Taiwan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

[Jura The idiot]

What a half measure.

If Taipei wants a modern MBT force, then they'll need at least two divisions (to account for attrition and air/artillery strikes during operations).

it depends on what's their intended use of new MBTs, I can imagine a battalion forming the tip of their Panzerkeil engaging Opfor which managed to develop toward Taiwan's interior (that Opfor could then end up at a beach, oops)

 

[Deleted member 13312]

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A new APC that is similar to the existing CM-32.
A 105mm cannon variant is perhaps only a matter of time in the making, possibly by yanking existing guns from the CM-11 and M60s in service.

 

[Deleted member 13312]

What a half measure.

If Taipei wants a modern MBT force, then they'll need at least two divisions (to account for attrition and air/artillery strikes during operations).

I highly doubt that this is the only purchase that Taiwan will do for a modern MBT, and it still needs to deal with its existing tank fleet of 1000 vehicles first to create space.

 

[caohailiang]

That's according to nationalist propaganda, not examples from history.

I can't think of a situation where anywhere near 50% of the population voluntarily took up arms against an invader. I'm not talking about a situation like the start of either of the world wars, where there was time for countries to mobilise their populations, I'm talking about during an invasion. Where the aggressor was a far larger country and the resisting state was small in comparison. Think about how Belgium and the Netherlands were overrun in a matter of days. Were civilians charging into German lines waiving lead pipes? No, they were hiding. Even France gave up without even trying to defend Paris.

The vast majority of civilians give in to the aggressors because they don't want to die. They don't like it but they accept it. It's a natural human reaction. I know that there's this myth about resistance groups - maybe fed by the French idea that everyone was part of the Resistance - but they're only ever a small number. 10% of the Taiwanese population would be over 2 million.

sharp observation!

 

[Skywatcher]

I highly doubt that this is the only purchase that Taiwan will do for a modern MBT, and it still needs to deal with its existing tank fleet of 1000 vehicles first to create space.

The problem with building a modern mechanized of two+ divisions is that the ROCA will then have no resources left for any other missions (manpower or money). The current Abrams purchase is already eating a lot of the ROCA's procurement budget.

And those mechanized divisions will still have to operate under PLAAF controlled skies.

 

[Deleted member 13312]

The problem with building a modern mechanized of two+ divisions is that the ROCA will then have no resources left for any other missions (manpower or money). The current Abrams purchase is already eating a lot of the ROCA's procurement budget.

And those mechanized divisions will still have to operate under PLAAF controlled skies.

I am doubtful about this purchase putting a drain on Taiwan's procurement. The is no indication or proof that Taiwan is spending more than it can afford.
Taipei will eventually replace the existing tank fleet with a more modern design which will in all likelihood be smaller due to the increased capability and price tag it offers.
For a nation for with such a small landscape like Taiwan a thousand MBTs borders nearly on the verge of excessive. What they will get and how much will be dictated solely by their domestic needs and projections.

 

[abc123]

I am doubtful about this purchase putting a drain on Taiwan's procurement. The is no indication or proof that Taiwan is spending more than it can afford.
Taipei will eventually replace the existing tank fleet with a more modern design which will in all likelihood be smaller due to the increased capability and price tag it offers.
For a nation for with such a small landscape like Taiwan a thousand MBTs borders nearly on the verge of excessive. What they will get and how much will be dictated solely by their domestic needs and projections.

For such densley populated and urbanised country like Taiwan I really don't see why would they need 1000 heavy tanks. If they have what to do with them ( fight against Chinese tanks ) then the Battle for Taiwan is allready lost.

 

[manqiangrexue]

@Viktor Jav @abc123 There is no nation or country of Taiwan; no such place is recognized by the UN or any relevant nation in the world. It is the Chinese territory called Republic of China.

 

[Deleted member 13312]

For such densley populated and urbanised country like Taiwan I really don't see why would they need 1000 heavy tanks. If they have what to do with them ( fight against Chinese tanks ) then the Battle for Taiwan is allready lost.

That depends, holding strategic choke holds to delay the enemy force is where these tanks will shine best, and with the accompanying attrition rates and repairs unit rotations will very useful. A crew switch to a fresh tank within seconds.
One thing is for sure however, on an island nation as small as Taiwan, there will be no fancy armoured manuevers and tactics. Just plain simple grinding.

 

[Skywatcher]

I am doubtful about this purchase putting a drain on Taiwan's procurement. The is no indication or proof that Taiwan is spending more than it can afford.
Taipei will eventually replace the existing tank fleet with a more modern design which will in all likelihood be smaller due to the increased capability and price tag it offers.
For a nation for with such a small landscape like Taiwan a thousand MBTs borders nearly on the verge of excessive. What they will get and how much will be dictated solely by their domestic needs and projections.

$1 billion (just for the tanks, with no support package) is about 8-10% of the defense budget. Since procurement is about 20-30% of the total budget, that's 50+% of the total defense procurement for one year going to one purchase (of very questionable operational utility) alone. $1 billion spread out over a several years, that essentially eats all of the ROCA's share of the defense budget (the ROC Army will probably get less than 33% since the ROCAF and ROCN have historically dominated procurement). That means the ROCA will have difficulty affording other things like artillery, anti-ship missiles, body armor, drones, helicopters, communications gear, cyber...

100 or so M1A2 at the start of the war would be whittled down to 20-30 tanks after a couple week of bombardment (assuming an 80% readiness rate). Now those 20-30 tanks have to engage a PLANMC force armed with every kind of ATGM, and dodge naval artillery, attack helicopters, fixed wing aviation, drones (including flocks of one way attack drones). And that's assuming their are no PLA MBTs in the neighborhood.

Two armored divisions would have around 600 tanks. That's expensive enough by itself, but then you need to procure modern IFVs and other such vehicles to keep up with the MBTs...

Two divisions (or their equivalent in brigade combat teams) would end up with north of 40,000 personnel. That's about 33% of the entire ROCA current end strength (which is only going to shrink in the future). In the future digital battlefield, that's a huge sunk cost