The tank isn’t dead. The way it used to wage war might be.
Tanks have taken a beating in Ukraine. The US Army is changing how it trains to make sure it can fight under the constant watch of drones.
The Ukraine war has forced the US Army to reconsider how it trains its tank crews for modern warfare. Traditionally, Abrams tanks were designed to charge into battle, using their heavy armor and powerful guns to break through enemy defenses. However, at a major training exercise in Germany, the tanks were tactically hidden from enemy reconnaissance drones.
These drones have become a significant threat, making it difficult for tanks to move freely without being detected. Armored vehicles have suffered heavy losses in the war, leading some experts to question their relevance on a battlefield dominated by constant overhead surveillance and cheap precision strikes.
Sgt. Sean Brenna, an M1A2 Abrams tank gunner, believes that drones are not the death of the tank, but rather tanks need to evolve to survive. He notes that both Ukraine and Russia have lost expensive armored vehicles to drones costing just a few hundred dollars. To counter this threat, the US Army is changing its operational tactics, from how tanks move and conceal themselves to how they refuel, communicate, and prepare for an attack.
The Army is learning from Ukraine's experience and incorporating Ukrainian soldiers in major exercises across Europe to better understand the challenges posed by drones.
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