Arena ( countermeasure ) The Arena ( ) is an active protection system ( APS ) developed at Russia ' s Kolomna - based Engineering Design Bureau for the purpose of protecting armoured fighting vehicle s from destruction by light anti - tank weapons , anti - tank guided missile s ( ATGM ) , and missiles with top attack warheads . It uses a Doppler radar to detect incoming warheads . Upon detection , a defensive rocket is fired that detonates near the inbound threat , destroying it before it hits the vehicle . " Arena " is the successor to " Drozd " , a Soviet active protection system from the late 1970s , which was installed on several T - 55s during the Soviet war in Afghanistan . The system improved the vehicle ' s survivability rate , increasing it by up to 80 % . " Drozd " was followed by " Shtora " in the late 1980s , which used an electro - magnetic jammer to confuse inbound enemy anti - tank missiles and rockets . In late 1994 the Russian Army deployed a large number of armoured fighting vehicles to Chechnya , where they were ambushed and suffered heavy casualties . The effectiveness of Chechen rocket - propelled grenade s against Russian combat vehicles prompted the " Kolomenskoye " machine - building design bureau to devise the " Arena " active protection system in the early and mid - 1990s . An export variant , " Arena - E " , was also developed . The system has been tested on the T - 80UM - 1 , demonstrated at Omsk in 1997 , and was considered for use on the South Korean K2 Black Panther main battle tank . Background . The Soviet Union developed the first active protection system between 1977 – 1982 , named " Drozd " ( Russian : Дрозд ) . This system was designed as an alternative to passive or reactive armour , to defend against enemy anti - tank weapons . The system ' s development was stimulated in large part by the introduction of new high explosive anti - tank warhead s . " Drozd " was designed to destroy these warheads before they hit the armour of the vehicle being attacked . It was composed of three main parts : two launcher arrays placed on either side of the turret and an auxiliary power unit located to the rear of the turret . The arrays were controlled by two millimeter - wave radar antennae . The system used a , cone - shaped fragmentation warhead . " Drozd " could protect a tank between the elevations of −6 and 20 degrees along the vertical plane , and between 40 and 60 degrees along the horizontal plane . Although reported to offer an 80 % increase in survival rate during its testing in Afghanistan , the radar was unable to adequately detect threats and the firing of its rockets caused unacceptably high levels of collateral damage . About 250 " Drozd " systems were manufactured , all of which were installed on T - 55 s belonging to the Soviet Union ' s naval infantry . In the late 1980s , the Soviet Army began development of the " Shtora " - 1 electro - optical jammer . It was first mounted on a T - 80U in 1989 , and later showcased on a T - 72B ( renamed T - 72BM and later T - 90 ) . " Shtora " - 1 is designed to jam incoming anti - tank missiles using a one - kilowatt infrared radiator . In 1995 , it was fitted on a Ukrainian T - 84 . The " Shtora " - 1 system consists of an infra - red radiator interface station , composed of the jammer , modulator and control panel , a number of forward - firing grenade discharges capable of producing a smoke screen , a laser - warning system and a general control panel . " Shtora " offers 360 degree all - around protection , between the elevations of −5 and 25 degrees . The system is activated when the laser warning system alerts the tank commander , who responds by pressing a button on his control panel which automatically orients the turret towards the threat . This triggers the grenade launch , creating a smoke screen to reduce the ability of the missile to lock - on the vehicle . The jammers are designed to jam the infra - red seekers on the inbound missiles . According to the manufacturers , " Shtora " decreases the chances of a tank being hit by an anti - tank missile , such as the Dragon , by a factor of 4 – 5 : 1 . The large number of Russia ' s casualties during the First Chechen War prompted Russia to consider the development of a new active protection system . During the Battle of Grozny , for example , the Russian Army lost between 200 – 300 armoured fighting vehicles to Chechen rebels . Vehicles which were knocked - out included main battle tanks such as the T - 72 and T - 80 , and lighter armoured vehicles such as the BMP - 2 . The majority of tanks deployed to Chechnya were not issued with explosive reactive armour , due to the " lack of time and funds " , while some of those that were issued with reactive armour did not have the explosive charge to start the reaction . Some of the most dangerous threats to Russian armour were rocket - propelled grenade s fired from buildings in Grozny . As a result of these vulnerabilities , " Kolomenskoye " developed the " Arena " active protection system , with the goal of providing Russian armour more reliable protection against these threats . System details . The " Arena " system was primarily designed to defeat threats such as the rocket propelled grenade and the anti - tank missile , including newer anti - tank missiles with longer ranges . The active protection system can protect against missiles fired from both infantry carried rocket launchers and from helicopters , which attack the vehicle directly or by overflying it . Modern rocket propelled grenades can penetrate almost of steel armour , posing a serious threat to tanks operating in environments of asymmetric warfare . Therefore , increased tank protection requires either an increase in armour thickness and weight , or alternatively the use of an active protection system , like " Arena " . The system uses a multi - function Doppler radar , which can be turned on and off by the tank commander . In conjunction with radar input , a digital computer scans an arc around the tank for threats , and evaluates which of the tank ' s 26 quick - action projectiles it will release to intercept the incoming threat . In selecting the projectile to use for defeating the threat , the ballistic computer employs the information processed by the radar , including information such as flight parameters and velocity . The computer has a reaction time of 0 . 05 seconds and protects the tank over a 300 - degree arc , everywhere but the rear side of the turret . The system engages targets within of the vehicle it is defending , and the ammunition detonates at around from the threat . It will engage any threat approaching the tank between the velocities of and , and can detect false targets , such as outgoing projectiles , birds and small caliber bullets . " Arena " works during the day and night , and the lack of electromagnetic interference allows the system to be used by multiple vehicles as a team . The 27 - volt system requires approximately one kilowatt of power , and weighs around . " Arena " increases a tank ' s probability of surviving a rocket - propelled grenade by between 1 . 5 – 2 times . " Shtora " was a soft - kill system , designed to passively defeat anti - tank missiles by jamming their guidance systems . By contrast , " Arena " is a hard - kill system like " Drozd " , designed to destroy the warhead through the use of munitions before the missile can engage the vehicle being protected . Deployment . The " Arena " active protection system was first tested at the Kubinka proving grounds in early 1995 , successfully defending a Russian tank against an anti - tank guided missile and a kinetic energy penetrator . A Russian T - 80UM - 1 , with " Arena " , was demonstrated to the public at Omsk in late 1997 . " Arena " was also mounted on the BMP - 3 M modernization package , developed by the " Kurganmashzavod " Joint Stock Company , although the package has received no export orders . An export variant , named " Arena - E " ( Арена - Э ) , is available , worth an estimated $ 300 , 000 . According to Russia , it was selected to be used on the South Korean K2 main battle tank , although this was not confirmed by South Korea .