TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Wednesday (Sept. 18) Taiwan’s Army, military police, and reserves will receive more than 80,000 new T112 assault rifles from 2025-2028.

According to a Thursday (Sept. 19) press release, these rifles, designed to replace the T91, will be equipped with optical, red dot, and laser sights. The Armaments Bureau said its production capacity is prepared to meet the military’s mass production needs, per CNA.

Koo said auxiliary equipment like sights are intended to enhance individual shooting speed and reduce reaction time. The optical sight has a 4x magnification function while the red dot sight allows for quick target acquisition.

Regarding the 2025 defense budget, Koo said the total budget for the Ministry of National Defense for 2025 will be NT$647 billion (US$20.2 billion), an increase of NT$46.4 billion from 2024. The budget’s focus is to strengthen national defense, asymmetric warfare capabilities, and reserve forces.

Koo added the Armaments Bureau developed and tested bulletproof plates last year that met US ESAPI standards. These plates can effectively resist 5.8 mm steel core bullets from the Chinese military and are scheduled for delivery starting in 2025.

Additionally, Koo announced the 205th Arsenal has started developing a 6.8-millimeter caliber rifle which is expected to be ready for evaluation in March 2025, per UDN.