Gun barrels purchased overseas to be mounted on prototypes of indigenous armored vehicles are scheduled to arrive in Taiwan in September next year, military officials said at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
A foreign manufacturer in July won a bid to produce the 105mm assault guns to be installed on the latest model of the Clouded Leopard, an eight-wheeled armored vehicle, army Lieutenant General Fang Mao-hung (房茂宏), head of the Ministry of Defense’s Armaments Bureau, told lawmakers.
The military is now applying to the country of origin for permission to allow the gun barrels to be shipped to Taiwan, which is expected to happen in September, he said, not identifying the country.
A military source said that Taiwan is not capable of building the 105mm assault gun and therefore needs to rely on overseas purchases.
However, the barrel manufacturer has agreed to transfer key technology for the gun barrel so that the 105mm assault guns can be produced locally, the source said.
When Taiwan begins to mass produce the gun barrels, it should be able to reduce the recoil by 70 percent, the source said, not explaining why Taiwan has such expectations.
After they are mounted with 105mm assault guns, the indigenous armored vehicles would be deployed to the military’s newly formed combined-arms battalions, the source said on the sidelines of a legislative session at which military representatives briefed lawmakers on the latest version of the Clouded Leopard.
The Armaments Bureau has already commissioned the indigenous CM-32 and CM-33 Clouded Leopard armored vehicles, officially called the Taiwan Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and has begun mass production of the CM-34 models.
A total of 284 CM-34 vehicles are expected to be produced by 2023.
The military is also developing two prototypes of the vehicles equipped with a 105mm assault gun, which are scheduled to be completed by 2023 at a cost of NT$184 million (US$6.38 million).
The CM-32 and CM-33 models are armed with 40mm automatic grenade launchers, while the CM-34 model is armed with the Orbital ATK 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II cannon, which has an effective firing range of more than 2km.
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