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Kiev is responding to the increasing threat posed by drones in the Ukraine war. A new protection system is intended to provide relief.
Kiev – Drones have become an indispensable part of 21st century wars. In Ukraine, too, they are being used on a massive scale by both sides. But this creates a problem for other weapons systems: many of the tanks used date from a time when engineers did not yet have to deal with anything like drone attacks.
As the American news magazine Newsweek reported that Kiev is now reacting and wants to make the Abrams tanks donated by the USA safe from drone attacks. The 70-ton tanks are mainly used in eastern Ukraine.
Abrams tanks get anti-drone protection in Ukraine war
A joint initiative of the Ukrainian heavy industry under the name “Steel Front” has now developed a steel cage that will be built over the tank turrets of the M1 Abrams. “We are sure that these structures will help protect the tanks and provide them with additional protection,” Oleksandr Myronenko, head of operations at Metinvest Group within the “Steel Front” initiative, told Newsweek.
The idea of additional protection is not new. During the more than two-year war, various, often improvised, turret shields repeatedly appeared. These were intended to protect the sensitive parts of the tanks from controlled attacks on weak points.
Ukraine’s anti-drone shields appear to be well made
Steel Front’s anti-drone shields “appear to be well-made and stand in stark contrast to the more improvised armor of the Russian Turtle variant, which is intended to provide similar protection against drones,” argues Matthew Moss, a small arms expert who follows the Ukraine war and the adaptation of armored vehicles to anti-drone measures.
The Ukrainian versions appear to impede the tank’s movements and the crew’s visibility less, Moss told NewsweekThe new cages also cover the sides of the M1 Abrams’ turrets and the ammunition storage box at the rear of the tank, one of the vehicle’s “weakest spots,” he added.
“It remains to be seen whether the distance between the screen and the hull is large enough to provide complete protection from FPVs,” said Moss, referring to the digital screens of the tank driver and gunner of the four-man Abrams crew.
Tank hunters: Drones are becoming increasingly important on the battlefield
Drones can be used effectively to damage important parts of the tanks and even disable the vehicles. After a successful attack by the drones, the heavily armored vehicles become easy prey for artillery and anti-tank missiles. “Drones currently pose the greatest threat to the tanks and all other armored vehicles used by the Ukrainian army,” said Myronenko from the “Steel Front” initiative.
Ukraine’s Soviet-era tanks, such as the T-72, were the first to receive the upgrade. Designs for the 31 donated Abrams came later, according to Myronenko. He added that improvements are currently being worked on for the Bradley infantry fighting vehicles donated by the US. The Abrams’ shields are larger than the cages attached to the T-72. Of the 25 cages already built under the Steel Front initiative, seven are tailored to the Abrams.
Abrams upgrades: Despite increasing drone activity, tanks remain an important element of war
The Abrams are used exclusively by the 47th Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine. The tanks have long been a major part of the fighting for Avdiivka. Footage of Abrams clashing with Russian forces fighting west of the Ukrainian city has been released regularly.
In total, Ukraine has lost five of the 31 M1 Abrams donated by the USA, as the Associated Press reported. The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means there is “no longer any open terrain that you can just drive over without fear of being detected,” a senior U.S. defense official said.
The Abrams tanks were withdrawn from the front as a precautionary measure. Ukrainians and the US want to discuss a reorientation of their tactics regarding the use of the tanks, said the Vice Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Christopher Grady. “Considering how the battle has developed, tanks can be at risk in an environment where unmanned aerial systems (drones) are ubiquitous,” Grady said in an interview with the Associated Press and added that tanks were still important in war. (ske)
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