After a series of attacks on Wildberries logistics centers in Russia, the company decided to protect its warehouses from drones with metal mesh. In total, it plans to purchase 478,000 sq. m of such protection – enough to cover approximately 67 football fields, The Bell reports, writes UNN.
Details
Wildberries announced a tender in early August for the supply of galvanized metal mesh for facilities in 8 regions of Russia. The documentation does not explicitly state what such a quantity of material is needed for; however, a source in the industrial sector who spoke to The Bell believes it is specifically intended for protection against UAVs.
Enclosing everything with a metal fence is still the most popular option, given its fairly high effectiveness and the absence of risks and any regulatory requirements other than construction regulations
Mesh as Russia’s new air defense
Similar structures are being installed in Russia around oil depots, tanks, thermal power plants, substations, and gas infrastructure. The mesh is installed at a certain distance from the facility so that it takes the drone’s impact first.
Protecting the warehouses could cost Wildberries 73.6–226.5 million rubles. The company also announced a tender to purchase silica fabric for 14 facilities. This material withstands high temperatures and can be used as a fire barrier.
The procurements began after a series of attacks on Wildberries infrastructure. According to Verstka, from July 18, over the course of a month, at least 22 of the company’s facilities came under attack, while the area of warehouse premises destroyed or taken out of service had reached approximately 2.4 million sq. m by August 17.