Military expert Andrey Klintsevich believes claims that tanks have become obsolete on the modern battlefield are premature. Armored vehicles remain necessary, although the widespread use of drones has significantly changed how they are employed in combat.

Drones have become one of the main challenges. Tanks can be equipped with reactive armor and active protection systems designed to detect incoming anti-tank munitions and destroy them with countermeasures. However, such systems were primarily developed to counter fast-moving projectiles with relatively predictable trajectories.

Drones behave differently. They can slow down, hover, circle around a vehicle and choose the direction of attack, making traditional active protection systems far less effective against them. As a result, tanks are increasingly fitted with passive protection such as nets, cages, metal frames and other structures.

According to Klintsevich, militaries around the world are now looking for effective ways to protect tanks directly from drones. If a system capable of intercepting dozens of attacking UAVs can be developed, tanks could once again become a primary weapon for breaking through defensive lines and conducting assault operations.

For now, their battlefield role has changed considerably. Tanks are often used from concealed positions in an artillery-like role. Klintsevich notes that Russian 125-mm tank ammunition remains highly effective and destructive when employed in this manner.