Ukrainian drones overwhelm Russian tanks’ new active protection system—for now
Russian tanks equipped with the new Arena-M active protection system have struggled against Ukrainian drone swarms in recent combat. While the system successfully intercepted some drones, the sheer volume of attacks allowed Ukrainian forces to destroy the armored vehicles.
Why it matters
This highlights the evolving nature of modern warfare, where low-cost drone technology is challenging expensive, high-tech defensive systems.
The arms race continues Ukrainian drones overwhelm Russian tanks’ new active protection system—for now Tanks with defensive tech for shooting down drones are still proving vulnerable.
8 The first-person view of a Ukrainian drone about to strike a Russian tank equipped with the Arena-M active protection system. Credit: Security Service of Ukraine The first-person view of a Ukrainian drone about to strike a Russian tank equipped with the Arena-M active protection system. Credit: Security Service of Ukraine Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Russian tanks have entered battle for the first time with a new active protection system designed to shoot down incoming drones. But the technology’s recent combat debut in Ukraine met with only limited success—Ukrainian drones still destroyed the Russian armored vehicles by attacking in overwhelming numbers.
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