Taiwan's Frankenstein Tanks Guard Capital River in War Drill

TAIPEI – Taiwanese troops slipped into the Tamsui River on an American-made M3 amphibious bridging vehicle, dropping pontoons and clusters of barrels rigged to explode. On the shore, six retirees in gym slacks and tennis shoes finished their early morning Taichi, unaware that a group of main battle tanks watched over the scene.

Taiwan deployed at least three CM-11 Brave Tiger tanks during the river drill Friday morning, part of the island's 10-day annual Han Kuang exercise. The Tamsui, about three-quarters of a mile wide, opens a route from the Taiwan Strait into the heart of the capital, where the presidential office, defense ministry, and military command center sit.

The Brave Tigers, stationed less than three miles from the river's mouth, had a clear view of the water from fixed positions on the eastern shore. First entering service in 1990, they're an amalgamation of Cold War-era parts supplied by the US decades ago. Each uses the chassis of an M60A3, introduced in the 1970s, and a turret derived from the M48A3 Patton, which dates to the 1960s.

The Brave Tiger's main armament is a 105-mm M68A1 tank gun, with a fire-control package from the M1 Abrams. Both designs are over 40 years old. The main gun's direct-fire range of about 1.25 miles easily covers the Tamsui's width, allowing it to ambush or ward off incoming Chinese landing craft or amphibious vessels.

Ben Lewis, an American analyst and founder of PLATracker, which monitors Chinese forces in the Indo-Pacific, spotted the tanks on the shore and said they appeared to be providing fire support for the troops and divers laying mines.