Taiwan’s first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks procured from the US is set to be commissioned late next month, after completing re-equipment training and striking all targets in live-fire exercises, an official said today.
Taiwan in 2019 inked a deal for a total of 108 M1A2T tanks from the US under the previous administration of US President Donald Trump, with the Ministry of National Defense allocating NT$40.524 billion (US$1.34 billion) from 2019 to 2027 for the procurement.
The M1A2Ts, praised as the “world’s strongest tank,” would be stationed with the Sixth Army Corps to defend northern Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
The first shipment of 38 tanks arrived at Taipei Port in December last year.
Instructors returned from training in the US in November and began re-equipment training in February.
On July 10, the military conducted the first live-fire exercise with the tanks at the Kengzikou Range (坑子口訓練場) in Hsinchu County, with four tanks firing a total of 19 rounds from their 120mm cannons at targets modeled after Chinese tanks.
They logged a perfect hit rate using the Hunter-Killer system.
The second shipment of 42 units arrived in July, and a final shipment of 28 tanks is expected to be delivered at the beginning of next year, a source with knowledge of the matter said today.
Both are to follow the same training model as the first batch before commissioning, the source said.
A commissioning ceremony for the first batch is to be held late next month at the Armored Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), the source said.
The armed forces currently possess about 1,000 tanks, including the CM-11 Brave Tiger and the M60A3 tank, which have been in use for more than 20 years.
The army has purchased new engines to be installed in the M60A3 tanks and has upgraded their system to enable “hunter-killer” mode.
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