Taiwan Receives First Batch of M1A2T Abrams Tanks to Strengthen Taiwan’s Defense Against PLA Landings
A shipment of 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks arrived in Taiwan on December 15. According to Taiwanese defense experts, the addition of U.S.-made M1A2T tanks will bolster Taiwan’s military capabilities in anti-landing operations.
This shipment marks the first delivery of the 108 M1A2T tanks approved for sale to Taiwan in 2019 by the first Donald Trump administration. The “T” in the M1A2T denotes that the tanks are a special version of M1 Abrams for Taiwan.
Taiwan’s armed forces will receive an additional 42 M1A2T tanks in 2025 and 28 more in 2026, according to the delivery schedule released by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.
The M1A2T tanks are equipped with 120-millimeter smoothbore guns capable of penetrating 850-millimeter-thick armor and can withstand shells fired from most battle tanks.
Their average speed is significantly faster than that of Taiwan’s current tanks. The combat vehicle also has a “hunter-killer capacity,” enabling it to engage one target while simultaneously tracking another.
Lin Ying-yu, an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, stated that Taiwan’s current tanks — the M60A3s and CM11s — have been in service for over three decades and are unlikely to withstand the advanced anti-armor firepower of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The acquisition of M1A2Ts would boost Taiwan’s defense capabilities, Lin said.
According to Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (NDSR), Taiwan’s first line of defense against a PLA landing operation is anti-ship missiles. This is followed by both domestic and U.S.-made mobile artillery rocket systems such as the Thunderbolt-2000 RT/LT-2000, M109 self-propelled howitzer, and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
Combat helicopters, including AH-64E Apache choppers, stand at the third line of defense, while coastal defense missiles serve as the fourth line. The fifth and final line of defense consists of tanks, including M1A2Ts, and ground forces, Su added.
Another NDSR research fellow, Huang An-hao, said M1A2Ts and other kinds of tanks play a crucial role in Taiwan’s joint air-ground operations. He said they will be deployed alongside mechanized infantry troops and with aviation and special forces.
The combination of M1A2T tanks on the ground and AH-64E aircraft could double Taiwan’s capacity to eliminate invading forces from its beaches and shores, Huang added.
References:
[1] Focus Taiwan
[2] Taipei Times
NATO Secretary-General Warns of China’s “Bullying” and Aggression Against Taiwan
In a December 12 speech in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned that China’s bullying of Taiwan and its ambition to reshape the global order must be closely watched, especially as authoritarian regimes escalate their aggressive actions.
In his speech at the Concert Noble, Rutte said China would start to “nibble” at Taiwan if Russia benefits from a post-invasion peace deal with Ukraine.
“We need to be clear-eyed about China’s ambitions,” Rutte said, adding that “China is bullying Taiwan and pursuing access to our critical infrastructures in ways that would cripple our societies.”
China is heavily investing in ammunition, accelerating space capabilities, and expanding its nuclear arsenal, Rutte said, adding that it is dangerous that “Russia and China are racing ahead” while NATO and its allies are “lagging behind.”
Rutte urged NATO members and democratic allies to increase defense investments and spending in the face of growing military threats from Russia and China.
“Russia, China, but also North Korea and Iran, are hard at work to try to weaken North America and Europe, to chip away at our freedom. They want to reshape the global order,” Rutte said.
During the Q&A session, Rutte said that the outcome of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia would shape China’s next step regarding Taiwan.
He warned that if Russia were to “come out on top” and secure a settlement harmful to Ukraine, it might embolden China to begin encroaching on Taiwan.
