Survival armour

Survival armour was what the Eleventh Doctor termed the bio-mechanical armour which was constructed and used by the Ice Warriors. As a result, he described them as cyborgs, with the Twelfth Doctor observing "the creature within is at one with its carapace." (TV: Cold War, Empress of Mars)

Ice Warriors were extremely capable engineers (TV: Empress of Mars) and almost always wore some form of bio-mechanical armour that matched their green skin. (TV: Cold War) This survival armour augmented their already considerable strength. This included a half-face helmet and a red blast-screen over each eye. Ice Warrior nobility ("Ice Lords") wore light armour with sleek, bullet-shaped, metallic helmets, a simple breastplate and a cape. (TV: The Seeds of Death) An Ice Marshall's helmet contained circuitry beneath its surface and acted as an additional nervous system for its wearer after it bonded with the cranium. (AUDIO: Thin Ice) Common warriors had much heavier and bulkier, intricately patterned full-body armour, and stubby helmets (some designs of which also placed blast screens over the ears). (TV: The Curse of Peladon)

Their exoskeletal armour melded with the body of their wearer and an Ice Warrior was described as being one with their armour. (AUDIO: Thin Ice) This armour consisted of carapaces and helmets grown in nutrient tanks and cybernetically augmented to provide the wearer with increased strength, reaction time, spectral sensitivity and biological efficiency. It also gave them a direct link to the Martian battle net. Finally, it boosted the efficiency of their waste management systems. (PROSE: GodEngine) The armour technology included locked-sequence communicators and induced muscular hydraulics. (AUDIO: Thin Ice) The armour was tough enough to protect them from a swing of an axe. (PROSE: The Silent Stars Go By) This armour could also be remotely controlled with sonic technology. (TV: Cold War)

By the late 26th century, some sects of Ice Warriors had undergone extensive cybernetic alteration. An implant at the base of the brain connected their armour directly to their nervous systems, making it a part of their physical makeup. These Ice Warriors also had artificial membranes inside their throats, allowing them to filter out gases not necessary for their survival. (PROSE: The Medusa Effect)

The armour was chiefly designed to protect the wearer from extreme cold; however, a rapid rise in temperature could overwhelm its systems. (TV: Cold War)

Ice Warriors used small sonic weapons in the wrist of their armour as a personal defence weapon. (TV: The Ice Warriors)