Ukrainian Abrams Tanks use ARAT-1 Reactive Armor

M1A1 SA tanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are equipped with a M19 Abrams Reactive Armor Tile-1 (ARAT-1).

Relevant photos were published on social media.

By this time, the United States-supplied main battle tanks—M1A1 Abrams—in a special SA (situational awareness) version were spotted without additional elements of armor protection.

Dynamic ARAT protection is included in the Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK), which was actively used by American tankers during the Iraq campaign.

It is worth clarifying that TUSK includes two options for dynamic protection: M19 and М32, which resemble a curved tile.

M19 Abrams Reactive Armor Tile

The M19 was adopted by the United States Army in 2006 to protect tanks during urban fighting and was produced by EBAD.

According to the Polish media Defence24, they are created on the basis of M5 ERA blocks from the Bradley Reactive Armor Tiles (BRAT) kit. It is assumed that M19 can protect the side of the tank from cumulative ammunition with penetration of about 500-550 millimeters.

Protection can be quickly installed manually, and its elements can be quickly replaced in the field.

The kit meets the requirements of MIL-STD 2105. The associated damage is minimized due to careful analysis and tests aimed at eliminating the detonation of neighboring DS units.

ARAT-1 blocks protect the tank from HEAT ammunition, shrapnel, and small arms.

The operational concept involves a stream of cumulative charge hitting metallic plates, initiating an explosive layer in the middle, causing two metallic plates to disperse in different directions.

Each of the sides of the tank has 32 blocks, and there is an optional possibility of placing additional blocks on the turret.