Taiwan shows off new US tanks amid annual war games

By Greg Torode and Fabian Hamacher

TAIPEI/HSINCHU (Reuters) -Taiwan's army on Thursday displayed the fire power of its first U.S.-sourced M1A2T Abrams tanks - a traditional weapon that analysts say will need to be increasingly protected against drones in any future battle given lessons from the Ukraine war.

Four Abrams tanks were shown manoeuvring across a mud-choked army training ground in Hsinchu county, firing at moving and static targets, on the second day of Taiwan's annual military exercises that are designed to test the island's resilience in a conflict with China.

Wearing a combat helmet, President Lai Ching-te observed the firing, saying later that with "every increase in the military's combat power, the nation and its people gain an extra layer of security".

"Whether in terms of strike capability or mobility, it was extremely powerful — undoubtedly the strongest tank on the battlefield," Lai said.

Senior military officials in Lai's government say they intend the comprehensive 10-day drills to show both China and the international community, including its key weapons supplier the U.S., that Taiwan is determined to defend itself against any China attack or invasion.

China views the democratically governed island as its own and has intensified military pressure around Taiwan over the last five years.

Lai's comments also come ahead of a recall parliamentary election on July 26 that could see his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) take back control of the legislature.

The tanks are among the first batch of 38 Abrams main battle tanks delivered in December, with the rest of the 108 ordered by Taiwan due to be delivered later this year and next year.

They marked Taiwan's first new tanks for 24 years.

Analysts and regional military attaches say that while the Abrams remains a potent and highly adaptable weapon that would help Taiwan defend its cities and coasts in an invasion scenario, Taiwan will have to leverage its counter-drone technology to protect them.

Both Russian and Ukrainian tanks, including U.S. Abrams supplied to Kyiv, have reportedly proven vulnerable to drones and advanced anti-tank weapons.

The tanks have yet to be fully commissioned and Wednesday's test firing was not a formal part of the Han Kuang drills, which are designed to replicate full battle conditions at sea, on land and in the skies, military officials said.

Major General Chou Kuang-i, who heads the 584th armour brigade, said he expected the tanks to be in service later this year and deployed to combat zones according to "the current enemy threat and the tactical needs".

Singapore-based military scholar Thomas Lim said he expected Taiwan would attempt in a war scenario to cover their "prized assets" with counter drone elements, or also deploy them from high positions for extra protection.

"This isn't straightforward...but it isn't a problem unique to Abrams," said Lim, of Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

President Lai said that he believed that through "realistic combat training", the M1A2T tank will "be able to integrate with drones and innovative tactics to more effectively fulfill the nation's strategic objectives".

China's defence ministry on Tuesday said that Taiwan's drills were "nothing but a bluff".

(Reporting By Greg Torode and Fabian Hamacher in Taipei; additional reporting by Angie Teo; Editing by Michael Perry)