Aerospace and Defense

End of the Line

The war in Ukraine: The end of armor as we know it

Heavy tanks are failing on the battlefield in Ukraine. Armored vehicle design may change everywhere as a result.

Since World War II, the heavy tank has been king on the battlefield, combining power, mobility with protection for its crew. The war in Ukraine however, has turned the notion of the powerful, heavily armored main battle tank as the spearhead of the assault, on its head. Cheap, simple drones are destroying large numbers of tanks on the battlefield, and they’re doing it with relatively small explosive warheads. Can tanks be redesigned with sufficient passive protection to withstand a future battlefield teeming with attack drones?

In Ukraine, the answer is no, but the future will likely involve smaller, faster, automated tracked fighting vehicles, and probably drones tasked specifically with defending against other drones. In the future, quality appears to be winning over quantity. 

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Written by

James Anderton

Jim Anderton is the Director of Content for ENGINEERING.com. Mr. Anderton was formerly editor of Canadian Metalworking Magazine and has contributed to a wide range of print and on-line publications, including Design Engineering, Canadian Plastics, Service Station and Garage Management, Autovision, and the National Post. He also brings prior industry experience in quality and part design for a Tier One automotive supplier.