The American M1 Abrams is believed to be one of the best tanks in the world, but it is still vulnerable to Russian drones and explosives on the battlefield in Ukraine, which has pushed the armored giant to the second line.
However, Ukraine is improving "Abrams" and protects it better by a relatively simple method: steel cages woven around the chassis.
Ukrainian officials behind the effort tell The Hill that the upgrade has worked extremely well to protect not only the Abrams, but also other U.S. BBMs like the Bradley.
At $10 million apiece for the Abrams, the relatively rough finish has helped keep the tanks on the battlefield.
Ukraine's 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, an elite unit that fights on the front lines, said in a statement to The Hill that "protective screens for combat vehicles like Abrams and Bradleys are essential to keep not only the expensive equipment, but also the lives of soldiers on the battlefield. "
"Although "Abrams" considered one of the best tanks, it is not invulnerable to threats such as anti-tank missiles and drones. Developing additional defensive structures is an important step in reducing the risk of defeat by modern threats, including drones and explosives." - they said.
Olexander Mironenko is the chief operating officer of Metinvest, one of the companies supporting the Steel Front initiative - the project behind the steel cages started by Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov to provide equipment for the army.
Mironenko told The Hill that the screens can last one hit before needing to be replaced, but they are very effective at protecting tanks, absorbing the impact and increasing survivability by about 35%.
"The drones are usually [trying] to stop the machine, to stop the armored vehicle, so they try to hit the engine [or] the turret of the tank to block it," he said. "And when the tank is blocked or stopped on the battlefield, it is an easy target for artillery or another type of drone.
"That's why this protection is necessary to prevent the drone from doing such damage, added Mirononeko.
Ukraine began to insist on the tanks "Abrams" soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but the request became more urgent in early 2023.
The US was under pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials in Kiev to provide them with the tanks, and the calls were soon joined by leading lawmakers in Congress.
Biden administration agrees to send 31 Abrams tanks in January 2023, and the decision also unlocked the possibility for Germany to send its valuable "Leopard" tanks.
The first "Abrams" arrived in September 2023, and by October all 31 tanks were in place.
But just a few months later, reports began to circulate that "Abrams" were taken off the battlefield due to Russian drone attacks.
In April, the Associated Press reported that five of the tanks had been lost after a Russian UAV strike and had been taken off the front lines.
Having received only a limited number of tanks, Ukraine was probably already predisposed to guard its Abrams carefully. But the Russian drones proved that there is a serious weakness in the precious tanks.
"When you think about the way combat is going, heavy armored vehicles in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous can be at risk," the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the AP in April. of the Chief of Staff Admiral Christopher Grady.
Grady said the US will work with Ukraine on this issue. The Pentagon and the Abrams' maker, General Dynamics, did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
Creating steel cages or lamellar armor is not a new idea, with the German and Soviet forces similarly armoring their vehicles in World War II. And the U.S. military did something similar during the Iraq War for armored Strykers to protect against rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) threats.
However, Dan Grazer, a senior fellow at the National Security Reform Program at the Stimson Center, who served in the Abrams tank division; in Iraq, said the Ukrainian design of the steel cage was "brilliant".
"The idea of using such a cell is to create some space so that a projectile fired at it will hit that cell, which will activate the main charge," he said. "And instead of the main charge hitting the armor directly, there's a small space that will blunt some of the energy."
On both sides of the war in Ukraine, unmanned aerial vehicles have been crucial, showing for the first time how these unmanned systems are changing military operations.
Russian drones have threatened Ukraine, especially in the past year and a half, after fighting spread to the 600-kilometer front line in eastern Ukraine.
Russian forces track the armored vehicles using surveillance and bombard them with cheap, small, high-explosive kamikaze-style UAVs called FPVs, which can even fly into the hatch of the tank before exploding.
Ukraine's military approached Steel Front for a solution as they wanted to return their decommissioned armored vehicles to the front line, knowing the group had worked on similar projects before.
Steel Front, which also made airframes for the Soviet T-72 and Ukrainian T-64 tanks, said one of the Abrams' main shortcomings was that it lacked fortification against Russian FPV drones.
This makes the Abrams "unsuitable for use during the current state of war,", Steel Front said in a press release provided to The Hill.
That's why Steel Front, together with military engineers, analyzed the tank's vulnerable spots, which are usually damaged by FPV hits, to come up with the steel cages.
Mironenko said the initial solution was tested first on Soviet tanks.
"The main thing is that there is a space between the protective screen and the main armor of the machine. And when the drone hits, it hits the protective shield [and] that explosion doesn't damage the main armor," he said.
Steel structures are wrapped around the hatch, turret and center section of the tank, although crews can still easily exit it. There is also additional armor covering the tracks, which in the event of an impact can completely stop the tank. The main armament - a 120 mm smoothbore gun - retains its freedom of movement during the modification.
According to Mironenko, the steel screens for the Abrams tank cost about $20,000 to make, but they are provided free of charge to the Ukrainian military. Each screen is custom made for each type of tank. About "Bradley" they cost a little less.
"With this new technology, the tanks "Abrams" are almost invulnerable to attacks by Russian drones," Steel Front said in a statement.
But the steel screens are heavy: about 900 kilograms. Steel Front claims that they are designed so as not to limit the operational suitability of the tanks.
Grazer said one of the disadvantages of the steel cages is that they increase the load on the Abrams, which is designed to carry the tank's weight, about 70 tons.
"It's a very strong suspension system, but if you start adding a bunch of weight to it outside of its design, then you could potentially have some mobility issues,'' he said. "The mobility problem that occurs when you start adding weight will increase the wear on the suspension components."
So far, 25 Abrams, 100 Soviet tanks and 75 Bradleys have received upgrades, Mironenko said.
The first orders of steel cages were completed in May and deployed around June, according to Mironenko. They are manufactured in a factory in Ukraine (sources do not disclose its location for security reasons).
Steel Front said 10 to 12 specialists work on the tanks, and fitting them with steel grating can take up to 12 hours.
The first modified tanks appeared just weeks before Ukraine's August invasion of Russia, which used combined arms to launch a surprise blitz in the Kursk region.
Armored vehicles have made an impact on the battlefield, Mironenko said.
"When tanks are hit by a shell, an RPG or a drone, they [the crew] have a better chance of staying alive and saving the machine," he said. "Most feedback so far is in favor of continuing this production."
Brad Dress - The Hill
translation: Nick Iliev