Taiwan has officially welcomed the first shipment of M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) from the United States, with 38 units arriving at the Port of Taipei on December 13.

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Following the arrival of the first batch of the M1A2T tanks at Taipei Port on Sunday, they are scheduled to be transported to Hsinchu from Sunday night to Monday morning. These tanks will be deployed to the Taiwan army's training center in Hsinchu, in preparation for training after the Spring Festival next year, according to Taiwan media outlet Liberty Times Net on Sunday.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced that the delivery schedule includes 42 additional tanks set to arrive next year, followed by the final batch of 26 in 2026. Maintenance training and weapons systems instruction for military personnel will commence in February 2025.

The procurement stems from a deal signed with the U.S. in December 2019, valued at $1.24 billion. This agreement includes 108 M1A2T tanks produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, along with supporting equipment such as 14 M88A2 armored recovery vehicles, 16 M1070A1 tank transporters, and 16 M1000 trailers. The Abrams tanks are intended to replace Taiwan’s aging fleet, which comprises American M60A3s and domestically manufactured CM11 MBTs.

The M1A2T, a variant of the M1A2 SEP V2 customized for Taiwan, features a 120mm smoothbore gun capable of penetrating up to 850mm of armor. Additionally, the tank’s composite armor can resist armor-piercing rounds of similar strength, offering significant battlefield resilience.