Ukraine's U.S. Abrams Are Getting an Upgrade

First-person view (FPV) drones litter the skies above Ukraine. But for Russia's explosive FPV drones, there is one target that is a real prize—Kyiv's collection of U.S.-donated Abrams tanks rolled out in the thick of the action along the eastern frontlines.

Ukraine is now taking precautions to protect its around 70-ton U.S.-made M1 Abrams, operating in eastern Ukraine where Kyiv's military says Russia is concentrating its efforts.

Steel Front, a collective push from several businesses run by Ukrainian steel magnate Rinat Akhmetov, has developed new steel shields to fend off the persistent threat of FPV drones careening for the Abrams' most vital parts.

"We are sure that these constructions are helping to protect, to give additional protection, to the tanks," Oleksandr Myronenko, operational director of the Metinvest Group within the Steel Front initiative, told Newsweek.

The idea is not new—even throughout the more than two years of war in Ukraine, various and often improvised designs have popped up not just in Ukrainian-held territory, but across the frontlines in the midst of Russian forces.

Structures often referred to as "cope cages," and the more comprehensive covers known as "turtle tanks," have appeared in combat footage coming out of Donetsk in recent months. "Turtle tanks" are typically Russian vehicles outfitted with protective sheets, bolted on in the hopes of thwarting Ukrainian FPV drone onslaughts.

The Steel Front's counter-FPV drone screens "appear to be well fabricated and contrast heavily with the more ad hoc nature of the shells seen on Russian turtle tanks which are intended to provide similar protection against FPVs," argued Matthew Moss, a small-arms expert following the war in Ukraine and counter-drone adaptations to armored vehicles.

Ukraine's versions seem less likely to hinder the tank's movements and the crew's visibility, Moss told Newsweek. The newly-installed cages cover the sides of the Abrams' turrets, and the ammunition storage bustle on the tank's rear that is one of the vehicle's "most vulnerable points," he added.

"The only thing that remains to be seen is if the distance between the screen and hull is great enough to fully protect against FPVs," Moss said.

Several Abrams have been hit since the tanks took to the frontlines. By late April, U.S. officials indicated Ukraine would pull back the Abrams because of Russian drones.

FPV drones can damage part of the tank, including immobilizing the vehicle, making the advanced Western tank a sitting duck for a follow-up drone hit, or anti-tank missiles and artillery, Myronkeno said.

"Drones, now, at the present moment, are the biggest danger for the tanks and for any kind of armored vehicles which the Ukrainian army uses," Myronenko continued.

Ukraine's Soviet-era tanks, like its T-72s, were the first to get the upgrade. Designs for the 31 donated Abrams came later, according to Myronenko, who added that tweaks for the U.S.-gifted Bradley infantry fighting vehicles are now in the works.

The Abrams' shields are bigger than the structures bolted onto the T-72, the design standardized for the American tank, he said. Of the 25 structures already produced by the initiative, seven are tailored to the Abrams.

The Abrams are operated exclusively by Ukraine's seasoned 47th Mechanized Brigade. Fighters from the brigade have long been in the heart of the fighting close to Avdiivka, with the 47th regularly publishing footage of the Abrams clashing with Russian forces plugging away west of the former Ukrainian stronghold.

The brigade itself frequently says its explosive FPV drones are hunting Russian tanks and armored vehicles. Newsweek has reached out to the 47th Mechanized Brigade for comment.

Kyiv officials have said for weeks that the fiercest battles were ongoing east of the strategic Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, with Russian forces slowly advancing towards the settlement. But drones are everywhere, and Ukrainian armored vehicles don't just need protection in Donetsk.

So far, Steel Front has received requests for steel shields from forces in several regions, including the southern Zaporizhzhia area, Myronenko said, with individual brigades requesting the screens.

Each structure is tailored to the tanks and the tactics of the specific spot along the more than 600 miles-long frontline, he added.

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