Taiwan Deploys Vintage Brave Tiger Tanks to Guard Tamsui River in Han Kuang Drill

During the ten-day Han Kuang exercise, Taiwanese forces used an American-made M3 amphibious bridging vehicle to move troops across the Tamsui River, then deployed pontoons and explosive barrels. On the eastern shore, at least three CM-11 Brave Tiger main battle tanks—assembled from M60A3 chassis and M48A3 turrets dating back to the 1960s and 1970s—watched the river, which provides a direct route from the Taiwan Strait to the capital’s key institutions.

Their 105-mm M68A1 guns can reach across the roughly three-quarter-mile span, enabling them to deter or ambush potential Chinese landing craft. Analyst Ben Lewis said employing such old platforms for static fire-support is logical, though they lack protection against modern anti-tank weapons. Taiwan fields roughly 450 Brave Tigers, far fewer than China’s estimated 6,000 tanks, and has recently received 108 M1A2T Abrams to strengthen its armored force. One outlet analyst suggested the older tanks are best suited for holding chokepoints against a likely Chinese amphibious assault.