Taiwan is using Frankenstein-style tanks made with old Patton designs to guard the gateway to its capital
A CM-11 tank stands watch over the mouth of the Tamsui River from a fixed position.
Matthew Loh for Business Insider Taiwan is practicing guarding its crucial Tamsui River with CM-11 Brave Tigers.
These tanks were first assembled over 30 years ago, from Cold War-era parts supplied by the US.
Unlikely to stand toe-to-toe against Chinese tanks, they're being used in fixed positions in choke points.
TAIPEI — About a four-minute walk from the metro station, 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 were winding down their early morning Taichi, unaware that a group of main battle tanks — built with designs as old as they are — watched over the scene.
Taiwan deployed at least three CM-11 Brave Tiger tanks during the river drill that Friday morning, as part of the island's 10-day annual Han Kuang exercise.
The Tamsui, about three-quarters of a mile wide, is vital to Taipei's defense because it opens a route from the Taiwan Strait into the heart of the capital, where the island's presidential office, defense ministry, and military command center are located.
The Brave Tigers, stationed less than three miles from the mouth of the Tamsui, had a clear view of the river from their fixed positions on the eastern shore.
Three CM-11 Brave Tiger tanks are stationed in fixed positions along the Tamsui River.
Matthew Loh for Business Insider First entering service in Taiwan in 1990, they're an amalgamation of parts from Cold War-era tanks supplied by the US decades ago.
Each one uses the chassis of an M60A3, first introduced in the 1970s, and a turret derived from the M48A3 Patton, an even older tank dating back to the 1960s.
The Brave Tiger's main armament is a 105-mm M68A1 tank gun, while its fire-control package comes from the M1 Abrams.
Both designs are over 40 years old.
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