CM-11 Brave Tiger
In service 1990 - In service
Based onM48 Patton (derived from)
A Taiwanese composite tank marrying the M48A3 turret and hull to the M60A3 chassis and the M1 Abrams digital fire control system.
Built byRepublic of China Army Ordnance Readiness Development Center with General Dynamics
Development history
Denied access to the M1 Abrams, Taiwan built its own compromise. The CM-11, named Brave Tiger, takes the hull of the M60A1, the cast turret of the M48A3 with its 105 mm M68 gun, and the fire control computer, laser rangefinder and thermal sight developed for the M1. The result looks like a Korean War-era Patton and shoots like a tank two generations younger, which suited an army expecting to fight a defensive battle over short ranges on the island's west coast. A parallel programme, the CM-12, applied the same fire control upgrade to existing M48A3 hulls. Both remain in Republic of China Army service, with a replacement programme built around the M1A2T only beginning in the 2020s.