TANKS IN CONDITIONS OF
TOTAL DOMINATION
OF FPV DRONES
The contemporary claims regarding the “end of the tank era” are premature. While armored platforms have indeed become significantly more vulnerable, they continue to serve essential battlefield functions, particularly in defensive operations and in countering mechanized assaults.
Today the tank has undergone a functional transformation. Rather than serving as an instrument for large-scale operational breakthroughs - exemplified by campaigns such as Operation Desert Storm and full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the modern tank now operates primarily as a highly resilient, mobile, close-range anti-armor and fire-support system.A key inflection point was the emergence of fiber-optic-guided unmanned aerial systems. Unlike conventional FPV drones, which are constrained by signal quality and flight altitude, fiber-optic drones can maintain prolonged loiter times near a target, select optimal attack windows, and precisely determine their point of impact.
This development has driven both Russian and Ukrainian tank crews to adopt extensive improvised overhead protection structures - large cage-like frameworks equipped with cables and reinforced frames that fully cover the turret and portions of the hull.
Earlier compact protective “grills,” widely used in 2024, have become largely ineffective. Current best practices involve the deployment of sizeable structures constructed from structural tubing, extending several meters beyond the vehicle’s dimensions and further reinforced with suspended cables.
Such configurations are capable of absorbing multiple FPV strikes and preventing drone operators from accessing vulnerable areas of the vehicle. Although the added mass has limited impact on mobility, it substantially degrades situational awareness and compromises camouflage.
Adverse weather conditions are also a critical factor that improves armored vehicle survivability. Fog, precipitation, and reduced visibility significantly hinder reconnaissance drone operations, enabling armored units to act more proactively.
Conversely, in favorable weather, tanks are employed with considerable caution, typically remaining in a standby posture and committing to action only when infantry or FPV units can no longer contain enemy pressure.
Electronic warfare systems, also have not emerged as a universal countermeasure. They frequently disrupt the tank’s own communication systems, require independent power sources, and are ineffective against fiber-optic drones. Moreover, EW systems themselves remain highly vulnerable and can be neutralized by a single accurate strike.
As a long-term solution, instead of simple "grills", we emphasize the necessity of fully integrated active protection systems, incorporating radar sensors and automated turrets designed to intercept small unmanned aerial threats.
There are ongoing U.S. research and development efforts in radar-based automatic targeting systems that may, in the future, restore greater tactical freedom of maneuver to armored units.
In conclusion, we think that tanks will remain operationally relevant for the foreseeable future. As long as armed forces require the rapid destruction of hostile armor, direct fire support for infantry, and accurate engagement of moving targets, tanks cannot be fully supplanted by artillery or FPV drones.
