Taiwan's M1A2T tanks, HIMARS to debut at Taipei defense expo

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Taiwan's Army will showcase newly acquired U.S.-made M1A2T Abrams tanks and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) for the first time at the biennial Taipei defense show, a military source told CNA Sunday.

The Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition 2025 (TADTE) will take place Sept. 18-20 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1, featuring a record 400 exhibitors from 14 countries, including the United States, France and Germany, across more than 1,400 booths, according to the organizers.

As in past practice, Taiwan's military will set up a pavilion at the event, with the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) Armaments Bureau and the National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) joining.

A military source, who asked not to be named, said the Armaments Bureau will display four types of new drones it developed: FPV drones, explosive drones, kamikaze or suicide drones and surveillance drones. Among them, the explosive and suicide drones will make their TADTE debut. NCSIST, meanwhile, will display its attack drone boat.

Taiwanese shipbuilder CSBC Corp. will also exhibit its military-grade unmanned surface vehicle (USV), the "Endeavor Manta," first unveiled on March 25 and recently approved by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

For Taiwan's Army, the spotlight is expected to be on the M1A2T Abrams tanks and HIMARS, both of which were delivered over the past year, the source said.

This year's show will also welcome leading global defense and aerospace companies, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and L3Harris, alongside newcomers such as Anduril and Elbit America from the U.S. and Excalibur Army from the Czech Republic, the source added.