Taiwan’s military modernization continues, with U.S.-supplied Abrams tanks bolstering defenses against China’s invasion threats. This highlights the island’s urgent need for further armament.
Last December, thirty-eight American-made M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) arrived on the self-ruling island of Taiwan, greatly enhancing the country’s ability to fend off an invasion from China. The MBTs, which were transferred to an army training facility in Hsinchu, were the first batch of 108 ordered by Taipei in 2019.
A second batch of forty-two, produced at the Anniston Army Deport, Anniston, Alabama, or at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, Lima, Ohio, is expected to be delivered by the end of June, while the final bunch of twenty-eight MBTs could be completed in the first quarter of 2026, a report from Taiwanese media confirmed.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has sent liaison officers to the United States to conduct audits and inspections of the production facilities, facilitating the deliveries and ensuring the timelines are met.
As reported by Defence-Blog.com, the M1A2T is a “Taiwan-specific variant of the U.S. Army’s M1A2 Abrams SEPv2” model. It is armed with “a 120mm smoothbore cannon and outfitted with an advanced fire control system.” The U.S. depleted uranium armor was replaced with Foreign Military Sales (FMS) export armor. Taipei will employ the MBTs in newly formed armored units later this year.
“Once delivery is complete, the 269th Mechanized Infantry Brigade stationed in Linkou will receive a full company of M1A2Ts. Ten tanks will be assigned to the [Taiwanese] Army’s training command in Hsinchu, with the remaining units distributed to the 584th Armored Brigade for complete force integration,” Defence-Blog.com added.
The first batch of tanks is now being used in conversion training, with live-fire tests scheduled for next year.
Why Taiwan Desperately Needs More M1 Abrams Tanks: China
The self-ruling island nation of Taiwan has approximately 1,000 tanks in its arsenal, but many are antiquated vehicles dating back to the Cold War. These include American-made M24 Chaffes, M41 Walker Bulldogs, and M60A3s, as well as the Taiwanese-made CM 11 Brave Tiger tanks.
Taipei has significantly increased its defense spending as Beijing maintains that Taiwan is a breakaway province that will be returned to mainland control, and by force if necessary.
Military analysts have speculated that China continues to prepare to mount an invasion. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to invade the island country by 2027.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is believed to have a force of around 6,800 tanks, including modern MBTs designed for amphibious assaults. The PLA’s tank force consists of old tanks, some even older than the Taiwanese military. The tanks would be supported by their next-generation amphibious infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) that are set to replace the aging Type 05 combat vehicles.
The bigger issue is that the PLA still has to get its tanks and other vehicles to Taiwan, a fact that isn’t lost on Taipei.
Current Taiwanese doctrine calls for a combination of mobility and flexibility to counter any potential amphibious landings. Along with the domestically produced shoulder-launched Kestrel anti-tank rocket launchers, the M1A2T Abrams could be critical in countering an invasion and halting the PLA’s efforts to establish a beachhead.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/ Jeng Bo Yuan.
