A massive attack by 35–40 FPV drones on a Russian T-90M cost the attacking side at least 1.4–1.6 million rubles, if only the cost of the drones themselves is considered. This calculation was made by the publication "Tekhnosfera Rossiya", which compared the prices of the most common FPV strike devices with the known incident.
The calculation used an average lower estimate of 40 thousand rubles per drone. With this approach, even 35 devices amount to 1.4 million rubles, and 40 — already 1.6 million. At the same time, the attack did not lead to the destruction of the tank: the T-90M was damaged but continued to perform its combat mission, covered the infantry, after which the vehicle was successfully evacuated.
For comparison, the most common FPV drones used against armored vehicles are estimated at approximately 400–750 dollars, or 36–67 thousand rubles. European-made devices are more expensive — approximately 500–1500 dollars, which corresponds to 45–135 thousand rubles. Therefore, the real cost of a massive attack could have been significantly higher than the minimum estimate of 1.4–1.6 million rubles.
These figures call into question the simplified formula "cheap drone against expensive tank". The cost of a modern armored vehicle is indeed orders of magnitude higher: Western estimates of the price of a modern Russian tank range from 200–400 million rubles, while the cost of an American M1 Abrams and a German Leopard 2, when converted, can exceed 500 million rubles. But the economics of a specific episode are determined not only by the price of the target, but also by the number of munitions that must be expended to destroy it.
Read more on the topic:
- T-90M tank without "Arena-M" survived 40 drone and mine attacks
- Tank or Drone: Which is More Profitable? MWM Compares the Cost of Russian Armored Vehicles and Drones
- An example of the incredible survivability of the T-90M tank: withstood mine explosions and drone strikes