The Russian complex of active protection of armored vehicles (KAZ in Russian) Arena-M can repel an attack from any direction, national media claims. The system received modern radar and maneuverable ammunition to destroy the attacking projectile. The complex features were revealed by the Head of the development and design department of the Kolomna KBM Vladimir Kharkin on the Russian MoD TV channel.

Protective ammunition of the Arena-M complex is capable to counter a threat from the approaching projectile being shot from any direction. Thanks to impulse engines, ammunition reacts almost instantly, the designer emphasized. This allows to provide all-round defense of the tank.

Arena-M operates in automatic mode. The Arena-M radar records launches of missiles made in the direction of the vehicle. When an attacking ammunition is detected, two protective shells being stored in protected boxes explode in the approaching threat direction.  As a result, a directed stream of debris destroys the attacking missile. The enemy projectile is hit in a close distance from the armored vehicle to prevent any damage for supporting troops.

According to KBM, the Arena-M is to equip the Russian MBT such as T-90 and T-72.

Earlier, Bekhan Ozdoev, Industrial Director of the Rostec Corporation, said that Arena-M can intercept all modern anti-tank guided missiles. He claimed the Arena-M being capable to intercept the FGM-148 Javelin and Spike missiles that attack armored vehicles in the weakly protected upper hemisphere.

Arena-M is a further derivative from the Arena - an older KBM Design Bureau product which was developed in 1990s and primarily installed at T-80 MBT. The system has an export version being designated as Arena-E. Moscow region-based KBM is a High Precision Weapons subsidiary and is famous for its Iskander and Khrizantema missiles.