TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Lieutenant General Chen Wen-hsing (陳文星), the commander of Taiwan’s Third Theater of Operations, visited the Kengzikou proving grounds to inspect the Army’s M1A2T Abrams tanks.

Chen observed the tanks as they conducted live-fire training, Liberty Times reported. Crews practiced moving into tactical positions and carried out salvos to suppress a simulated enemy. The commander praised the crews’ abilities and thanked personnel for their efforts during training.

Last week, Army Commander General Lu Kun-hsiu (呂坤修) also visited Kengzikou. He reminded personnel to pay particular attention to training preparations, constructing training facilities, and logistics maintenance to ensure operational tasks are completed on schedule and up to standard.

The US approved the sale of 108 Abrams tanks for Taiwan in 2019. The Army has received two batches totaling 80 tanks so far, with the remaining 28 planned for delivery before the end of the first quarter this year. 

The first tank battalion was commissioned in October and is assigned to the 584th Armored Brigade based in Hukou, Hsinchu. Some tanks are deployed with the 269th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Taoyuan and the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County.