Russia’s FPV-Stopping Arena System For Tanks Gets Combat Debut

Area APS shoots down an incom9ing rocket successful a test

Russian MoD

A caller Russian “Active Protection System” for tanks which shoots down incoming FPVs has been utilized successful action successful Ukraine for the first time. The Arena-M Active Protection System (APS), which destroys drones pinch high-speed projectiles, was deployed connected T-72 tanks in an assault adjacent the colony of Maiak successful the Donetsk region.

The battle grounded pinch dense casualties, conscionable for illustration erstwhile efforts. But immoderate analysts are hailing the APS arsenic a occurrence and suggesting that it could awesome the return of tanks and maneuver warfare to a battlefield which has go mostly fixed and wherever vehicles are destroyed arsenic soon arsenic they are detected.

Did the Russian APS win aliases fail, and why are location specified different interpretations of the aforesaid events?

Enter The Arena

The APS is an improvement of earlier reactive armor blocks, which detonate successful consequence to a hit, disrupting shaped complaint warheads and preventing them from penetrating armor. After the Chechen warfare successful the 1990s erstwhile Russian tanks were decimated by ray anti-tank weapons, the Russians introduced the Arena Active Protection System to observe and intercept incoming projectiles.

The APS comprises 3 elements: an array of radar sensors connected the extracurricular of the tank, a machine power system, and motorboat tubes aliases silos for interceptor rounds. Arena automatically tracks incoming threats, specifically thing moving betwixt 150-1500 mph. It filters retired mendacious targets including outgoing rounds and adjacent misses which do not frighten the tank, arsenic good arsenic birds and mini projectiles. When the threat approaches wrong 160 feet, the strategy launches an interceptor rocket.

A full of 26 interceptors are arranged pinch overlapping fields to supply 360-degree protection. The interceptor detonates adjacent to the threat, detonating successful a dense, directional spray of shrapnel. The original Arena did not supply 360-degree sum but was followed by Arena-M giving protection from each angles including top-attack. The caller type besides fires 2 interceptors astatine a clip to summation the chances of destroying the threat. In 2021, the makers claimed it was impervious against all Western anti-tank missiles including Javelin.

Arena was not installed connected Russian tanks, apparently owed to cost. Israel pushed up pinch APS and the Trophy system, made by Rafael, is described arsenic 'the World’s Only Operational Active Protection System.' Trophy is installed connected a assortment of IDF tanks and has been effective astatine stopping RPGs and guided missiles.

The makers upgraded Arena-M to observe small, slow-flying drones successful 2024 and its quality successful Ukraine has been wide anticipated.

Arena In Action

“Unfortunately, it works,” concluded Dmytro Putiata penning connected X describing the action astatine Maiak.

One of the Arena-M systems was seen shooting down 7 attacking FPVs successful succession, and the vehicles fitted pinch APS were harder to destruct than regular tanks.

“In wide it took from 15 to 20 FPV drones to destruct a tank,” writes Putiata.

While estimates alteration considerably, a 2024 study by the German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (GIDS) estimated that it mostly takes 3-6 FPVs to destruct a tank. “Michael” commandant of the Ukrainian National Guard's Typhoon drone unit, told maine that it usually takes “several” FPV hits, the first 1 aliases 2 to immobilize the conveyance and the remainder to destruct it.

A 2025 study by the Swedish Defence Research Agency came up pinch an mean number of 4-5 FPVs to destruct an armored vehicle, but noted that this could beryllium overmuch higher pinch unskilled operators and little pinch skilled ones. On the optimistic side, successful May 2026, Hryhoriy Shapoval, spokesperson for Ukraine's Operational Command East, stated that “two aliases three” FPVs are usually capable to destruct an armored vehicle.

Rob Lee, Senior Fellow astatine thinktank Foreign Policy Research Institute and penning connected X, notes that the battle grounded partially because it faced 1 of Ukraine’s toughest units. But he believes the first usage of APS was a success.

“The Arena-M APS demonstrated effectiveness and will apt beryllium improved,” writes Lee, adding later, “it could beryllium a partial solution to employing armor again.”

Lee antecedently told Foreign Policy that it tin return “ten aliases more” FPVs to termination a tank, but sees APS arsenic a important betterment successful protection.

If this is accurate, it is simply a immense development. But location are reasons to beryllium skeptical that tanks pinch APS are going to beryllium thundering crossed the battlefield en masse.

Turtles, Porcupine And Other Monsters

FPVs correspond a caller type of threat to tanks. Unlike accepted anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) specified arsenic Javelin, they are highly affordable – much for illustration $500 than the $200,000 of the Javelin – and are being made successful immense numbers. Ukraine intends to proviso 7 cardinal drones this year, astir of them FPVs. Further, the accepted counters to ATGMs, specified arsenic fume screens, accelerated maneuvering down cover, and suppressing ATGM firing positions, simply do not activity pinch FPVs,

FPVs quickly became the biggest vessel killers successful Ukraine, and vessel operators tried everything they could to antagonistic them. “Cope cages,” framework structures welded to the apical of tanks to deflect aliases artifact FPVs from hitting the conveyance became ever much elaborate. The eventual improvement of this was immense “turtle tank” aliases “mobile barn” wholly covered by a metallic ammunition successful early 2024.

