DEFENSE/Taiwan conducts M1A2T tank live-fire drill

Taipei, July 10 (CNA) The military conducted a live-fire drill Thursday in Hsinchu County involving a platoon of M1A2T tanks Taiwan purchased from the United States.

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) visited the Kengzikou Range in Hsinchu County to monitor the exercise, part of the ongoing Han Kuang military drills.

The four tanks deployed in the exercise practiced firing individually, in pairs and as a full platoon.

They also practiced firing at both stationary and moving targets, both from a stationary position and while on the move.

Following the drill, the Army said the tanks achieved perfect firing accuracy.

Taiwan has allocated about NT$40.5 billion (US$1.45 billion) from 2019 to 2027 to purchase 108 M1A2T tanks from the U.S., that are expected to join the Sixth Army Corps defending northern Taiwan.

Of these, 38 were delivered in December 2024, with training underway since February. The remaining 70 tanks are scheduled for delivery later this year (42) and in 2026 (28).

In 2019, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of 108 M1A2T tanks and related equipment to Taiwan.

The tanks are equipped with 120-millimeter smoothbore guns capable of penetrating 850 mm of homogeneous steel at specific ranges.