Taiwan looks always to acquire 200 used M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks from United States 0501143

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Defence & Security News - Taiwan
 
 
Sunday, January 5, 2014 11:49 AM
 
Taiwan looks always to acquire 200 used M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks from United States.
There is no formal Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) request published yet, but Taiwan looks always to acquire 200 used M1A2 main battle tanks from United States. As the US military pulls out of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon is reportedly seeking to sell some of the weapons used in those conflicts to its allies — and Taiwan is studying the possibility of acquiring M1 Abrams main battle tanks.
     
There is no formal Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) request published yet, but Taiwan looks always to acquire 200 used M1A2 main battle tanks from United States. As the US military pulls out of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon is reportedly seeking to sell some of the weapons used in those conflicts to its allies — and Taiwan is studying the possibility of acquiring M1 Abrams main battle tanks.
The M1 Abrams, which entered service in the 1980s and played a major role in ground operations during the conlicts in Iraq.
     

Attempts to get aproval for M1A2 tanks reportedly failed early 2000s. Critics at the time said Taiwan’s mountainous terrain was unsuitable for the heavy tank, adding that given the maneuverability limits, lighter, medium wheeled tanks would probably be a better option.

Taiwan’s situation with respect to tanks isn’t very good. The Republic of China Army currently fields about 480 M60A3 tanks acquired in the 1990s, but the M60 first entered US service in 1960, and the A3 version entered US service in the late 1970s. They’re joined by 450 much older CM11s (modified M48H 105mm turrets with improved fire control, mated to M60 hulls), and 300 of the M-48 medium tanks whose base design dates back to the 1950s: 50 M48A3s, and 250 CM12s (modified CM11 turrets mated to M48A3 hulls).

Taiwan Ministry of National Defense told the that the Army was seeking to procure 200 tanks to bolster its forces, adding that the great bulk would be deployed in Hukou Township, Hsinchu County, which is home to the 584th Armored Brigade.

This would not be the first time Taiwan modernized its forces through the acquisition of excess defense articles from the US. It procured 12 P-3C “Orion” maritime patrol aircraft from the US for US$1.9 billion in 2007.

Surplus defense articles have the advantage of coming at a fraction of the price of a new platform, though they oftentimes incur major costs for new fire control systems, software and electronics.