The first shipment of M1A2 tanks Taiwan purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port over the weekend. Unloading operations are expected to begin late Sunday night before the tanks are transported to a military base in Hsinchu. Dubbed the most powerful tank on the planet, the M1A2, purchased with a price tag of NT$40.5 billion, is expected to greatly enhance the combat capabilities of the Taiwan military.

The first shipment of M1A2 tanks Taiwan purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port over the weekend. Unloading operations are expected to begin late Sunday night before the tanks are transported to a military base in Hsinchu. Dubbed the most powerful tank on the planet, the M1A2, purchased with a price tag of NT$40.5 billion, is expected to greatly enhance the combat capabilities of the Taiwan military.

Back in September, a YouTuber posted a video of tanks on a freight train passing through a train station in the US state of Missouri. And now two months later, these M1A2T tanks have reached their final destination: Taiwan.

Yang Kai-an
FTV reporter
The cargo ship carrying the M1A2T tanks has arrived at Taipei Port.

Taiwan purchased 108 M1 Abrams from the US in 2019, and 38 of them have been delivered this year. The rest are expected to be delivered by the end of 2026.
Dubbed “the most powerful tank on Earth,” the M1A2T is equipped with a 120mm smoothbore cannon and two machine guns. It can cover a combat distance of more than 400 kilometers and has a top speed of 67 kph. Armed with an urban fighting survival kit, the tank is also suitable for combat at close range.

Chi Tung-yun
Military analyst
The M1A2Ts purchased by Taiwan is equipped with TUSK, which improves fighting ability in urban environments. This kit allows the tank to adapt to modern battle environments. It also has composite armor, so it gets greater protection than the previous M60A3 and CM11. It’s equipped with a cooling and auxiliary power system APCS, as well as an AGT1500 gas turbine engine, so the three indicators of maneuverability, firepower, and armament are all topnotch. That’s why it’s called the most powerful tank on the planet.

It’s been 30 years since the Taiwan military procured an advanced tank from overseas. The M1A2Ts are expected to be deployed in Northern Taiwan to strengthen the defense capabilities of the country’s capital.

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