The U.S. Army’s M1 Abrams Tank vs. Drones: Who Wins?

Key Points and Summary on M1 Abrams – The U.S. Army is investing $107 million to improve the survivability of nearly 400 M1 Abrams tanks, an implicit acknowledgment of the platform’s vulnerabilities exposed in Ukraine.

-The Abrams, designed for tank-on-tank combat, has proven susceptible to top-down attacks from cheap Russian FPV drones.

-The announced upgrades, part of the ongoing M1A2 SEPv3 program, focus on enhancing armor and power systems.

-While these improvements will primarily benefit the US Army, the combat experience in Ukraine, where at least four of the 31 tanks sent have been destroyed, is providing invaluable data for adapting the venerable tank to modern warfare.

The M1 Abrams Tank in the Drone Age 

The U.S. Army’s 2026 Procurement of Weapons and Tracked Combat Vehicles (W&TCV) procurement report has allocated $107 million to improve the survivability of the M1 Abrams fleet – an implicit acknowledgement that the third-generation main battle tank is proving to be too vulnerable on the battlefield. Upgrades are expected to be made to almost 400 of the United States’ Abrams fleet.

The announcement follows reports that only four of the 31 armored vehicles sent to Ukraine, and first deployed in February 2024 have been destroyed.

The Abrams, long considered one of the best tanks in the world, appears to have fallen victim to battlefield innovations. Russia’s increased dependence on first-person view (FPV) attack drones and advanced anti-tank guided weapons (ATGW) has forced the United States to reconsider the tank’s armor.

First designed in the 1970s, the M1 Abrams is designed to fight tank-on-tank, with most of its armor fitted to the front of the vehicle, leaving it vulnerable to top-attack munitions.

According to the U.S. Army report, the Abrams Tank Program is designed to achieve “combat supremacy” through “upgrading existing tank variants to the M1A2 System Enhancement Package, version 3 (SEPv3) configuration.” The plan will see the existing fielded tank fleet upgraded, with additional support provided for production plants and daily operations.

“This program focuses on planning, preparing, and executing all efforts required to produce the current and future Abrams tanks,” the report continues.

An Upgraded M1 Tank

SEPv3 upgrades include an under-armored Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) and enhanced electric generators that deliver more onboard power to support advanced sensors and electronic systems. The Next-Generation Armor Package (NGAP) is another crucial feature of the SEPv3 upgrade, adding thicker turret protection and mounts for Reactive Armor Tiles that improve defense against IEDs and shaped charges.

With only a handful of Abrams tanks remaining in Ukraine, and no additional deliveries from the U.S. publicly confirmed, the Pentagon’s upgrade announcement is a forward-looking move that primarily benefits the U.S. Army, and not Ukraine. While the battlefield deployment of the Abrams has yielded mixed results for Kyiv – with the Abrams’ firepower limited only by its vulnerability to Russian drone attacks – it has provided the United States with valuable operational data. That feedback is now shaping design and survivability improvements to better adapt the platform to evolving threats, particularly from top-attack munitions.

When President Joe Biden announced in January 2023 that the United States would supply 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the decision was met with cautious optimism. All of the M1A1 units were delivered by mid-October, with the first batch arriving on September 25.

Kyiv had specifically requested the M1 Abrams to help break through fortified Russian defensive lines, citing its impressive firepower and agility. Powered by the Honeywell AGT1500 turbine engine, the Abrams produces 1,500 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour – capabilities that made it highly effective in the Middle East.

However, the battlefield in Ukraine has revealed a new set of challenges.

As warfare becomes increasingly defined by unmanned aerial systems and precision-guided threats, the SEPv3 upgrade package is intended to make the Abrams more survivable and relevant in 21st-century combat environments.

About the Author:

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.

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