The delivery of the first 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks, originally slated for around the middle of the year, might be delayed to the fourth quarter, as the US military reportedly plans to invite Taiwan to participate in joint exercises in the second half of the year, a source in the know in the military said yesterday.
The monthly production rate for the baseline M1A2 model stood at about four, so by that calculation, about 30 M1A2Ts should have been manufactured and delivered to the Taiwanese military for trial and training, the source said.
About 18 M1A2Ts are expected to be used at the exercise, and the delivery of the first batch of tanks would suffer further delays until the manufacturers produce more units, they said.
Photo: AFP
The Army Command Headquarters said that all Republic of China Army military exercises with foreign nations are pre-planned and declined to comment further on the issue.
The delivery process is on schedule and construction of a shooting range at Kengzikou (坑子口) in Hsinchu County is being adjusted accordingly, the army added.
The tank deal cost NT$40.5 billion (US$1.26 billion) and was to be delivered to Taiwan over three years. The first batch of 38 units is expected to arrive this year, 42 next year and the final 28 in 2026.
The source said that compared to in-service MBTs with 105mm tank guns, the M1A2T’s 120mm tank gun is a massive improvement.
The new tanks would primarily be deployed in northern Taiwan to strengthen defenses around the nation’s political and economic centers and shoreline defense, the source added.
As the tanks are still being manufactured, training for the tank crew and instructors, as well as the construction of barracks and training grounds, are being held concurrently, the source said.
The military is in talks with Northrop Grumman and it is increasingly likely that the military would be able to establish factories in Taiwan to produce the 120mm rounds used by the tanks, they added.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or