T-90M is getting a MAJOR Improvement!!

Summary

The Russian Ministry of Defense has reportedly signed a contract for T-90M tanks equipped with the Arena M active protection system (APS). The video discusses the capabilities and limitations of the Arena M APS, which can intercept various threats at speeds up to 1,000 m/s from 50 meters away. It also addresses misconceptions about the system's ability to counter top-attack threats like Spike or Javelin missiles, noting the lack of evidence for such claims. The script highlights the need for proper anti-drone measures, as the APS does not protect against the growing threat of FPV drones, and questions the practicality of installing cages on tanks with the system.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Russian Ministry of Defense announced a contract for additional T-80 and T-90M tanks equipped with the Arena M hard kill active protection system.
• 🌐 Ground News is presented as a sponsor, offering a platform to compare news coverage from various sources around the world, highlighting political bias and ownership.
• 🎯 The Arena M system is a hard kill active protection system that has been in development since the 1990s and is now being considered for actual installation on Russian tanks.
• 🔍 There is confusion about the presence of active protection systems on T-90 tanks due to the existence of a soft kill system called Shtora, which does not actively engage threats.
• 📝 A patent for the T-90M tank with Arena M was released last year, indicating that the system will retain side-mounted explosive reactive armor without compromising the tank's protection.
• 🚀 The Arena M system is designed to intercept threats such as rockets, missiles, and heat shells traveling at speeds up to 1,000 m/s from a distance of 50 meters away.
• 🤔 There is uncertainty about the system's ability to intercept top attack threats like Spike or Javelin, with only promotional footage and claims from the manufacturer as evidence.
• 🛡️ The installation of the Arena M system on T-90M tanks may reduce storage space due to the replacement of storage boxes with the APS system components.
• 🕊️ The system's interceptors explode in two directions, suggesting the potential for 360° threat interception, but doubts remain about the radar's ability to detect top threats.
• 🤖 The biggest concern is the system's inability to protect against the most significant threat: FPV drones, indicating a need for additional anti-drone measures.
• 📅 The adoption timeline for the Arena M system aligns with the initial announcement from 2020, with plans to start installations by 2025, showing surprising punctuality from Russia.

Q & A

What was announced on the 13th of August at the Army Forum exhibition by the Russian Ministry of Defense?

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that they have signed a contract for the delivery of additional T-80 chassis-based Tossan-A systems and T-90M tanks equipped with the Arena M hard-kill active protection system.

What is the purpose of Ground News, as mentioned in the script?

Ground News is a website and app that gathers news articles from over 50,000 services worldwide, allowing users to compare how different outlets cover the same story. It provides a breakdown of political bias, ownership, and headlines, supported by ratings from three independent news monitoring organizations.

What is the difference between a soft kill and a hard kill active protection system for tanks?

A soft kill system, like Shtora, helps the tank evade or mask itself from threats without physically engaging them, often using laser warning receivers. A hard kill system, such as Arena M, actively engages and destroys incoming threats like rockets, missiles, and shells.

Why might some people believe that T-90 tanks already have a hard kill active protection system?

Some people might be confused because T-90 tanks do have an active protection system, but it is a soft kill system called Shtora. Additionally, Wikipedia incorrectly lists the Arena system as part of the tank, leading to the misconception.

What is the significance of the Arena M active protection system being installed on T-90M tanks?

The installation of the Arena M system indicates that Russia is upgrading its tanks with a hard kill capability, which can intercept a wide range of threats, although its effectiveness against top attack threats like Spike or Javelin is still uncertain.

How does the Arena M system's installation affect the tank's storage capacity?

The installation of the Arena M system requires the replacement of storage boxes, which may result in reduced storage space or the need to relocate these boxes, potentially affecting the tank's operational capabilities.

What is the reported speed and range at which the Arena E system can intercept threats?

The Arena E system can reportedly intercept rockets, missiles, and heat shells traveling at speeds of up to 1,000 m/s from a distance of 50 meters away.

What are the limitations of the Arena M system in terms of intercepting top attack threats?

The Arena M system's ability to intercept top attack threats like Spike or Javelin is uncertain due to a lack of reliable information and the system's radar configuration, which does not seem to be designed to detect threats from above.

Why is the Arena M system's effectiveness against drones considered a significant concern?