These vehicles, fitted pinch excavation rollers, and carrying a wide of radio-frequency jammers, led armored assaults. The shells provided immoderate protection, and it took much FPVs to destruct them, sometimes arsenic galore arsenic 30. However, FPV operators learned really to tackle turtles, and astatine champion it took a fewer much hits to extremity them.

Later, successful a 2nd activity of improvement successful precocious 2024 , bizarre caller “porcupines” appeared covered successful protruding metallic spikes aliases wires to impale attacking drones. Again these led assaults and immoderate initially proved difficult to kill, pinch 1 monster absorbing almost 60 FPV hits earlier succumbing.

Again though, aft the first shock, FPV operators worked retired strategies and porcupines did not yet beryllium immoderate much invulnerable than turtle tanks.

It is worthy noting that connected the Ukrainian side, immoderate vessel that gets wrong scope is apt to beryllium destroyed by FPVs. This includes moreover the best-armored U.S.-supplied M1 Abrams. The large quality is that while Russian tanks whitethorn detonate pinch the first penetrating hit, sidesplitting the unit instantly, Western tanks are acold much survivable and tin withstand aggregate hits, giving the unit a chance to flight earlier the conveyance is destroyed. The Ukrainians person besides added various cages and different constructions to their vehicles but thing rather arsenic extended arsenic turtle shells.

The Arena-M APS looks arsenic though it has a akin effect to the field-improvised armor. It absorbs immoderate FPV hits but does not supply invulnerability. In immoderate cases astatine slightest it grounded to usability astatine all.

Active armor is constricted by the number of interceptors it tin fire; Arena has 26, apparently fired successful pairs. Imagery indicates that 1 destroyed Russian conveyance had fired disconnected each its interceptors protecting from 1 direction. As expert Andrei_bt from military tract BTVT notes connected X: “the disposable ammunition load of the modernized Arena does not lucifer modern realities, and expanding it is intolerable for a number of reasons – if much ammunition is mounted, the motor compartment simply will not open.”

A Lesson From WWII

The arms title betwixt vessel armor and anti-tank weapons has been going connected ever since tanks were fielded. The title became particularly aggravated during WWII.

When Germany invaded France successful 1940, the mostly of its tanks were Panzer Is and Panzer IIs, protected by astir half an inch of alloy frontal armor, positive immoderate Panzer IIIs and IVs pinch astir an inch .

In 4 years of war, anti-tank guns escalated from the 20mm and 37mm weapons communal successful 1940 done 50mm, 75mm, up to the high-velocity 76.2-mm aliases 17-pounder, and vessel protection was upgraded accordingly

By 1944,at the clip of D-Day, friends were much apt to brushwood the Panzer V Panther pinch complete 3 inches of frontal armor aliases the Panzer VI Tiger pinch 4 inches aliases more. This could beryllium bad news for U.S. vessel crews successful Sherman tanks equipped pinch a 75mm weapon unable to penetrate the Tiger’s frontal armor successful combat conditions. THis type of limb would annihilate 1 of the early German tanks, but nary magnitude of shooting would break done the Tiger’s frontal armor. U.S. tankers learned to outflank Tigers and deed the thinner broadside armor. Or hold for “Firefly” Shermans pinch much powerful guns.

In WWII, successive incremental improvements successful armor were countered by successive improvements successful anti-tank weapons. In Ukraine though, the title has been one-sided. The FPVs are still the aforesaid warheads arsenic they were 4 years ago, often repurposed RPG munitions. The drones person improved but location has been nary unit to amended anti-tank performance. Operators person ever been capable to propulsion successful a fewer much drones to extremity the threat.

As pinch different developments, the first usage erstwhile the different broadside does not cognize what to expect is the champion opportunity. As pinch erstwhile protective measures, operators whitethorn quickly find Arena-Ms vulnerabilities.

If APS ever does make tanks FPV-proof arsenic WWII armor protected tanks from small-caliber guns, expect FPV developers to accommodate quickly. There are respective obvious, low-cost ways of beating APS, from decoys to radar jamming to stealth. One point we cognize astir FPVs is that they tin germinate accelerated into caller forms specified arsenic fibre drones, amphibious FPVs and others. Unlike APS, they tin beryllium developed and fielded successful weeks without a immense R&D budget.

It took galore years to create Arena-M, and different 4 years to bring the “drone resistant” type to the battlefield. The costs of Arena-M is not known, but the comparable Trophy strategy costs successful the region of $0.5 – $1m to outfit a vehicle. That is simply a batch to extremity a fewer 1000 dollars’ worthy of other FPVs.

Meanwhile, caller systems mean 1 usability tin power a carousel of onslaught drones, calling FPVs down successful speedy succession alternatively than conscionable operating 1 drone astatine a time. Systems for illustration Ukraine’s Pasika and Swarmer are already successful use, and the U.S-developed Nemyx whitethorn debut successful Ukraine soon. The chances of overwhelming defenses pinch much tanks than they tin grip whitethorn person vanished everlastingly successful a twelvemonth aliases two.

So far, we person only seen Round 1 of the title betwixt FPVs and Active Protection Systems. The Russians whitethorn study lessons and upgrade their systems arsenic a consequence and they whitethorn do better. Alternatively, APS, which to enthusiasts mightiness person looked for illustration the past champion dream for the tank, whitethorn beryllium headed for subject museums for a spot adjacent to the turtles and porcupines.