A batch of 42 M1A2T Abrams tanks delivered by the US in July are beginning a month-long testing program today at a northern army base, including multiple live-fire drills using the tanks’ 120mm main guns, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday.
The source said the US-made tanks were recently deployed to an army tank training ground at the Kengzikou Range (坑子口訓練場) in Hsinchu County for training sessions ahead of the testing phase.
The testing program is to begin today and focuses on evaluating the tanks’ observation and targeting systems, as well as their integration with the ammunition system, the source said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Live-fire drills would include exercises involving the tanks’ 120mm main guns, with rounds fired at both stationary and moving targets, they said.
The month-long tests are expected to conclude by the end of next month, after which the tanks would enter active service with the army, they added.
The 42 Abrams tanks are the second batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion (US$1.3 billion), that Taiwan purchased from the US.
The first batch of 38 Abrams tanks was delivered to Taiwan in December last year, while the remaining 28 tanks are expected to arrive early next year.
The first batch was commissioned in late October into the army’s 584th Armored Brigade in Hsinchu County after completing required training and testing.
The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM11 Brave Tiger and M60A3 models, both of which have been in service for more than two decades.
In addition to procuring the M1A2T tanks, the military has invested in new engines for its M60A3 tanks and upgraded their cannon fire-control systems to provide “hunter-killer” capability, allowing a tank to engage one target while tracking another.
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