Taiwan’s 105mm Wheeled Armored Vehicle Signals a New Era in Indigenous Armored Warfare.

Taiwan has demonstrated the production configuration of its domestically developed 105 mm wheeled armored vehicle, with the Ministry of National Defense showcasing the platform in live-fire trials on September 23 ahead of planned series production in 2027. The test highlights Taiwan’s push to combine tank-caliber direct firepower with the mobility needed to operate across dense road networks, urban terrain and rapidly changing firing positions.

The vehicle struck moving and stationary targets at ranges of up to 1.2 kilometers while demonstrating maneuvering fire and hunter-killer targeting, according to Focus Taiwan, showing how the platform is being shaped for rapid engagements against armored threats. Planned counter-drone protection and further weapon upgrades also reflect a broader effort to improve survivability as Taiwan prepares to field 178 vehicles for operations in an increasingly drone-dominated battlespace.

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Taiwan showcased its domestically developed 105 mm wheeled armored vehicle in a live-fire demonstration, highlighting its firepower, mobility and progress toward mass production in 2027 (Picture Source: @YDN_NEWS)

On September 23, 2026, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense publicly demonstrated the mass-production configuration of its domestically developed 105 mm wheeled armored vehicle at an Army training area in Tainan. The event marked another step in a program that has advanced from prototype development and Army operational evaluation toward series production scheduled to begin in 2027. Taiwan’s Military News Agency presented the demonstration as evidence of progress in indigenous armored-vehicle development, while Focus Taiwan provided additional details on firing performance, planned procurement and future upgrades. Beyond the live-fire spectacle, the event offered a closer look at how Taiwan is adapting a mobile direct-fire platform to its terrain, operational requirements and increasingly drone-dominated battlefield environment.

Live Fire Tests Mobility, Accuracy and Fire-Control Performance

The centerpiece of the event was a live-fire demonstration involving the production-oriented 105 mm wheeled tank configuration under several engagement conditions. Focus Taiwan reported that the vehicle successfully struck a moving target at 1.2 kilometers and a stationary target at 1 kilometer, respectively. The test program also required the platform to engage targets while either stationary or maneuvering and included firing with the turret positioned 90 degrees to the vehicle while on a gentle slope. In the final scenario, the 105 mm main gun was employed alongside the vehicle’s secondary weapons to simulate an engagement against hostile amphibious combat vehicles. Taken together, the demonstrations were designed to examine more than simple gun accuracy, placing attention on the vehicle’s ability to acquire, track and engage different targets while operating from changing firing positions.

At the center of the vehicle’s firepower is an indigenously developed low-recoil 105 mm gun produced by Arsenal 202. According to the Armaments Bureau, the system generates approximately 20 tons of recoil force, compared with around 60 tons for the gun fitted to Taiwan’s M60A3 tanks. The bureau also states that the weapon can hit a 90-centimeter-diameter target at 1,200 meters and penetrate 50 centimeters of steel at a distance of 2,000 meters. These are official performance claims rather than independently verified combat results, but they illustrate the engineering challenge behind mounting tank-caliber firepower on a comparatively lighter wheeled chassis. The turret also incorporates a digital hunter-killer function, allowing the commander to search for another target while the gunner continues an engagement, potentially reducing the time required to transition between threats.

The vehicle displayed in Tainan also reflected substantial changes made after earlier prototypes underwent Army evaluation. The Armaments Bureau said improvements introduced between 2024 and 2025 addressed ballistic protection, ammunition capacity, observation performance, internal ergonomics and vehicle configuration. Maj. Gen. Chen Chien-chung, head of Arsenal 202, said the vehicle’s height had been reduced by roughly 30 centimeters to below three meters, while its turning radius was cut from about 11 meters to nine meters through changes to the steering arrangement. Those modifications are particularly relevant for a wheeled combat vehicle expected to operate across Taiwan’s dense road network, urban environments, culverts and more restrictive eastern terrain. Rather than attempting to reproduce the characteristics of a heavy tracked main battle tank, the design places considerable emphasis on combining direct-fire power with road mobility and a smaller operational footprint.

Counter-Drone Protection Is Shaping the Production Vehicle

The next stage of the program is already being influenced by one of the most significant threats facing armored vehicles on contemporary battlefields: small unmanned aircraft. Military officers cited by Focus Taiwan said the 105 mm vehicle is expected to receive additional capabilities intended to counter drones when it enters mass production. Chen confirmed that an anti-drone protective cage is planned for the production vehicles. A source familiar with the program also said an additional weapon of at least 25 mm caliber is being considered, with the 30 mm M230 chain gun mentioned as one possible option. Such a weapon remains a prospective enhancement rather than a demonstrated capability of the vehicle shown in Tainan. The distinction is important: the September event demonstrated the existing configuration, while counter-UAS measures represent part of the platform’s continuing evolution before and during production.

That evolution will become increasingly significant as the program moves from development into fleet procurement. Chen said the Army plans to acquire 178 vehicles, with mass production beginning in 2027. Taiwanese reporting indicates that procurement is planned across a multiyear period, with an initial batch of eight vehicles expected in the first year. From an industrial perspective, the program combines a domestically developed gun, locally manufactured gun components, an adapted wheeled chassis and a turret system developed with Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. This domestic involvement could provide Taiwan with greater flexibility to modify the vehicle as Army requirements evolve, particularly in areas such as sensors, protection and counter-drone equipment. It does not eliminate dependence on every foreign-origin component, but it demonstrates an expanding capacity to integrate major armored-vehicle subsystems within Taiwan’s own defense-industrial base.

The demonstration also exposed an issue that will require examination before large-scale production. During the firing sequence, the second 105 mm round initially failed to fire. The crew followed established safety procedures, waited approximately two minutes before handling the round and subsequently resumed firing successfully. Chen said Arsenal 202 would investigate the apparent misfire to determine its cause and improve the system. Rather than diminishing the value of the demonstration, the episode highlights why realistic testing remains important as a design approaches production: reliability, ammunition handling and crew procedures must be validated alongside headline performance figures. The broader firing program continued afterward and included the planned engagement scenarios, giving observers an unusually detailed public view of the vehicle’s mobility, fire-control functions and large-caliber weapon integration before the Army begins receiving production vehicles.

Taiwan’s September 23 demonstration represents more than a public display of a domestically produced armored vehicle. It shows a 105 mm wheeled direct-fire system moving toward serial production after successive rounds of testing and redesign, while additional protection against drones is already influencing the configuration expected to reach operational units. The critical phase will begin with production from 2027, when demonstrated mobility, firepower and fire-control performance must be translated into repeatable reliability across a planned 178-vehicle fleet. If the program progresses according to the announced schedule, its significance will lie not only in fielding another armored platform, but also in Taiwan’s ability to continuously modify, produce and support a major combat vehicle designed around its own operational requirements.

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Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.