The most powerful tanks in the West in recent decades have become vulnerable to the latest weapons – FPV drones.
Over the past two months, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been unable to recover five of the 31 M1 Abrams tanks transferred to the United States. At least three other tanks were badly damaged. The American edition of The New York Times reported this on Saturday, April 20, citing a high-ranking American official.
In addition, at least 30 German Leopard tanks of various modifications have been destroyed since they began participating in the battles in Ukraine.
The publication states that the M1 Abrams is considered one of the most powerful tanks in the world. And the fact that it can be easily destroyed with cheap drones could change the very essence of modern warfare, said one of the military experts interviewed.
Despite its power, any best tank still has some weaknesses: as a rule, they are located where the armor is thinnest, and where the designers of the tank did not expect the battleship will be defeated. This is the roof, the rear of the engine block, and also the place where the tank tank is attached to the hull. For years, infantry countered tanks with mines, explosive devices, grenade launchers and anti-tank guided missiles.
But drones have become not only a safer, but a more accurate way of destroying tanks. The operator can direct the drone to the most vulnerable areas of the tank more precisely than any anti-tank missile. In addition, FPV drones can finish off damaged and abandoned tanks so that combat vehicles cannot be returned after being pulled out of the battlefield.
At the same time, as the publication summarizes, drones, depending on their size and technological complexity, can cost an average of $500, which allows you to spend dozens of them in one tank. At the same time, the American M1 Abrams tank costs up to 10 million US dollars, and the old and newer Soviet T-72s, which the Russian invaders lost a lot on the front, cost from 500 thousand to 4 million dollars.
The other day it became known that the Russian Federation uses a front tank with a protective cover from FPV drones, the design of which resembles a barn.
Protecting themselves from drones: Russians turn tanks into “turtles”
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.