UAE Puts Steel Cages Around Fuel Tanks to Counter Drone Threat
The United Arab Emirates has begun installing large steel and mesh protective structures around fuel storage tanks at strategic energy facilities, as concerns grow over the threat of drone attacks against critical infrastructure.
The structures, often referred to as “cope cages,” are designed to create a physical barrier around vulnerable facilities and potentially reduce the impact of incoming one-way attack drones before they reach the fuel tanks.
The measure follows repeated attacks involving drones and missiles across the region, which have highlighted the vulnerability of oil and gas infrastructure to relatively low-cost unmanned systems.
However, the cages are not designed to provide full protection against ballistic or cruise missiles. Their effectiveness is primarily associated with certain types of drone threats, meaning the UAE would still need layered air-defense systems and other protective measures against larger or faster weapons.
The move illustrates how the threat from unmanned weapons is changing the physical design of critical energy infrastructure across the Middle East, with passive defenses now being added alongside conventional air-defense systems.