Survival armour

Empress Iraxxa and Friday the warrior. (TV:Empress of Mars)

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)

Characteristics

Ice Warriors were extremely capable engineers (TV: Empress of Mars) and almost always wore some form of bio-mechanical armour that matched their dark 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. (TV: The Seeds of Death) The sturdy armour was composed of a solid main body with flexible leg and arm pieces covered in thick scales to mimic their reptilian nature with a sonic blaster mounted on the forearm. The Martian helmet too had this pattern and housed a heads-up display unit in its red eyepieces. For the Ice Lords, a augmented reality feed would inform them of everything about the subordinates in their sight including vital signs, combat performance, military history, and mental health. While their mouths generally remained exposed by the helmet's open mouth section, the faceplate was special section which when engaged was closed across the mouth, acting as both a space helmet and a respirator. (PROSE: The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity)

An Ice Warrior's full body. (TV: The Ice Warriors)

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)

Variants

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)

Weaponry

Ice Warriors' sonic weapons. (TV: The Ice Warriors)

Ice Warriors used small sonic weapons in the wrist of their armour as a personal defence weapon. (TV: The Ice Warriors) One variation fired a bolt of sound. When it hit the target, it caused a sonic implosion that crushed the target. The effect was fatal to humans, as it broke their limbs and crushed their bones. (TV: Empress of Mars)

Weaknesses

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