The United States has delivered the first batch of 38 Abrams M1A2T tanks to Taiwan. This was reported by Agence France-Presse, citing the Taiwanese Defense Ministry.
The delivery of the combat vehicles was initially scheduled for mid-2024, but was postponed to a later date. Taipei will receive another 42 American tanks in 2025, and the last batch of 28 combat vehicles in 2026.
The sale of 108 Abrams M1A2T 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. Taiwan’s tank fleet currently consists of 1,000 combat vehicles, mostly obsolete types.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after losing the Chinese Civil War. Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the PRC.