The Arena M system does not address the threat posed by FPV drones, which could still compromise the tank's survivability. Without proper drone jamming equipment, the installation of the APS system may not be as effective.

What was the original timeline for the adoption of the Arena M system by the Russian military?

The Russian military had initially announced that the Arena M system would be adopted by 2025, with installations beginning that year.

What is the impact of the Arena M system on the tank's silhouette and the possibility of adding cage armor?

The installation of the Arena M system does not significantly change the tank's silhouette, but it does prevent the installation of cage armor on the top of the turret due to the system's interceptor launch mechanism, which could limit protection against RPGs.

Outlines

00:00

🛡️ Russian Military Contract for Advanced Tank Systems

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced a contract for additional Tossan-A systems and T-90M tanks equipped with the Arena M hard-kill active protection system. The video discusses the importance of unbiased news sources, with a sponsor, Ground News, providing a platform for comparing global media coverage. The Arena M system, which has been in development since the 1990s, is a notable advancement in tank defense technology. The video clarifies misconceptions about the system's deployment, explaining that previous reports of its use in Ukraine were inaccurate due to the lack of actual hard-kill systems on Russian tanks at the time. The Arena M system is designed to intercept threats such as rockets, missiles, and heat shells traveling at high speeds, but its effectiveness against top-attack threats like Spike or Javelin missiles remains uncertain. The video also addresses the system's impact on tank design, including the retention of side-mounted explosive reactive armor and the necessity to replace storage boxes with the APS system.

05:01

🚀 Arena M System's Capabilities and Limitations

This paragraph delves into the capabilities of the Arena M active protection system, which was first showcased in 2018 and has been designated T9 A6 D1 Arena M. The system's ability to intercept threats at speeds up to 1,000 m/s from a distance of 50 meters is highlighted, but questions remain about its effectiveness against top-attack threats. The promotional footage suggests the system can handle such threats, but there is a lack of concrete evidence to support this claim. The video also discusses the system's limitations, particularly its inability to counter the growing threat of FPV drones, which could render the APS system ineffective. The need for additional anti-drone measures is emphasized, as well as the challenges posed by the system's design, which precludes the installation of protective cages on the tanks. The video concludes with a note on the surprising timeliness of the Russian adoption of the Arena M system, which was initially planned for 2025 but is now being implemented ahead of schedule.

Keywords

💡Active Protection System (APS)

An Active Protection System (APS) is a defensive technology designed to protect armored vehicles such as tanks from incoming threats like anti-tank rockets and missiles. In the video, the Arena M APS is discussed as a new addition to the T-90M tanks, illustrating its role in enhancing the tank's survivability by intercepting threats before they hit the vehicle.

💡T-80 and T-90M Tanks

The T-80 and T-90M are models of Russian main battle tanks. The script mentions a contract for the delivery of additional T-90M tanks equipped with the Arena M hard kill APS, highlighting an upgrade in the defensive capabilities of these tanks.

💡Arena M

Arena M is a specific type of hard kill active protection system developed in Russia. The video discusses the integration of this system with the T-90M tanks, emphasizing its potential to improve the tanks' defense against various threats.

💡Soft Kill System

A soft kill system, such as the Shtora mentioned in the script, is a defensive mechanism that does not physically destroy incoming threats but rather attempts to evade or mask the vehicle from them, for example, through laser warning receivers.

💡Hard Kill System

In contrast to soft kill systems, a hard kill system, like the Arena M, actively engages and destroys incoming threats. The script explains that the T-90M tanks will be equipped with the Arena M, which is a significant upgrade from the soft kill system previously mentioned.

💡Exponential Reactive Armor (ERA)

ERA is a type of armor that uses explosive charges to counter incoming projectiles. The script notes that the T-90M tanks will retain side-mounted ERA even with the installation of the Arena M APS, ensuring that the tank's protection is not compromised.

💡Patent

A patent is a form of intellectual property that gives its owner the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention. The script refers to a patent for the T-90M tank equipped with the Arena M APS, indicating official recognition of this technology.

💡Top Attack Threats

Top attack threats refer to projectiles that approach from above, such as certain types of missiles. The script raises questions about the Arena M's ability to intercept such threats, which is a critical consideration in modern warfare.

💡FPV Drones

FPV stands for First Person View and refers to drones that provide an operator with a live video feed from the drone's perspective. The script mentions that the Arena M APS does not address the threat posed by FPV drones, which are a significant concern in modern conflict scenarios.

