Following recent pictures published on social networks, in August 2025, Ukrainian forces have begun applying field upgrades to U.S.-donated M1A1 SA Abrams tanks, equipping them with explosive reactive armor (ERA) and improvised anti-drone structures to address critical protection gaps.
The modifications come in response to mounting losses attributed to new battlefield threats such as FPV kamikaze drones, loitering munitions, and top-attack anti-tank guided missiles, which have exposed the vulnerabilities of the base M1A1 SA configuration in the Ukrainian theater.
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| Ukrainian-upgraded US M1A1 SA Abrams tank fitted with Kontakt-1 ERA blocks and turret cage armor to counter modern battlefield threats, including drones and top-attack munitions. (Picture source: Ukraine MoD) |
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AeroVironment and SNC partner to develop next-generation Golden Dome air defense system for U.S..
According to information published by AeroVironment on August 8, 2025, the company has entered into a strategic partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to co-develop a multi-domain, integrated air and missile defense system in support of the Golden Dome for America (GDA) initiative.
The collaboration aims to develop a scalable and layered defense architecture that can protect U.S. critical infrastructure from a wide range of modern and emerging aerial threats, including advanced cruise missiles and drone swarms.
U.S. Companies AeroVironment and Sierra Nevada Corporation join forces to develop the Golden Dome for America, an integrated air and missile defense system to protect key U.S. assets from evolving aerial threats (Picture source: Editing Army Recognition Gr
- The companies aim to accelerate the deployment of an open-architecture, rapidly configurable air defense solution that can provide localized “under-dome” protection, with the potential to scale outward as new sensor and interceptor technologies, including space-based assets, are brought into the kill chain.
- The system is designed to neutralize Group 1 to Group 4 unmanned aerial systems (UAS), next-generation cruise missiles, and hybrid aerial threats using an integrated mix of kinetic, directed energy, radio frequency, electronic warfare, and cyber tools.
- It is specifically engineered to counter a spectrum of threats that includes low-flying cruise missiles, coordinated drone assaults, and advanced aerial systems deployed by peer and near-peer adversaries.
- Designed with modularity and open architecture at its core, the GDA focuses on protecting high-value and limited-area targets such as military bases, nuclear power facilities, ports, and airfields, while remaining capable of integration with future space-based surveillance and intercept platforms.
Fatih Ozmen, CEO of SNC, described the scale and ambition of the project as comparable to the Manhattan Project, emphasizing the necessity for unprecedented industry collaboration and innovation.
- He underlined SNC’s legacy in integrating complex systems and highlighted the opportunity to merge SNC’s open architecture solutions with AeroVironment’s precision technologies to create a truly next-generation defense system.
- This space-based layer is envisioned as a crucial component of the system, especially in light of evolving threats such as maneuverable reentry vehicles and hypersonic glide vehicles, which demand real-time detection and rapid-response interception across multiple domains.
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