An appetizing target for Russian drones! Ukrainian army urgently modifies Abrams tanks

Ukrainians must upgrade US-supplied M1 Abrams tanks because they are vulnerable to attacks by Russian drones and other explosives, The Hill reported, citing Ukrainian officials.

The American M1 Abrams is considered 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 relegated the armored giant to the background.

Now, however, Ukraine has improved the Abrams by better protecting it through a relatively simple method: steel cages wrapped around the frame.

Ukrainian officials behind the effort have told US media that the upgrade has worked extremely well to protect not only the Abrams, but also other US armored fighting vehicles such as the Bradley.

At $10 million per Abrams, the relatively crude fix 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 bulkheads for combat vehicles like Abrams and Bradleys are essential to preserve not only expensive equipment, but and of the lives of soldiers on the battlefield".

"Although the Abrams is considered one of the best tanks, it is not invulnerable to threats such as anti-tank missiles and drones," they said. "The development of additional protective structures is an important step in reducing the risk of damage from modern threats, including drones and explosives.

Oleksandr 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 US publication that the screens can only 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, stop the armored vehicle, so they try to hit the engine (or) the turret of the tank to block it," he notes. "And when the tank is blocked or stopped on the battlefield, it is just like a lying turtle to the artillery or some other kind of drone.

"That's why this protection is necessary to prevent the drone from doing such damage," Mirononeko adds.

Ukraine began pushing for Abrams tanks soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but the request became more pressing in early 2023.

The US was under pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials in Kiev to provide the tanks, and the calls were soon joined by leading lawmakers in Congress.

The Biden administration agreed to send 31 Abrams tanks in January 2023, and the decision also unlocked the possibility for Germany to send its prized 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 the Abrams had been taken off the battlefield by Russian drone strikes.

In April, the Associated Press reported that five of the tanks had been lost to Russian drones and had been taken off the front lines.