💡Interceptors

Interceptors in the context of an APS are the components that are launched to destroy incoming threats. The script discusses how the Arena M's interceptors work, noting that they explode in two directions, which could suggest a 360° defense capability.

💡Radar

Radar technology is crucial for detecting and tracking incoming threats. The script speculates on the capabilities of the radar system associated with the Arena M, questioning whether it can detect top attack threats at the necessary range.

Highlights

Russian Ministry of Defense announced a contract for additional Tossan systems and T90M tanks with Arena M hard kill active protection system.

Ground News is presented as a sponsor, offering a platform to compare news coverage from various sources for unbiased insights.

The Arena M system has been in development since the '90s, with promotional materials leading to misconceptions about its active service status.

T90 tanks are equipped with a soft kill system called Shtora, which differs from the hard kill capabilities of Arena M.

Wikipedia incorrectly lists Arena as part of T90M tank specifications, causing confusion about the actual installation of the system.

A patent from last year revealed plans for T90M tanks to be equipped with Arena M, indicating an upcoming implementation.

The installation of Arena M on T90M tanks retains side-mounted explosive reactive armor, maintaining tank protection.

Storage boxes on tanks may need to be relocated due to the installation of the Arena M system, affecting tank design.

Arena M's capability to intercept threats at speeds up to 1,000 m/s and from 50 m away is highlighted.

The system's effectiveness against top attack threats like Spike or Javelin missiles remains uncertain.

Promotional footage suggests Arena M can intercept top attack missiles, but lacks confirmatory evidence.

The system's radar capabilities and its ability to detect threats from above are questioned.

Claims of successful testing against Western weapons do not necessarily guarantee effectiveness against specific threats.

The Arena M system does not address the threat posed by FPV drones, indicating a potential vulnerability.

The absence of cage compatibility with Arena M systems suggests a need for alternative anti-drone measures.

Surprisingly, Russia is on schedule with the adoption of Arena M systems, aligning with their 2025 timeline.

Support for the content creator is available through Patreon, encouraging viewers to contribute if they enjoy the content.

Transcripts

on the 13th of August on the Army Forum

exhibition Russian Ministry of Defense

has announced that they have signed a

contract for delivery of additional

tossan a systems made on t80 chassis and

t90m tanks with Arena M hard kill active

protection system which is what we will

talk about in this video and when

looking for the truth it is important to

eliminate any biases which is why I am

proud to present today's sponsor ground

news ground news is a website and app

that gathers related articles from more

than 50,000 services around the world in

one place so you can compare how

different Outlets cover the same story

every story comes with a clear breakdown

of the political bias ownership and

headlines of the seares reporting all

backed by ratings from three Independent

News monitoring organizations for

example the UK recently signed a new

defense pack with Germany ground news

found more than 31 sources covering this

with barely 6% coming from conservative

Outlets so without intentionally

diversifying how you stay up to date you

could have easily missed this important

story

news also shows me reporting is coming

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ground. news/ redact or use the link in

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if you sign up through my link you'll

get 40% off the Vantage plan which is

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all their features I think ground news

