The Ukrainian 1st Assault Regiment Transforms Its M-1 Abrams Tanks
The regiment's M-1s can deflect drones while still using their main guns
Ukraine has spread its dozens of American-made M-1 tanks across at least three brigades and regiments
Each unit is adding anti-drone protection to the tanks’ baseline armor
The 1st Assault Regiment’s add-on protection might be the best
It allows the tanks to fight as tanks, aiming and firing their powerful main guns
The Ukrainian 1st Assault Regiment is transforming at least one of its ex-Australian M-1 Abrams tanks into a drone-proof turtle tank with many of the latest innovations. And it clearly aims to use it. We’ve seen 1st Assault Regiment tanks in action recently as part of Ukraine’s ongoing southeastern counteroffensive.
On or just before Monday, a 1st Assault Regiment tank was observed rolling up on a Russian infantry position outside the village of Pryluky in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and blasting that position at close range with its 120-millimeter main gun.
Unlike most drone-caged tanks on both sides, which sacrifice their main guns for protection, the 1st Assault Regiment’s design shields only the turret—letting the crew rotate and fire. If it works, it solves a central dilemma for armored force in the drone age: how to survive and fight.
