At least 84 members of Taiwan’s ground forces will complete training in the United States to operate M1A2T Abrams tanks in November and return to the island, the Taipei Shibao newspaper reported.
It should be noted that the servicemen were sent to the United States to undergo a special 350-day training program for tank operation instructors. As early as February 2025, they will begin teaching at tank schools in Taiwan. The United States is expected to deliver the first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks to the island by the end of 2024.
Now the island’s armed forces are modernizing the Chang’an and Kenjikou training grounds in Hsinchu County to train military personnel in the use of new combat vehicles, TASS quotes excerpts.
The sale of 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks to Taiwan for $2.2 billion was approved by the US State Department in 2019. The M1A2T is a modification of the M1A2 main battle tank, SEPv2 (System Enhancement Package version 2), modernized in accordance with Taiwan’s requests. It is equipped with a specially manufactured combat module and includes a number of improvements that increase the survivability of the combat vehicle as a whole: it has improved frontal and side armor to protect the crew.
According to Tzuyu Shibao newspaper, Taiwan is expected to receive 38 M1A2T Abrams in 2024, with another 42 to be delivered in 2025 and the final batch of 28 combat vehicles to be delivered in 2026.
Let us recall that the Chinese authorities consider Taiwan to be one of the Chinese provinces. The United States is Taiwan’s main arms supplier. According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the total amount of US military supplies to the island over several years exceeded $70 billion.
