Taiwan M60 Patton MBT

[Ayoshi]

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/05/31/2003671626


US-built M60-A3 Patton tanks take part in a military parade in Taipei on June 23, 2015.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
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Taiwanese M60 Battle Tank. Photo taken from militarywatchmagazine.com

[Ayoshi]

Military mulls acquisition of 120mm guns for tanks | taipeitimes - May 31, 2017

According to a report by the Chinese-language Apple Daily, the military has 1,200 tanks — a mix of Pattons and the M48H tanks developed by General Dynamics and Army Armored Vehicle Development Center— all of which are armed with 105mm main guns.

The Ministry of National Defense is looking to launch a joint research project with the Army Command Headquarters and the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology to develop 120mm guns, which the Apple Daily claimed are capable of penetrating armor up to 700mm thick.

The ministry is also mulling the possibility of purchasing second-hand M1A1 Abrams tanks from the US to upgrade its aging tanks.

[Ayoshi]

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/the-old-american-tank-taiwan-modernizing-fight-china-war-24950

Taiwan

Taiwan’s M60 upgrade is probably the most up to date. After failing to acquire M1 Abrams tanks from the United States, Taiwan is now attempting to upgrade their fleet of 400 M60A3 tanks, which are in use by the Republic of China Army and Marine Corps. In 2017, two M60A3s were transferred to Taiwanese R&D institutes for evaluation. These evaluations of possible upgrades are expected to finish in 2019, with the upgrade being implemented in 2020. The upgrade package is said to include new fire control system, turret drive, sighting systems, NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical)  and environmental control systems, and what is described as an automatic loading system. It’s not clear if the package includes a true autoloader or is a semi-automatic loading system with an assisted rammer. The 105mm M68 rifled gun is supposed to be replaced with a new 120mm smoothbore, which would enable the tank to fire modern Western ammunition. Active Protection Systems are also being considered —a wise decision considering the outdated nature of the M60A3’s simple steel armor hulls. All upgrade components are to be taken from the commercial domestic market with the exception of the 120mm gun. Despite this, Raytheon is said to be in talks with Taiwan to do technology transfer of the M60 upgrade or to provide some components for it. Taiwanese sources have stated that this M60A3 upgrade package will be superior to the M1A1 in some aspects. This could be true, given that the upgrade package lists an improved commander sight as an option—the M1A1 lacks an independent, stabilized, thermal commander sight, a feature only added in the M1A2. Such sights are now common and probably included in the Taiwanese M60A3 upgrade.

[Ayoshi]

Giving up on Abrams tank acquisition, Taiwan moves to upgrade its M60A3 tanks | Defense news - October 6, 2017

The Army will loan two M60A3s to the NCSIST to serve as prototypes for the upgrades, with testing and evaluation expected to be completed in 2019 and the main upgrade program expected to start in 2020.

Other than the M60A3 TTS, Taiwan also has approximately 400 CM-11 Brave Tiger tanks developed by General Dynamics and the Army’s Armored Vehicle Development Center. The CM-11 is a hybrid M60 chassis fitted with the turret from the older M48 Patton and the fire control system of the M1 Abrams.

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The decision to locally upgrade Taiwan’s M60A3s — despite the availability of upgrade options from overseas companies such as Raytheon or IMI Systems (formerly Israel Military Industries) — is likely driven in part by the stated policy of President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration, which calls for greater local participation by the local defense industry in military programs.

As evidenced by its inability to secure surplus M1 Abrams, Taiwan has faced significant hurdles in trying to acquire advanced, big-ticket military equipment, with potential suppliers wary of incurring China’s wrath. China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and has frequently used economic and diplomatic means to prevent arms sales to Taiwan.