The military plans on Friday to officially decommission its M41A3 Walker Bulldog light tanks after more than six decades of service, a military officer yesterday.
The decommissioning ceremony is to be held at the Army Infantry Training Command in Hsinchu County, with retired army generals and military personnel who used to operate the armored vehicles invited to attend, the officer said, asking to remain anonymous.
A parade featuring M41A3s is also set to be held during the event to give the tanks a proper send-off, they added.
Photo courtesy of Youth Daily News
Taiwan has less than 20 M41A3s. Military records show that the first batch of 46 M41A3s Taiwan bought from the US arrived in October 1958.
The tanks have served as the backbone of the army for decades, with more than 700 M41A3s in service at one point.
The army has gradually replaced them with more advanced M60A3, CM11 and CM12 tanks.
The M41D tank, an upgraded version of the M41A3, still serves on offshore Kinmen County’s Lieyu Islet near China.
The M41A3, which is part of the M41 line of light tanks named after US Army General Walton Walker, was developed by the US military immediately after World War II. Mounted with a 76mm main gun, the tank was designed for close infantry support and rapid airborne deployment.
With 5,000 units having been manufactured, the M41A3 played an important role in the Vietnam War.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS