DEFENSE / M1A2T tanks conduct off-base exercise simulating airport defense

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Six U.S.-made M1A2T Abrams tanks conducted a combat readiness exercise outside their base in northern Hsinchu County early Wednesday, simulating the defense of a nearby military airport in the event of a Chinese invasion.

The exercise, which was open to the media, began after the Army's 584th Armored Brigade, where the six tanks are based, received orders to head to Hsinchu Air Base after it was supposedly seized by invading forces.

The order was delivered via the Team Awareness Kit (TAK), a U.S. military-developed mobile application that allows users to send secure messages, text, images, files, and video streams.

After receiving the order, a brigade commander delivered a mission briefing and issued operational instructions before leading the convoy out of the base.

The convoy then crossed several bridges and traveled around 22 kilometers to reach the air base in Hsinchu County's Nanliao area, a strategic location in northern Taiwan.

Lt. Col. Huang Chen-yung (黃禎詠), head of the 3rd Combined Arms Battalion under the 584th Armored Brigade, told reporters that although the M1A2Ts weigh nearly 70 tonnes, they did not affect the civilian bridges they crossed in the Hsinchu area.

Huang said their weight is evenly distributed over seven load-bearing wheels when moving on roads, meaning each M1A2T exerts an average ground pressure of 1.1 kilograms per square centimeter, lower than the nearly 9 kg exerted by the heavy trucks often seen in Taiwan.

The mission was designed knowing that the M1A2Ts are obvious targets for enemy attacks, Huang said. To prevent an enemy strike from disabling the lead tank and blocking those behind it, the convoy crossed bridges in batches and one tank at a time.

Before tanks crossed a bridge, Army troops would establish bridgehead outposts to ensure safe passage, Huang said.

The exercise was conducted after Lee Shying-jow (李翔宙), a former National Security Bureau chief and former commander of the Republic of China (ROC) Army, questioned in recent weeks whether the tanks could safely cross Taiwanese bridges without causing structural damage.

Lee also claimed that 40 percent of Taiwan's existing bridges could not withstand the weight of the M1A2Ts.

Wednesday's drill marked the second time the U.S.-made tanks had conducted an exercise outside their base since the Army's 584th Armored Brigade commissioned its first batch of 38 Abrams tanks in late October 2025.

Taiwan purchased 108 tanks from the U.S. in a deal approved by Washington in 2019 that was valued at about NT$40.5 billion (US$1.45 billion). All of the tanks have since been delivered.