T-72B3A Tank With Arena-M Spotted Near Front Line
A T-72B3A tank with Arena-M active protection was spotted on the Dnepropetrovsk front, showing wider use of defensive systems in combat.
A T-72B3A tank fitted with the Arena-M active protection system has been spotted in the combat zone.
The vehicle is reportedly operating on the Dnepropetrovsk front as part of the Center Group of Forces. Judging by the available images, the crew was not firing in direct line of sight. Instead, the tank appeared to be working from a concealed position, effectively being used as an artillery platform.
The Arena-M system is designed to protect armored vehicles from incoming munitions. It includes a radar station and launch modules carrying defensive charges. The radar monitors the area around the tank, and when a threat appears, the onboard system calculates its trajectory and launches an interceptor.
The interceptor detonates at a safe distance from the vehicle and strikes the incoming projectile with a fragmentation field before it can reach the armor. The system is primarily intended to counter anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.
In practical terms, Arena-M creates an automatic defensive perimeter around the tank. The crew does not have to react manually to every incoming threat, as the system operates independently and activates at the necessary moment.
Elements of Arena-M had previously been seen on a T-90M tank inside Uralvagonzavod workshops. Later, a similar vehicle equipped with active protection was filmed while being transported on a trailer. The appearance of a tank carrying this system directly on the front line now points to the gradual expansion of such protection systems in the troops.