 18 is a surviving example of the Mobile Riverine Force which used such armor . Wire fencing was also placed on vehicles such as the M113 to defeat Vietcong RPGs . The Swedish Stridsvagn 103 of the same era employed a much heavier front - mounted metal grid to protect against incoming projectiles . Modern era . In modern times , slat armor has seen use on the Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) Caterpillar D9R armored bulldozer , the Force Protection Buffalo MPV MRAP vehicle , the General Dynamics Stryker , the Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle , the M113 APC , the Leopard 2A6 main battle tank , and Russia n T - 62 tanks . Slat armor is favored over traditional plate armor not only due to its effectiveness against shaped - charge warheads , but also due to its much lighter weight , which improves maneuverability . BAE Systems has developed an extremely lightweight aluminum system called the LROD , already in use on the Buffalo MPV , which is claimed to weigh half the amount of comparable steel designs . BAE has equipped several US Army RG - 31 s with a variant of the LROD system , and is developing the system for its RG - 33 vehicles , the Caiman and the JERRV . LROD is also the standard RPG solution for the Buffalo MPV in the field . Slat armor is also being fielded on the American M1 Abrams as part of the TUSK urban warfare series . Israel . Slat armor was first used on the IDF Caterpillar D9 R armored bulldozer in 2005 , but was installed in large numbers only in 2006 . The armor proved itself effective against RPGs and even heavier anti - tank missile s ( such as the 9K11 Malyutka ) . The D9 ' s slat armor design was produced by MASHA ( Maintenance and Restoration Center ) , CHATAL ( IDF Ground Force Technology Unit ) and MANTAK ( Armor Administration ) , who won the IDF ' s GOC Army Headquarters prize for the armor . Since then it was installed also on other armored fighting vehicle s .