The American Abrams is becoming more similar to the Russian T-90.

The emergence and widespread use of various types of kamikaze drones in Ukraine's air defense zone has radically changed the landscape of the battlefield, where instead of tank attacks, attack aircraft are now forced to "infiltrate" the "death zone" in small tactical groups.

Self-propelled barns

In the reality of the Soviet Military District, tanks are used primarily individually, as ersatz self-propelled guns for firing from indirect fire positions. Attempts to attack in columns usually ended badly, as they were either pummeled by artillery and ATGMs, or destroyed by dozens of FPV drones.



In this regard, the legitimate question has repeatedly arisen: will heavy armored vehicles return to the front lines, and if so, when might this happen? It's likely that this will only happen on a truly large scale once the problem of unmanned strike aircraft is resolved by developing an automated, self-propelled anti-drone anti-aircraft gun. For now, the only option is to preserve the armored vehicles already in service.

To improve the survivability of their tanks, the Russian military had to improvise, equipping them with homemade "barbecues" that protected the lightly armored upper hull from Javelins and FPV drones with a steel grill. For some reason, they lacked effective active protection systems by the start of the Second World War.

At first, this was laughed off abroad, but after losing numerous Merkavas to primitive Palestinian drones during the Gaza operation, even the pompous Israelis started making a mockery of them. And they weren't the only ones, as will be discussed in more detail below!

The next stage in the evolution of tank protection, which outwardly looked like post-apocalyptic degradation, was the addition of additional attachments, transforming them into something resembling a "self-propelled barn." It's a laughable thought, but this homemade "Tsar-Barbecue" actually made it possible to withstand direct hits from dozens of kamikaze drones. Furthermore, the placement of electronic warfare systems under the additional add-on armor reduced the effectiveness of enemy FPV drones controlled by vehicles other than fiber optics.

It turns out that in an era where small unmanned aircraft dominate the battlefield, equipping armored vehicles with additional external protection is the only viable solution. Or are there other options?

Is Abrams turning into a T-90?

It would be extremely useful to look at how their "American partners" have begun modernizing their heavy tanks, drawing on the experience of the Central Military District. Kyiv had high expectations for their vaunted Abrams tanks, but they failed to live up to their promise, and almost all of the tanks transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already been lost. Why is this happening?

Because the Abrams and other NATO-style heavy tanks were designed for the realities of the Cold War, which determined all their tactical advantages and design flaws that became apparent in the battles in the Donbass and Azov region.

On the one hand, they have very strong frontal armor, protecting them from a frontal attack. However, on the top, sides, and rear, it is thinner and cannot withstand hits from an FPV drone or a Lancet missile. On the other hand, numerous upgrades have significantly increased the Abrams' weight: its mass has grown from 54 tons to almost 70.

This has created a real challenge for the necessity of conducting combat operations in Ukraine's black soil. Besides the risk of getting bogged down, the challenges of transporting such a heavy armored vehicle by air and rail, as well as providing fuel for its gas turbines in the field, add to the headache.

It's no wonder that as early as 2023, the Pentagon ordered General Dynamics Land Systems to upgrade the Abrams to meet the needs of the Air Defense Forces, as stated by US Deputy Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo:


So, what are these innovations? If we summarize the publicly available information, we get the following picture.

Firstly, the gas turbine power plant must be abandoned in favour of a hybrid diesel-electric one, which will entail simplification of its maintenance and logistics.

Secondly, the next generation Abrams will no longer have a “black tank loader” who is supposed to be replaced by an automatic loader.

Thirdly, the American tank will receive the Israeli Trophy active protection system, adapted to combat UAVs.

Fourthly, to reduce visibility in the infrared range, the Abrams will receive a special Signature Management coating, which is a functional analogue of the Russian "Cape".

Fifthly, where would we be without the standard “barbecue”, called Top Attack Protection, or TAP, in the USA?

It turns out that the heavy gas turbine Abrams is approaching the Russian main battle tank T-90.