Russia now has a sort of tank shield: For the longest time, Israel had a monopoly on combat-tested Active Protection Systems (APS), what some call a sort of tank shield for incoming threats. However, it looks like Russia may finally be catching up in this field.
The Arena APS is a sophisticated defense mechanism designed to protect armored fighting vehicles from a variety of anti-tank threats.
It was thought that the Arena APS was more or less dead, with the system never seeing live combat. But new reports indicate the system may already be at the frontlines in Ukraine.
Russia’s Tank Shields: The Arena’s Long Development
The Arena APS culminated decades of research and development. The concept of active protection systems dates back to the late 20th century, with the Soviet Union pioneering the development of relevant technologies. The first active protection system, known as Drozd, was developed between 1977 and 1982. Drozd was designed to counter high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warheads by detecting and intercepting them before they could impact the vehicle.
Despite its innovative approach, Drozd had limitations, including inadequate threat detection and high collateral damage from its countermeasures.
The lessons learned from Drozd, and from later soft-kill systems such as Shtora, which used electro-optical dazzlers to confuse incoming missiles, paved the way for the development of the Arena APS in the early 1990s. The need for such a system became evident during the Chechen wars, when many Russian armored vehicles were lost to rocket-propelled grenades and other anti-tank weapons.
How Does the Arena System Work?
The Arena APS is designed to protect armored vehicles from a range of threats, including light anti-tank weapons, anti-tank guided missiles, and top-attack missiles. The system employs a Doppler radar to detect incoming projectiles. Once a threat is identified, the system calculates its trajectory and fires a defensive rocket that explodes near the incoming warhead, neutralizing it before it can strike the vehicle.
Key components of the Arena system include a radar system that continuously scans the surrounding environment for incoming threats, providing real-time data on the speed and trajectory of detected projectiles. Defensive rockets are launched to intercept and destroy incoming threats.
These rockets are equipped with fragmentation warheads designed to detonate at a safe distance from the vehicle. The control system processes data from the radar and coordinates the launch of defensive rockets.
The Arena system is mounted on the turret of the vehicle, which allows it to generate 360-degree coverage. It can engage multiple threats simultaneously, making it highly effective in combat scenarios where vehicles might be targeted by several anti-tank weapons at once.
The Arena-M Upgrade
Since its development, the Arena APS has been upgraded many times. One notable variant is the Arena-E, which was designed for export and has been tested on various platforms, including the T-80UM-1 tank. Another significant upgrade is the Arena-M, which was supposed to be integrated into Russia’s T-90M tanks.
The Arena-M, the latest variant, offers the ability to intercept rockets, missiles, and HEAT shells traveling up to 1000 meters per second.
The Arena-M’s radar technology is improved, and its advanced defensive rockets allow it to counter top-attack missiles like the Javelin, which are designed to strike the vulnerable upper surfaces of armored vehicles. This upgrade has been particularly important in modern combat environments, where such threats are increasingly common.
The designers also claim that the system is able to intercept first-person-view drones, though this has yet to be demonstrated.
Never Left the Testing Grounds
The Arena APS has been tested on various Russian armored vehicles, including the T-80 and T-90 series tanks. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in numerous field tests and combat scenarios but it has never been put into full production. The system’s ability to detect and neutralize incoming threats before they can impact the vehicle could significantly enhance the survivability of armored units on the battlefield.
Despite its promise and potential, the Arena APS has never been implemented in the field. The system was supposed to be widely integrated by 2023 but has been continually pushed back. Despite decades of testing and development, the Russians have shown little aside from footage on testing grounds, leading many Western experts to conclude that the system is not as ready as the Russians claimed it was.
Recent Developments: Arena in Ukraine?
Analysts long believed that the Arena system was a dead end and would never see the light of day. However, in recent days, Uralvagonzavod, Russia’s premier tank manufacturer, has been releasing more footage of tanks (T-72s and T-90Ms) equipped with the system.
Furthermore, UVZ released footage of the system successfully intercepting a top-attack munition, likely from a captured Javelin. This marks the first time an APS has been demonstrated intercepting such a munition (though Israel claims that the Trophy APS can do the same).
Additionally, sources reported images of T-72 tanks equipped with the Arena system near the frontlines in Ukraine. It is impossible to prove that these images really were generated near the front, but if so, Russian tanks have just received a much-needed upgrade.
It is uncertain whether the system can intercept drones like the designers claim, but if it can, Arena-M may be a gamechanger that gives Russia’s tanks a crucial advantage over their Ukrainian counterparts.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a 19FortyFive Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
