How a Ukrainian Tank Crew Survived 50 Drone Attacks

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The tank crew—which remained in cover outside the tank during the barrage—was later able to sneak away.

After more than four years of full-blown conflict in Ukraine, there are many remarkable stories of bravery and endurance under the most difficult circumstances.  

One such story came from the muddy battlefield earlier in the week. A Ukrainian Leopard 1 main battle tank withstood 52 kamikaze drone attacks—and its crew survived to tell the tale!

Ukrainian Leopard v. Russian Kamikaze Drones 

During a daylong ordeal, a Ukrainian Leopard 1A5 main battle tank came under withering enemy fire and withstood 52 strikes from Russian one-way unmanned aerial systems, also known as kamikaze drones or loitering munitions.  

“One of our tanks literally withstood 52 hits from Molniya-type drones and regular FPVs in February,” Ukrainian company commander Viacheslav Khodak, with the call sign “Spartan,” told Ukraine’s state-run United24 media platform.

The Ukrainian tank was hidden in a covered revetment, under camouflage nets, while the crew hid in a shelter nearby. 

Khodak added that the Russian drones kept striking the Ukrainian Leopard almost nonstop for hours. In the tank commander’s telling, enemy drones swarmed the stranded main battle tank and attacked its weak spots.

The Russian drone unit deduced the Ukrainian tank crew’s position, but could not reach it by drone. Instead, it positioned other drones on standby for the crew to emerge from cover—either returning to the tank or attempting to escape on foot.  

However, the Ukrainian tankers remained disciplined and maintained their cover until the Russian drones left. The crew was aided by the relatively short battery life of Russian kamikaze drones, which generally do not have great loiter and must either attack or return to base before they run out of power. 

Once they had the opportunity, the Ukrainian tankers ran back to the Leopard—which still functioned in spite of the withering attack—and made a run for it.  

The Ukrainian Leopard 1A5 was part of the 1st Tank Battalion, 5th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade. 

So far in the conflict, Ukrainian forces have operated a plethora of Western-made main battle tanks, including the German Leopard 1 and Leopard 2, British Challenger 2, and American M1 Abrams, in addition to older Soviet-era systems. Ukraine’s eastern Donbas and Kharkiv regions were hubs of military manufacturing during the Soviet era, and the independent Ukraine inherited their factories following the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

New Tactics to Survive in a Changing Battlefield  

The operational realities of the conflict have forced both sides to adapt to survive. Cumbersome cage armor that would have previously reduced a tank’s mobility and increased its profile—with devastating results on the battlefield—is now the go-to option to increase survivability against kamikaze drones. 

Tactics have changed, too. Today, main battle tanks do not rely so much on traditional maneuver warfare, but rather prefer static fire from concealed positions—functioning more or less as mobile armored cannons.

Understanding the ever-present threat of enemy drones on the battlefield, the Ukrainian tankers had reinforced their combat vehicle with layered anti-drone protection, including explosive reactive armor and the Ukrainian-made anti-drone “Yizhak” (“Hedgehog”) system.

Anti-tank drones in the ongoing war typically carry “shaped charges,” or explosives designed to focus explosive energy on a single point. These charges are far more effective at piercing armor than conventional explosives. However, they must be positioned immediately against a tank’s armor in order to function. Accordingly, many tanks are equipped with “explosive reactive armor,” which detonates when impacted by another explosion, effectively blunting the force of the incoming enemy munition. It is usually placed on the hull, sides, and turret for maximum protection.

A somewhat cheaper system is additional “hedgehog” armor—layers of unraveled steel cables designed to break the propellers of incoming unmanned aerial systems before they can come close enough for the shaped charge to detonate.

Both the Ukrainian and Russian forces rely on unmanned aerial systems for a variety of missions on the battlefield, including surveillance, logistics, fire observer, and kinetic strikes. The constant buzzing of drones has become a fixture of the modern battlefield.  

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou  

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP. 

© The National Interest