Taiwanese Tigers

[apophenia]

Taiwanese Tigers (Part One)

Background

The Republic of China Army (ROCA) had a firepower problem. Some 108 x 120 mm-armed M1A2T Abrams tanks had been ordered from the US but deliveries were painfully slow. Older Taiwanese tanks in service were all armed with 105 mm M68A1 rifled cannons. Such guns could slice through lighter PLA armour but few believed that the M68s would be effective against against modern tanks.

In the planning stages of the latest M60 upgrade - the M60A3-TTS aka CM-14 - it was intended to rearm with a 120 mm gun. But the TTS retained its 105 mm gun for reasons of both economics and weight control. In reality, the TTS required add-on armour protection much more than it needed a bigger gun. And the already overloaded M60 suspension could not handle the weight of both.

The M60A3-TTS/CM-14 did, at least, have increased power. That was not the case for early ROCA armour upgrades - the CM-11 and CM-12 Yǒng-Hǔ (Brave Tiger) tanks. The former was an hybrid created by combining a US-surplus M60A3 hull with available ROC M48 turrets. The CM-12 was simply an M48 upgraded to approximate M60A3 performance. Both tanks were armed with 105 mm M68A1 rifled guns.

Táiwān hǔ yǔ gǒu wū - Taiwanese Tiger with a Dog House

In late 2025, Taiwan's defence minister, Wellington Koo, announced that the CM-12 fleet were to be decommissioned in 2026 (and replaced by anti-tank drones). [1] Officially, the CM-12s would be dismantled for parts to support the CM-11 and CM-14 fleets. But, in reality, the best of the former M48 hulls were intended to become dedicated tank destroyers under the Type 115 Liè Hǔ (Hunting Tiger) programme. [2]

[To be continued ...]
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[1] These armed drones were dubbed Hu tóu (Tiger Head) after a local name for the Giant Asian Hornet.

[2] The Type number is after Minguo year 115 (corresponding to 2026). Liè Hǔ was a nod to the Yǒng Hǔ (Brave Tiger) name given to the CM-11 (and CM-12) tanks. (The CM-14 designation applied to the M60A3-TTS upgrade was not widely used.)

[apophenia]

Taiwanese Tigers (Part Two)

Taiwan's Tank-Hunter Conversions Begin

The selected M48 hulls had already been relieved of their turrets. [1] Several schemes were entertained for converting these surplus hulls into useful anti-tank vehicles. In the end, the Type 115 programme was divided into two distinct types - the gun-armed CM-15 and the TOW 2B ATGM-armed CM-16. A CM-16 prototype conversion was prepared, mounting the Elevated TOW System (ETS) from the US M1134 Stryker wheeled vehicle. [2] However, a combination of FMS delays and Raytheon's hestitency to restart ETS production put paid to this concept.

Top: The prototype conversion for the CM-16 Liè Hǔ tank destroyer armed with a Raytheon Elevated TOW System. Delays in US FMS approval doomed this project. The CM-16's armoured 'Gǒu wū' (dog house) was outwardly similar to that of the gun-armed CM-15.

The stalled CM-16 'TOW-Under-Armour' project left only the gun-armed tank destroyer conversion or CM-15 Liè Hǔ progressing. The single goal of this project was to rapidly increase the number of modern 120 mm guns available. To that end, copies of the Rheinmetall 120 mm smooth-bore tank gun were sought from two regional sources - Japan and South Korea.

The two CM-15 prototypes and 10 x early 'production' conversions all received reconditioned Japanese 120 mm L/44 guns which had been made under license by Japan Steel Works. These guns featured autoloaders with 22 ready rounds. After trials, both CM-15 Liè Hǔ prototypes and all 10 early production tank destroyers were issued to a new unit of the ROC Army Reserve - specifically the 3rd Tank Battalion of the 6th Army Corps' 584th Armoured Brigade.

[To be continued ...]
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[1] According to Ministry of National Defence announcements, removed turrets had become spares for the CM-11 and CM-14 fleets.

In reality, most of the ex-CM-11 turrets were surreptitiously emplaced along the roadsides leading inland from the suspected invasion beaches. These emplaced turrets - dubbed 'Cìwèi' (Hedgehog) - were well-camouflaged and protected by extensive anti-drone cages.

[2] CM-12 protection levels were considered light for a 21st Century MBT. But, by  comparison with LAVs like the Stryker, CM-12 armour was massive.

[apophenia]

Taiwanese Tigers (Part Three)

Hiding in Plain Sight - ROCA Tank-Hunters

True 'production' conversion CM-15s all received longer, autoloading CN08 120 mm L/55 guns from Hyundai WIA. These CM-15 Liè Hǔ tank destroyers  were produced in two main types - the 'beach defenders' which maximised frontal arc protection and the 'city defenders' which emphasised all-around protection. The 'city defenders' were, themselves, divided into two sub-types - 'hunters' and 'commanders'.

Top: A Liè Hǔ 'commander' variants, mounting a M19 cupola from an M48. Not all 'commander' variants had this cupola fitted and it proved an unpopular feature. The cupola afforded poor visibility and its 12.7 mm M85 machine gun suffered feed issues.

The key problem with the cupola was the necessary omission of the overhead drone cage fitted to other  Liè Hǔ 'city defenders'. Following the lessons from Ukraine, overhead protection for CM-15s increased fairly quickly. The most extreme of these protective measures earned these encased CM-15 'shed tanks' a new nickname - 'Jiā māo' or 'House Cat'.

Bottom: A CM-15 Liè Hǔ 'beach defender' of the 5th Tank Battalion of the 8th Army Corps' 564th Armoured Brigade. Only the colour-match gun barrel betrays this CM-15 parked inside a typical beach defender 'hide'. This particular hide mimics a Koahsiung Transportation transit bus for use along the beaches south of that south-western Taiwanese city.

The hides, mentioned above, were simple metal frames covered in a fabric 'wrap'. The rear rooftop bulge - mimicking the outline of the city bus - is kept inflated by the vehicle air conditioner - which helps to disguise the CM-15 engine's thermal signature. A roof hatch allowed direct vision for a crew member standing on the CM-15's roof.

Operational drill was to take two quick shots before, with position given away, rapidly backing out from under the hide. Here, a tactical weakness was revealed - since the CM-15 had a maximum speed in reverse of only 8-to-10 km/h. While relocating, the vehicle would be highly vulnerable. However, cover from drones and other potential aerial attacks was to be provided by Lièquǎn SPAAGs. [1]

[Fin]
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[1] There were two SPAAG vehicle variants - the  CM-42 Lièquǎn-20 (Gundog-20) armed with a 20 mm Vulcan M163 Gatling, and the CM-44 Lièquǎn-40 (Gundog-40) armed with an ex-ROC Navy 40mm Bofors L/60 autocannon. Both Lièquǎn variants resulted from Project Wòkè (Walker) which sought to make use of the ROC Army's ancient M41 hulls.

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