TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense has revealed plans to procure nearly 1,000 vehicles beginning in 2028 as part of a five-year force buildup.
It will buy 468 reconnaissance and surveillance vehicles and 500 Cheetah armored vehicles between 2028 and 2033, per Liberty Times.
The Armaments Bureau’s 209th plant produced four prototypes in March 2024 and completed initial operational testing and evaluation in December that year, the report said. The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology and the Armaments Bureau have since carried out major modifications, transforming the vehicle into an electric, unmanned machine capable of autonomous driving and equipped with remotely controlled weapon systems. It has a combat weight exceeding 10 metric tons and a top speed of up to 100 kilometers per hour, the report said.
The Cheetah armored vehicle is expected to complete evaluations in June, the report said. Its height was reduced from 3.3 meters to about 2.9 meters, and its ammunition capacity was increased from 25 rounds to 33 rounds. It is armed with a 105mm low-recoil main gun, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and a 12.7mm remotely controlled gun, and it has a 12-tube smoke grenade launcher.
