Even though Taiwan had equipped its military units to launch a counterattack in the event that Bejing really invaded Taiwan, the island nation appeared to respond calmly to China's siege and subsequent battle drills surrounding Formosa Island. Modernizing the outdated M60A3 Patton Tank is one of the projects Taiwan is presently working on.
The core of Taiwan's cavalry force is the M60A3 Patton tank, which has a population of about 460 units. Taiwan has been operating it since 1978, and presently it is undergoing an engine repair program. Taiwan's M60A3 is still powered by a 750 horsepower air-cooled twin-turbo Continental AVDS-1790-2 V12 diesel engine. But prolonged use has caused its performance to deteriorate.
The new engine was to be delivered by RENK America instead. The tank can move faster and more nimbly thanks to the 1,000 horsepower RENK America engine.
Additionally, RENK America will supply an engine assembly line that the Taipei Army Command will establish at its weapons development center in Nantou. According to reports, the contract is worth $7.24 billion (US$236 billion), and work is expected to be finished by 2028.
The M60A3 version has a dome modification that includes a crosswind sensor, M21 solid state ballistic computer, and laser range finder. Tank Thermal Sight with Raytheon AN/VSG-2 thermal aimer is a feature of the M60A3.
The M60A3 Patton's primary weapon is a 105mm caliber cannon that fires a variety of projectiles, including anti-tank grenades, guide rounds, and sub-caliber rounds. The M60A3 Patton is outfitted with a coaxially mounted 7.62mm caliber M73 machine gun and a 12.7mm caliber M85 machine gun positioned above the main cannon.
The M48 Patton tank was replaced by the M60 Patton throughout the 1950s. It is an evolution of the original M60 Patton tank, which the US Army deployed in the 1960s. The M60 Patton was first developed in 1957, and manufacture started in 1959.
For many years, the US Army utilized the M60A3 Patton, which was also exported to other nations. New MBTs like the M1 Abrams started to progressively replace the M60A3 Patton in the early 1990s. But the M60A3 Patton is still in use today in several nations.
Taiwan will also get 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks from the US in addition to the M60A3 upgrade. The island nation is expected to get 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks in total in 2024, 42 vehicles in 2025, and 28 more tanks in 2026.
China's main combat tank force, meanwhile, is significantly superior than it. There are over 4,500 MBTs in use by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAGF), which also has earlier Type 79 and Type 59 tanks along with the ZTZ-99, ZTZ-96, and ZTZ-88 tanks.
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