Abrams tank survives drone onslaught, crew unharmed
During battles involving the Ukrainian 47th Armored Brigade, Russian forces spotted a lone Abrams tank moving along the road. Although FPV drones disabled it, the tank’s crew escaped unharmed. The Ukrainian commander praised the impressive resilience of the American tank.
One of the Ukrainian Abrams tanks fell victim to Russian FPV drones. A video released by the Russians depicts an attack on the moving tank. In the footage, the first drone strikes the engine compartment of the Abrams, immobilizing it.
The second drone pilot had an easier task—since the target was stationary, they could position themselves optimally and aim carefully. As shown in the video, the Russian drone strikes precisely at one of the tank's vulnerable spots, namely the turret-tank junction. The recording cuts off at this point.
According to Ukrainians, cited by Defence24, a total of up to six FPV drones hit the tank. They caused extensive damage, rendering it immobile and consequently abandoned—it's likely to fall into the hands of advancing Russians.
However, the Ukrainian commander emphasizes that despite the damage sustained, the tank's armor wasn't penetrated, and the crew remained uninjured. "God bless America for the Abrams," the Ukrainian concludes. He attributes the crew's survival to the tank's original armor and additional reactive armor installed in Ukraine.
FPV drones instead of guided anti-tank missiles
The Russian attack highlights why the mass use of small FPV drones may not set a standard for future conflicts but serves as a specific feature of the war in Ukraine. Drones act as substitutes for other missing resources, such as guided anti-tank missiles (as in this case) or precision artillery ammunition.
Even though a drone typically carries a smaller and weaker combat load than an anti-tank missile, this is compensated by the number of FPV units. To disable a tank in battle, there's no need to penetrate its armor—several or even a dozen hits can demolish the drive system, destroy optoelectronics or various sensors, and consequently immobilize and "blind" the tank, which, unless towed away and repaired, becomes temporarily useless.
It's also worth noting the increasing use of fiber-optically guided drones, which counter the widespread use of jammers. Although the cable length limits the range of these drones, machines controlled this way are immune to interference and can be guided up to the moment of impact, as seen in the video released by the Russians.
