Ukrainian drones struck Russian tanks equipped with the Arena-M protection system
Ukrainian forces repelled an attack by Russian tanks in the Donetsk region and destroyed at least seven T-72B3A tanks, some of which were equipped with the Arena-M active protection system. Ars Technica reported this, citing Euromaidan Press and video footage of the strikes by Ukrainian drones.
The Russian Federation—the aggressor state—deployed armored vehicles equipped with Arena-M during a company-level attack on July 22. According to Ars Technica, this was the first documented combat use of this system. Arena-M is a new version of the Soviet-era Arena system: it uses radar to detect anti-tank rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles, and then launches its own munitions to intercept the warheads.
At the same time, according to Ukrainian military officials quoted by journalists Dmytro Putyata and Rob Lee, the Arena-M was able to shoot down some of the approaching drones. They reported that it took between 15 and 20 drones to finally destroy a single tank. Lee noted that Russian troops are studying ways to deploy armored vehicles on a battlefield saturated with drones, and the system has demonstrated some effectiveness and will likely be further refined.
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According to the Ukrainian publication Militarnyi, Russian engineers have been working on equipping tanks with the Arena-M system since 2019, and live-fire tests were conducted in 2021. At the same time, as the publication noted, Russia faced difficulties in adapting the system to detect and destroy small drones, which can move more slowly and unpredictably than missiles or grenades.
The system has only about a dozen interceptor munitions, which may be insufficient in the event of a massive drone attack. According to Ars Technica, a remotely piloted drone capable of disabling or destroying armored vehicles can cost as little as $400.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted in a report dated August 9 that the Arena-M system alone is unlikely to be an effective countermeasure against Ukrainian FPV drones, as the system can be overwhelmed by the sheer number of attacks. According to the publication, pro-Kremlin Russian bloggers have acknowledged its current limitations and called for the integration of additional protective measures. Other threats to tanks include anti-tank weapons, mines, and artillery.
