On Monday, January 22, the Republic Of China Army CHQ announced that this year the first 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks, 11 M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and some a number of FGM-148 Javelin and TOW-71 TOW-2B RF anti-tank guided missiles will be received. The first batch of tanks ordered in 2019 will arrive in within six months, starting from May 2024.
From training Taiwanese crews in the US
Republic Of China Army CHQ decided, taking into account various scenarios regarding the receipt of equipment, that the first M1A2T tanks will be transferred to the 584th Armored Brigade with headquarters in the city of Hsinchu and to the 269th Mechanized Infantry Brigade with headquarters in the city of Taoyuan, i.e. in north-western Taiwan. Preparations for receiving the equipment have already started.
The CHQ did not comment on plans to deploy additional units with new M1A2T tanks because this is sensitive information, but announced that it will actively adapt to geopolitical changes in the Taiwan Strait and the situation with China, as well as plans to relocate units by the entire armed forces.
The first two M1A2Ts were unveiled at the Taiwan-US Army New Combat Vehicle Project Management conference in July 2022. According to the provisions of the defense budget, the land forces will receive 38 M1A2T tanks in 2024, 42 in 2025 and 28 in 2026. To cope with this, 84 soldiers were sent to the USA in order to efficiently receive the equipment and train the crews of the new tanks. The training will be finalized by the end of 2024. With an annual budget for this purpose of TWD 1,190.79 million from 2021 to 2026 for training M1A2T tank crews in the country, the tank shooting range in the city of Hsinchu will be transformed and expanded for the needs of the Abrams trainings, and the surrounding roads modernized.
Taiwan received acceptance to purchase the tanks on July 8, 2019, and a government-to-government agreement was signed by the end of the year.
In addition, 11 M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems along with 64 MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles, approved for sale in 2020, will be delivered to Taiwan from late 2024 to 2025, and another 18 HIMARS will be ordered by 2027. The Taiwanese military will preferentially deploy first-batch HIMARS in the western, as well as northern, central and southern parts of the country according to the schedule.
In addition, the Taiwanese military received 200 FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles in 2023, and 200 additional Javelin missiles will be delivered in 2024, as well as 1,240 BGM-71 TOW-2B RF ATGMs to further enhance the anti-tank capabilities of the Taiwanese military.