Taiwan is training its Abrams tank crews to hide and refuel inside its bustling urban sprawl
Taiwanese military forces are conducting urban warfare drills, including refueling American-made M1A2T Abrams tanks in civilian areas. These exercises are part of the annual Han Kuang drills designed to simulate defensive strategies against a potential Chinese invasion.
Why it matters
The integration of heavy armor into urban environments reflects Taiwan's evolving military strategy to counter potential amphibious assaults through asymmetric warfare.
An M1A2T platoon took part in Han Kuang's drills in Taoyuan on Monday. Matthew Loh for Business Insider Taiwan is training crews to operate its new Abrams tanks inside its cities. Its annual drills included a refueling exercise for the American-made tank near the island's main airport. Taiwan recently received 108 M1A2Ts, the modern spearhead of its aging armor arsenal. TAOYUAN, TAIWAN — Nestled inside a construction yard about a mile outside Taiwan's main airport, a platoon of M1A2T Abrams tanks lies in wait, covered by tarps and debris. One of the main battle tanks, sporting a metal anti-drone cage, roars forward while crews prepare to refuel its powerful Honeywell AGT1500 gas-turbine engine in the broiling August heat. Civilian cars and vans whiz by as the Abrams brakes in the courtyard, allowing troops to connect the American-made tank to an M978 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck.
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