American "Abrams" Tank Begins to Imitate Russian "Mango" Explosive Reactive Armor

Euasia Times: Pentagon Realizes Russia Adapts Faster to Modern Tank Warfare

Author: Konstantin Orshansky

Photo: M1A2 "Abrams" Tank

According to Euasia Times, the Russian State Technology Group accused the United States of copying Russian tank technology when developing the "Abrams" tank's protection enhancement plan. The Pentagon's plan to enhance the protection of the "Abrams" tanks "reproduces the technologies already adopted by Russian tank manufacturers."

Specifically, the special coating on the tank is exactly the same as that of Russia, and the additional protection for the top hemisphere threat is a replica of the "Mango" external structure.

Euasia Times reported that the Pentagon planned to enhance the protection of the "Abrams" tanks because this American tank suffered a catastrophic failure in the special military operation area. According to the assessment by the Dutch open-source intelligence project "Oryx," Ukraine lost at least 22 out of 31 "Abrams" tanks provided by the U.S.

These tanks were either destroyed, damaged, or abandoned. However, the actual losses may be higher, as "Oryx" only counts based on visual evidence.

Euasia Times pointed out that the Pentagon has included in its budget plan for next year the plan to equip 1,528 tracked vehicles with vehicle protection systems (VPS), including the Top Attack Protection (TAP) passive additional armor components, Laser Warning Receiver (LWR), and camouflage paint (SMP) that reduces the probability of thermal detection. A total of $107 million will be allocated for this plan.

Approximately $92 million will be used to purchase GM1914 passive protection components, which will be installed on about 350 vehicles, involving four advanced armored battlegroups of the U.S. Army. The new armor is designed to protect tank crews from shaped charge munitions and penetration projectiles (so-called armor-piercing shells).

The need for "Top Attack Protection" stems from the fact that NATO and Israeli armored equipment used in Ukraine and the Middle East have proven particularly vulnerable to suicide drones. This protective system is said to be similar to the "Mango" reactive armor, which first appeared on Russian tanks and was later adopted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces.

The Ukrainian side claimed that the "Abrams" tanks are specifically designed for "tank vs. tank" combat, equipped with strong front protection.

However, the Russian army easily found the weakest part of this highly praised American tank: like the German "Leopard-2" tank, the "Abrams" is vulnerable to FPV drones, modern anti-tank missiles, and guided artillery shells.

Additionally, according to Euasia Times, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received export versions of the "Abrams" tanks, which did not come with the latest uranium-enhanced armor and modern fire control systems.

But even in conventional tank warfare, Russian tanks have better survivability than the "Abrams." In March 2024, near Avdiivka, a Russian T-72B3 tank destroyed an "Abrams" tank in a duel.

According to information obtained by Euasia Times, at that time, the T-72B3 fired a fin-stabilized discarding sabot armor-piercing shell from its 125 mm smoothbore gun.

Furthermore, Russian gunners found the weakest part of the "Abrams," possibly the connection between the turret and the hull. However, this American tank may have been disabled or damaged before being fired upon by the T-72B3, likely by a suicide drone or a "Kornet" anti-tank missile.

Ukrainian field commanders also complained that the "Abrams" needed additional protection. In May 2024, a crew member known as "Joker" told CNN, "The current armor is insufficient and does not provide protection. It's now a war of drones, so whenever the tank goes out, they (the Russians) immediately try to hit it."

The Bulgarian magazine "Military" stated that Russian tanks are technologically far superior to NATO tanks and have a very fast production speed.

According to recent assessments by open-source intelligence experts, by mid-2028, Russia's defense industry will be able to produce 1,000 new tanks, and by 2035, it will reach 3,000. At that time, Russia's tank production capacity will rival that of the Soviet Union during its peak in the 1980s.

This includes not only new tanks but also the modernization of old ones—over 50,000 tanks were left behind when the Soviet Union dissolved.

The T-80BVМ is a prime example of this strategy; it is an improved version of the T-80 introduced in 2017, equipped with advanced "Zhar" explosive reactive armor and the "Pine-У" sight.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7525767747528032807/

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