The Ministry of National Defense has formed a task force to investigate an accident at an army training base in Hsinchu County yesterday morning, in which one soldier sustained a minor injury when the gun barrel of a CM-11 tank broke off during a live-fire training exercise.
The incident took place at the base in Hukou Township (湖口), when CM-11 “Brave Tiger” tanks from the 542nd Armored Brigade of the 6th Army Corps were engaged in maneuvers, including firing tests.
According to army officials, the crew fired the tank’s weapon once without incident, but the gun barrel failed during a second shot, cracking open and snapping off behind the fume extractor.
Photo courtesy of the Ministery of National Defense
A fume extractor, also known as a bore evacuator, is a pressure vessel that prevents hot gases from venting back into a tank’s crew compartment when the gun breech is opened.
One soldier sustained a minor eye injury and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. He was reportedly in good condition.
The accident was the second serious incident involving a CM-11 tank in the past month.
On Aug. 16, a CM-11 fell off a bridge into the Wangsha River (網紗溪) in Pingtung County as it was returning to base from a training exercise. Four of the five soldiers onboard were killed.
In that accident, the tank’s driver said he encountered a problem with the braking system and he had difficulty steering the tank when it began to slide sideways before falling off the bridge.
As of last night, ministry officials said they were still checking the CM-11 involved in yesterday’s incident and had not yet determined the cause of the gun barrel failure.
However, military experts said that outside of human error or negligence, the accidents could be the result of improper servicing and maintenance on the aging US-made tanks.
Taiwan’s CM-11 tanks are more than 20 years old and have probably degraded in the nation’s subtropical conditions, the experts said, adding that procurement contractors might have also provided inferior replacement parts for cheaper prices.
They said the military should suspend tank operations, calling for a review and overhaul of the CM-11 program.
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