Arena-M active protection system overwhelmed by Ukrainian drones in Donetsk debut
Combat debut in July reveals vulnerability of expensive armoured vehicles to low-cost kamikaze drones, prompting calls for layered air defences.
Russian tanks fitted with the Arena-M active protection system experienced limited success during their first documented combat deployment in the Donetsk Oblast on 22 July. Ukrainian forces repelled a company-size assault by destroying at least seven T-72B3A tanks, including those equipped with the system, using kamikaze drones.
While the Arena-M system successfully intercepted some incoming projectiles, Ukrainian soldiers reported that neutralising each tank required between 15 and 20 drones. The system, an evolution of Soviet-era technology utilising radar to detect and intercept threats, carries only a dozen countermunitions, which proved inadequate against the volume of Ukrainian attacks.
Russian engineers have been equipping tanks with the Arena-M system since 2019, with live-fire tests conducted in 2021. However, reports suggest the technology struggles to detect small drones due to their slower speed and unpredictable flight paths compared to incoming missiles or rockets.
The Institute for the Study of War noted in an August 9 update that the Arena-M system alone is unlikely to be an effective countermeasure against Ukrainian first-person view drones. The thinktank stated that the system can be overwhelmed, thereby increasing the cost and effort required for Ukrainian forces to defend against mechanised assaults.
Pro-Kremlin bloggers have acknowledged the system’s limitations, calling for additional layered air defences to protect tanks. This development highlights the ongoing struggle for militaries to protect expensive armoured vehicles against swarms of cheap drones, a trend also observed in the US-Israeli conflict where Israeli Trophy systems faced similar challenges from Hezbollah’s drone tactics.
