Taipei, Dec 16 (EFE).- Taiwan received a first batch of 38 M1A2T tanks from the United States, marking the first time that the North American country sent this type of armor to the island in 30 years, according to the state-owned CNA news agency.
These 38 vehicles, variants of the M1 Abrams – the main combat tank of the US Army – arrived at Taipei port on Sunday and were then transported to a Taiwanese Army training center located in northern Hsinchu County.
In 2019, under the US administration under former president (2017-2021) and current President-elect Donald Trump, the US State Department approved the sale of 108 M1A2T tanks to Taiwan for an estimated value of $2 billion, making it the third largest arms sale to the island during his term.
According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, the next batch of 42 M1A2T tanks are expected in 2025 and another 28 in 2026, which will become part of Taiwan’s 6th Army Command, which is responsible for defending the northern part of the island.
These tanks are equipped with 120-millimeter smoothbore guns that can penetrate 850-millimeter-thick armor and withstand shells fired from most battle tanks.
With these shipments, the US partially alleviates its delays in delivering arms to Taiwan, caused by bureaucratic obstacles and the increased demand of the US defense equipment in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to estimates from the Cato Institute, a Washington-based thinktank, weapons worth $21.95 billion were still due to be delivered to the island as of November, which included 66 F-16 fighters and 100 Harpoon missile systems.
These delays coincide with China’s increasing belligerence in the Taiwan Strait, which has led the Taiwanese Government to propose an increase in the Defence budget to a «historic high» of 647,000 million Taiwan dollars (about $19.9 billion dollars) for 2025.
jacb/sc
