Russian Tanks’ New Enhanced Anti-Drone Protection Seen in Latest Batch Delivered

Main battle tanks delivered to the Russian Army have integrated new improved anti-drone ‘cage’ defences, which were first seen on the  T-90M, T-80BVM, and T-72B3M tanks delivered coinciding with Victory Day celebrations on May 9. The vehicles were described by state defence conglomerate Rostec as incorporating lessons learned from combat experience and feedback from frontline personnel, with the gradual evolution of defences against attacks by drones and loitering munitions being one of the most noticeable changes to Russian tank configurations over the past four years. These protective measures pioneered by Russian forces in 2022 have been increasingly widely adopted abroad, including in South Korea and Israel. Questions have nevertheless been raised regarding their effectiveness, with Russian and Israeli tanks with such protection having frequently been filmed suffering damage or being destroyed in top attack drone strikes. 

The counter-drone capabilities of Russian T-90M and T-72B3M tanks, which together from the backbone of its fleet, have benefitted from the integration of Russia’s first hard kill active protection system, the Arena-M, from late 2024. It was confirmed in early January 2026 that a new variant of the Arena-M system capable of intercepting single use drone and loitering munition attacks had completed development. Although remaining ahead of countries in the Western world in developing such systems for its tanks, Russia has remained well behind, China, Israel, and both North and South Korea in integrating them onto its vehicles. This is considered to have been an important contributor to the losses suffered by Russian armour in early 2022. 

The T-72 design has continued to be relied on heavily in the Russian Army, with the T-90 itself notably being a T-72 derivative previously designated T-72BU, before being renamed for marketing purposes. Rostec in March stated that the tank has very significant potential for further modernisation, observing: “The higher the upgrading potential, the better the combat equipment. The T-72B3M tank, produced by our Uralvagonzavod Group, is a platform with almost endless capabilities. This combat vehicle is significantly superior to earlier T-72 models thanks to a modern sighting system, new protective equipment, and a more powerful engine.” It noted that the T-72B3M remains a modular tank that can be quickly reconfigured to respond to specific threats and challenges. "During the special military operation, about 200 different modifications were made to the T-72’s design, aimed at increasing its power, protection, and mobility. However, the upgrading potential is far from depleted,” it added.

The large inventories of T-72 tanks which Russia inherited from the Soviet Union have continued to be enhanced as part of wartime refurbishment efforts, primarily by bringing them up to the T-72B3M standard. This has been key to allowing the Russian Army to sustain a large frontline tank fleet despite heavy frontline attrition. The integration of third generation thermal sights, Relikt explosive reactive armour, modern communications and data sharing systems, and the 2A46M-5 smoothbore gun, have been among the most significant upgrades made. From late 2022 further armour enhancement to the T-72B3M, which mirrored that made to the T-90M, began to be seen on frontline units, as the rate of modernisation of T-72s increased significantly to replenish wartime losses. This variant has been referred to as the T-72B3M mod. 2022, or other wise informally as the T-72B4.