As much as I’d like to laugh as any Russian military stupidity, the aircraft in the picture doesn’t appear to have propellers attached, so it’s likely in some form of maintenance. Without the weight of engines and props, any strong wind over the wings is likely to move the plane around quite a lot. Putting tires on the wings disrupts the lift and helps keep the plane from moving around in storms.
That feels like a better explanation then the other theory that they are used for some form of anti-drone tech.
Would the tires do anything to protect them other than blunt the damage? Ignoring the fact that each tire conveniently has a bomb sized hole in each section?
I would imagine shrapnel would have an easier time going through a tire then through the exterior of the plane. And those bombs already do that.
Tires are very tough. Aircraft skin is very thin. I think tires would help reduce damage from shrapnel, but agree that weight and airfoil disruption is also a very plausible expansion.
Yeah I don’t see how this would provide any additional benefit, even if tires were literally the only thing you had to work with
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I hear a better way to protect your planes is not starting a losing war.
If a drone hits the tire a loud boing sound plays.
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High-tech!
I’m no expert, but wouldn’t a bit of fuel and a match now render that plane grounded?
Isn’t that kinda always the case with a plane?
Or a water balloon full of gallium!
Less visible? lol…
As military super powers do… 🤣
4chan /k/ calls it “cope tires”. Fun fact, /k/ came up with the term “cope cages” for the Russian tanks too.
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- Tyre is a city in the middle east.
- Tires are the round black rubber things you drive on.
- Tired is how I feel when people spell the second like the first.
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“Tire” came first, even in the UK.
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