M1A2T commissioning ceremony to be held next month: Source

Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) Thirty-eight M1A2T Abrams tanks delivered by the United States in December 2024 will be officially commissioned in a ceremony on a northern Taiwan military base next month, according to an unnamed military source familiar with the matter.

With military personnel responsible for operating the tanks having completed their required training, a commissioning ceremony will be held before the end of October at the Hsinchu County-based 584th Armored Brigade, the source said.

The 38 Abrams tanks were the first batch delivered from a total order of 108 tanks worth about NT$40.5 billion (US$1.45 billion).

A second batch of 42 Abrams tanks were delivered to Taiwan in July, and the remaining 28 are expected to arrive in Taiwan in early 2026.

After entering service, they are expected to be assigned to troops under the Sixth Army Corps, which is responsible for defending northern Taiwan.

Much of the training conducted for the tanks was led by instructors who underwent a 350-day training program in the United States before returning to Taiwan in November 2024 and the ensuing months, according to the source.

The tanks have also been tested, including in live-fire training sessions in July that featured four of the 38 tanks, which was lived-streamed to the public.

The live-fire training session at an Army tank training ground in Hsinchu County's Kengzihkou (坑子口) saw all 19 rounds of cannon fire hitting their designated targets.

The Army currently operates around 1,000 tanks, including the CM-11 Brave Tiger and M60A3 models, both of which have been in service for over two decades.

Aside from buying the more advanced M1A2T tanks, the military has also invested in new engines for the M60A3s, and upgraded the M60A3s' cannon firing system to give them a "hunter-killer capability," which means the tank is able to engage a target while also tracking another.