Taiwan’s ageing tanks to get an upgrade to boost defences against PLA

Forty of the US-made M60A3 tanks will have their gun, fire and sighting control systems improved in initial update

Military officials say this will improve combat capability against any landing attempt by the PLA’s amphibious troops

Reading Time:2 minutes

M60A3 tanks are seen during the Taiwanese military’s annual Han Kuang exercise in September. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:00pm, 9 Mar 2022

Taiwan’s ageing M60A3 tanks will be upgraded to improve combat capability in the event of an attempted attack by the People’s Liberation Army, the island’s military said.

The NT$444 million (US$15.7 million) contract for the upgrade was awarded to the island’s top weapons maker, the National Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology, according to a tender announcement on the government’s procurement website on Wednesday.

Forty of the US-made tanks will have their gun, fire and sighting control systems updated, with the vehicles to be delivered in batches by October 2025.

The rest of the fleet of M60A3s will be upgraded if the army is satisfied with the work on the first 40 tanks, according to military officials.

Taiwan’s army has 460 of the M60A3 tanks, which it bought from the United States between 1995 and 2000.

The tanks are no longer used by the US Army – they were phased out between 1994 and 1997 and replaced with the more powerful M1s.