Taiwan gets US Abrams tanks, hardening final defenses in an invasion

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Taiwan, which ratified a record defense budget of $20.2 billion in August as it contemplates rising Chinese aggression , received a first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks on home shores this month.

After being unloaded at Taipei’s port on Dec. 15, the tanks were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County southwest of Taipei. Around ten will remain there for training purposes.

The M1A2T is a customized M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams version, and these are the first new tanks Taiwan has received in nearly a quarter of a century. Taiwan previously received M60A3 TTS tanks from the U.S. between 1995 and 2001.

Following this month’s first batch, 42 more Abrams tanks would be delivered next year, and the final 28 in 2026, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Taiwan had ordered them in 2019.

Chen Kuoming, a Taipei-based military analyst, told Defense News the weapons are meant “most importantly” for defending the Taipei capital area. They will outfit an armored brigade in Linkou in Taipei, and another brigade in Hukou in Hsinchu.

The Abrams represents a significant step up in terms of firepower and protection compared to the existing fleet of M60A3 and M48H/CM11 models, which are armed with a 105mm main gun.

Chen said those tank types were too old and outdated, although 108 new Abrams “are just not enough” to cover replacements in central and southern Taiwan as well.

Tanks essentially represent a final line of defense against any Chinese invasion. Taiwan’s earlier lines of defense against an amphibious assault include anti-ship missiles, artillery and rockets as well as attack helicopters.

“From the Russia-Ukraine war, we’ve seen drones and loitering munitions attacking tanks,” Chen said. He therefore expressed a need for the new M1A2Ts to be upgraded against such aerial attacks.

In that context, the analyst warned of diminishing returns for tank investments. Instead, he suggested the budget should be used on other equipment like small drones and loitering munitions, Javelin antitank missiles, Stinger air defense missiles or lighter armored vehicles.

“I want to encourage army officers to think about future wars, so they’ll change their thoughts about buying heavier tanks,” he urged.

Taiwan is also in receipt of an initial 11 of 29 M142 HIMARS rocket launchers. The defense ministry revealed that the first tranche arrived in October, with 18 more systems due before the end of 2026. These HIMARS were delivered to the 58th Artillery Command in Taichung, a city midway down Taiwan’s west coast.

Taiwan’s army has received a first batch of an undisclosed number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) from the U.S. too. Fired from the HIMARS launchers, the ATACMS’s range of 186 miles (300km) puts mainland China within strike range.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

新西兰基督城——台湾在8月份批准了创纪录的202亿美元国防预算，以应对中国日益增长的侵略性。本月，台湾本土接收了首批38辆M1A2T艾布拉姆斯坦克。

12月15日，这批坦克在台北港卸货后，被运往位于台北西南方向新竹县的装甲兵训练司令部。其中约有十辆将留在那里用于训练。

M1A2T是M1A2 SEPv2艾布拉姆斯坦克的定制版本，也是台湾近25年来首次接收新型坦克。台湾此前曾在1995年至2001年间从美国接收过M60A3 TTS坦克。

台湾国防部表示，继本月首批交付后，明年还将交付42辆艾布拉姆斯坦克，最后28辆将于2026年交付。台湾于2019年订购了这些坦克。

台北军事分析家陈国明告诉《防务新闻》，这些武器“最重要的”用途是保卫台北首都地区。它们将装备驻扎在台北林口的一个装甲旅和驻扎在新竹湖口的另一个装甲旅。

与现有的 M60A3 和 M48H/CM11 型号坦克（配备 105 毫米主炮）相比，艾布拉姆斯坦克在火力和防护方面有了显著提升。

陈先生表示，这些坦克型号太老旧过时了，尽管108辆新的艾布拉姆斯坦克“远远不够”满足台湾中部和南部地区的替换需求。

坦克基本上是抵御中国入侵的最后一道防线。台湾早期抵御两栖攻击的防线包括反舰导弹、火炮、火箭弹以及武装直升机。

陈先生说：“从俄乌战争中，我们已经看到无人机和巡飞弹攻击坦克。” 因此，他认为新型M1A2T坦克需要升级以应对此类空中攻击。

在此背景下，分析师警告称，坦克投资的回报正在递减。他建议，这笔预算应该用于其他装备，例如小型无人机和巡飞弹、“标枪”反坦克导弹、“毒刺”防空导弹或轻型装甲车辆。

“我希望鼓励军官们思考未来的战争，这样他们就会改变对购买更重型坦克的想法，”他敦促道。

台湾也已接收了首批29套M142“高马斯”（HIMARS）火箭炮系统中的11套。国防部透露，首批系统已于10月交付，其余18套将于2026年底前交付。这些“高马斯”火箭炮系统已交付给位于台湾西海岸中部的台中市的第58炮兵司令部。

台湾军方也已从美国接收了首批数量不详的MGM-140陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS）。ATACMS由HIMARS发射车发射，射程达186英里（300公里），足以打击中国大陆。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。