Taipei: The Army reiterated Tuesday that it expected to take delivery of 38 M1A2T tanks purchased by Taiwan from the United States by the end of this year as scheduled. At a Ministry of National Defense (MND) news conference on Tuesday, defense officials were asked to comment on local media reports suggesting that components for the tanks would arrive at the Port of Keelung the same day. According to Focus Taiwan, Army Vice Chief of Staff Lin Wen-huang stated that the reports were untrue but confirmed that the tanks were set to arrive "on schedule." When questioned if the military would receive 38 tanks as previously announced by the MND, Lin affirmed that it would. Efforts to prepare tank training grounds at Chang'an army base in Hsinchu County's Hukou Township and Kengzikou in Xinfeng Township are also progressing as planned, Lin mentioned. He added that once the Army receives the tanks, adjustments would be made at the two sites to facilitate relevant training. As outlined in the schedule released by th e MND, the Army is set to receive 38 M1A2T tanks this year, followed by 42 in 2025 and 28 in 2026. The U.S. Department of State approved the sale of 108 M1A2T tanks and related equipment to Taiwan in 2019. The M1A2T tanks are noted for their powerful 120-millimeter smoothbore guns capable of penetrating armor up to 850 mm thick and withstanding shells fired from most enemy main battle tanks.
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