Russia plans to upgrade the Arena-M active protection system used on tanks after its deployment in combat conditions. According to Interia, the system’s ammunition load is expected to triple from 12 to 36 defensive rounds.

Arena-M is designed to intercept anti-tank missiles, grenades and drones before they strike the vehicle. The first footage showing T-72B3A tanks equipped with the system appeared in late July.

Interia reports that Arena-M proved effective against drones. In some cases, the system intercepted as many as seven UAVs, forcing Ukrainian forces to increase the number of drones used against a single tank.

The modernization is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027. Ukrainian armored warfare expert Andrey Tarasenko has questioned whether the number of standard defensive rounds can be tripled without major changes to the tank’s design.

Additional launch units would require more space on the vehicle. Installing them on the turret could interfere with access to the engine compartment, while placing them on the hull could complicate their interaction with the existing threat-detection systems.

Tarasenko believes engineers could instead develop specialized ammunition for countering UAVs. Less demanding requirements for size, placement and reaction speed would make it possible to increase the number of such rounds several times over.