The Ministry of National Defense said it would stick to a plan to buy 120 US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks in an estimated NT$33 billion (US$1.08 billion) deal.
The Republic of China (ROC) Army Command Headquarters Office said the program’s budget allocation would be made in 2017, with delivery expected to begin in 2020.
The army plans to purchase 120 second-hand M1A1 tanks from the US military to replace Taiwan’s aging M60A3 and CM-11 “Brave Tiger” main battle tanks and bolster infantry divisions’ combat strength.
Upon delivery, the 120 tanks are to constitute two battalions for deployment at the main ROC infantry base in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), which is tasked with the defense of the capital, Taipei, and northern Taiwan, army officials said.
The original plan was to buy the newer M1A2 tank, which has enhanced electronics and weapons control systems, but it came at a higher price tag, officials said.
The ministry elected to go with M1A1s for the estimated expense of NT$33 billion.
Officials said this follows the path taken by Australia, which upgraded its infantry with second-hand M1A1 tanks that had been kept in storage.
The US performed complete performance tests and systems checks before delivery, it added.
The ministry said it has already made public its intention to pursue the plan, with a tender announcement — labeled as project TLP04001 and calling for the procurement of new main battle tanks — placed on the government’s official procurement Web site.
However, the tender notice did not include the estimated price, or the total number of tanks by the military.
An army official who requested anonymity said the post served to conform with the Government Procurement Act (政府採購法), and referred to the purchase of US M1A1 tanks.
Top military officials have expressed concerns that Taiwan’s aging tanks are no match for China’s new Type 99 and other advanced main battle tanks deployed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, in terms of firepower, defense and other performance indices.
The Army Command Headquarters had presented plans in recent years to upgrade its tanks and other armored vehicles, it said.
A delay arose because most budget allocations went toward acquiring items with higher priority, including AH-64E Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we