By the end of 2023, the United States had supplied Ukraine with 31 M1A1 SA Abrams as part of a military aid package aimed at strengthening its armoured forces. However, these tanks lacked active protection systems, reinforced turret armour, and dedicated countermeasures against drones, leaving them highly susceptible to modern battlefield threats.
To address these weaknesses, Ukrainian engineers and frontline crews have fitted Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armour modules to the hull front, side skirts, turret cheeks, and turret roof. ERA uses explosive-filled metal tiles that detonate outward when struck by a shaped-charge warhead, disrupting the penetrating jet before it can pierce the base armour.
Kontakt-1, developed in the Soviet Union in the 1980s, remains effective against older single-charge HEAT warheads, though it offers limited protection against newer tandem-charge designs and kinetic energy penetrators. Despite these limitations, the additional armour provides a pragmatic boost to the Abrams’ survivability in Ukraine’s high-threat environment.
In parallel, Ukrainian crews have installed cage armour over the turret roof and rear engine deck to counter aerial drone attacks. This layered defence system, while adding weight and logistical demands, better equips the Abrams to operate in a battlespace increasingly dominated by inexpensive but lethal unmanned aerial systems.