is doing important work and I hope

you'll check them out arena is a pretty

famous hard active protection system it

has been in development since the '90s

and there have been numerous promotional

videos and pictures of the system that

it has actually managed to fool some

people into believing the system was

actually in active service in fact there

were reports about the current conflict

in Ukraine seeing how the Russian active

protection systems are not working as

they should because they're not stopping

anti-tank rockets and missiles well they

can't stop them because they aren't

being used some people were probably

confused about that because T90 tanks do

have an active protection system it's

just that it is a soft kill system

called shora Soft kill systems don't

actively engage the threat but help the

tank and the crew evade or mask

themselves from the threat such as the

laser warning receivers on t90m and t9a

tanks when the tank is being lased by a

Laser Rangefinder or laser guiding

weapons another big reason as to why

people believe tanks like t9m already

had a hard kill active production system

is Wikipedia Wikipedia for some reason

lists the arena system as part of the

tank but as I already explained it isn't

it it wasn't until last year that the

patent for the t90m tank equipped with

Arena M active protection system came

out I didn't want to cover it back then

because well it's just a patent but now

it seems like Russians are actually

going to be installing these systems on

their tanks well at least d9m tanks for

now one interesting thing we can see on

the patent is that the tank will retain

the side mounted explosive reactive

armor so the installation of the system

does not compromise the protection of

the tank in case something does not get

intercepted by the system which is a

good thing and on top of that it doesn't

really change the silhouette of the tank

either but the problem is that they had

to replace storage boxes with the aps

system which means that either the

storage boxes either have to be moved

somewhere or that the tank will have

reduced space for things on it the side

Hall mounted storage boxes we saw not so

long ago might have been developed for

this purpose but I honestly don't think

this is the best place to mount the

storage boxes on because they can easily

snag on stuff and fall off if there were

any nearby explosions same how the

bagged Ra was falling off the tanks all

the time it would be good to that they

at least make some better design or at

least some guides in front of the boxes

to make it hard for them to snag on

stuff now how good is the actual Arena M

active protection system this system was

first showcased in 2018 under a

designation T9 A6 Arena e on a T2 B3

tank now the system has been designated

T9 A6 D1 Arena M I'm saying this because

we don't have actual data for the arena

M but we do have for the arena e the

change in the designation could indicate

some changes but but because the

numerical designation has just das1

added to it I would assume the change is

not really massive according to

available information Arena e can

intercept Rockets missiles and heat

shells that travel at speeds of up to

1,000 m/s and intercept them from 50 m

away this means that the system is able

to engage a lot of tank fired heat

shells except for subcaliber ones like

mad as well as pretty much any 80 rocket

or atgm but the 50 m range means that it

will not be able to intercept Rockets

fir it from very close range like in

urban scenarios which can happen and we

have seen that happen in multiple

conflicts not just in Ukraine but the

main question is can the system

intercept top attack threats like Spike

or Javelin well I honestly can't give

you a good answer for that the

promotional footage of the manufacturer

for the arena e system claims the system

intercepts missiles including the top

attack ones but that is the only

reliable source of information for that

claim and it is kind of old I couldn't

find any other reliable search that

would actually confirm that claim there

were some media articles that would

mention it or from some government

official but Russian government

officials have claimed weird things in

the past related to tanks that they

don't believe anything they say should

be taken for granted there are some

things about the system that could point

to it being able to intercept up pack

threats but there are also some things

that point to the opposite first thing

is that based on what we see on the

footage is that the arena M interceptors

explode in two directions downwards and

upwards or at least it seems that way

this could indicate the possibility that

they were made to intercept any threat

in the 360° hemisphere but the problem

to me are The Radars there isn't any

radar on the tank that points upwards

and they need to detect the threat at

least 50 m away from the tank I don't

think a Raider facing completely forward

can detect the threat coming 50 m from

the top of the tank there could be a

possibility that the Raider has the

ability to track Targets on the top but

I honestly don't know because Tru to be

told I'm not an expert in Raiders I'm

purely guessing here some people have

taken the claim that the system has

successfully been tested against

captured Western 0 weapons as proof that

it would work against something like

Javelin but those claims are super vague

and honestly don't mean much I could see

the system working against something

like enla CU enla is still coming to the

tank from the direction where a Raider

could easily pick it up so something

like enla shouldn't be a problem but

actual top attack like Spike or Javelin

I honestly have doubts about that I

would wait for any formal confirmation

before drawing any conclusion the

biggest problem with this system is that

it doesn't tackle the worst threat the

fpv drones if these tanks get deployed

it is very likely that they would meet

the same fate as many before them so

unless they include some proper drone

jamming equipment on the tanks equipped

with the hard kill systems they would

just be wasting money and resources on

installing the aps systems in my honest

opinion biggest problem is that the

system does not allow for any cages to

be installed on the tanks equipped with

it since the system launches the

interceptors upwards into the air so

there can't be anything blocking the top

of the turret and placing cages on the

side or the front would interfere with

The Radars therefore you can't really

protect the tank against Thrones in the

same cheap fashion as they are doing

right now they need some proper

anti-drone protection if they don't want

to be losing these tanks it is actually

surprising to me that Russians are

adopting the systems now because back in

2020 they announced that the arena M

system will be adopted by 2025 and that

in 2025 they should start installing it

on the tanks and they are actually on

time for that Russ being on time that is

really the most surprising thing about

this but that would be all if you like

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[Music]

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