【Text by Observer Net, Wang Shipu】Taiwan media reported exclusively on July 23 that the second batch of 42 M1A2T tanks are expected to arrive at a northern port in Taiwan late on July 26 via ship and follow the same pattern as last year to be transported to the Hsinchu Training Center.

The report released by the Taiwanese military at the beginning of this year stated that the second batch of M1A2T vehicles will be delivered between the second quarter (i.e., April to June), and the last batch of 28 tanks is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of next year (January to March). This means that the second batch of 42 vehicles is slightly delayed compared to the schedule set by the Taiwanese military.

The Taiwanese military has not commented on the relevant content.

American local residents captured the M1A2T tanks of the Taiwanese military being shipped on social media.

Previously, a batch of M1A2T tanks waiting to be shipped from an American port was circulated on social media. From the unique three-color camouflage and ACPS system of the Taiwanese military, it is clear that these tanks are indeed M1A2T tanks.

However, according to the media, due to Typhoon Fanapi, the 7th typhoon of this year, which formed on the morning of the 23rd, is expected to continue moving northwest towards the southern sea area near Okinawa and reach its closest point to Taiwan on Thursday afternoon to Friday. The media said that the direction of Typhoon Fanapi would directly intersect with the transport route of the M1A2T main battle tanks. The media said that whether the M1A2T can arrive on time depends on the strength of the typhoon and the sea conditions.

In July 2018, the previous Tsai administration officially decided to purchase the U.S. M1A2 tanks. In December of the same year, the Taiwanese authorities included approximately 3 billion New Taiwan dollars in the 2019 defense budget to purchase 108 M1A2 "Abrams" tanks from the United States; on July 8, 2019, the U.S. State Department formally approved this arms sale order. In February 2021, the U.S. Department of Defense officially awarded a contract to General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) to begin modifying the prototype vehicles of the M1A2T tanks for sale to Taiwan.

According to the plan by the Taiwanese military, of the 108 tanks purchased, 10 will be handed over to training units for training, and the remaining 98 will be divided into seven companies, six of which will be delivered to the 584th Army Combined Arms Brigade of the Taiwanese Army, and the remaining one company will be assigned to the 269th Army Combined Arms Brigade stationed in Taoyuan.

In the recently concluded "Han Guang-41" exercise, the tank battalion of the 584th Army Combined Arms Brigade stationed in Hsinchu mobilized four M1A2T tanks, firing at "simulated targets of the PLA's Type 99 and Type 05 tanks" in different configurations such as single vehicle, two vehicles (group), and four vehicles (platoon), under "moving against stationary", "moving against moving", and "stationary against moving" modes, and conducted platoon fire. The Taiwanese military reported that 19 shells were fired and all hit the target.

Despite the deployment of new U.S.-made tanks, Colonel Chou I-kuang, the commanding officer of the 584th Armored Brigade of the Taiwanese Army, told the media that after completing the training, the M1A2 tank battalion will officially "mobilize and take shifts" this year.

The head of the Taiwanese defense department, Ku Li-yung, said that equipment that does not meet combat requirements, has low usage efficiency, has high repair costs, or has exceeded its service life must be phased out with determination, freeing up inventory and reducing maintenance costs. After the complete removal of old tanks like the CM12, they will be replaced by drone units, and it is expected to adjust gradually starting from 2026, but the main battle tanks, such as the M1A2T and M60A3, will still be retained.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense previously stated that the so-called "Taiwan independence" armed forces' rehearsals are just blowing the whistle to boost morale, creating psychological comfort, and no matter how they perform, it's a doomed situation.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer Net. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7530190432760824362/

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