Four M1A2T Abrams tanks belonging to Taiwan's army entered Taoyuan International Airport, the main airport serving Taipei, on August 7 to rehearse how to stop an attack from the air. The drill simulated an attempt to seize the runways and use them to bring in more troops and equipment.
The exercise formed part of Han Kuang 42, which had begun two days earlier, and did not require closing the airport. According to the website The War Zone, military officials said the drill was meant to validate joint coordination between the military and civilians in wartime, with commercial operations continuing uninterrupted throughout the maneuver.
Denying the airport to an attacker
Taiwan's 584th Armored Brigade deployed six Clouded Leopard 8x8 infantry fighting vehicles in three variants alongside the Abrams tanks. The scenario called for armored vehicles inside the country's main airport to prevent an airborne unit from establishing a foothold at Taoyuan before reinforcements could arrive.
If an attacking force were able to secure Taoyuan, it would not need to hold a beachhead on a beach to begin receiving men and supplies. Taoyuan functioning as a potential enemy air bridge would speed up the movement of forces into the Taipei area. The War Zone compared the scenario to the battle for Hostomel airport during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Taiwan is also rehearsing what to do if holding the runways becomes impossible. The 53rd Engineer Group is taking part in coordination to destroy the runways if the defense fails, so that they are put out of action before the airport is given up. The priority would not be keeping the facility intact but preventing it from being used to sustain an invasion.
Tanks as one piece of a layered defense
That is why the Abrams tanks are only one part of the plan. Taiwan is combining tanks with AH-64 Apache helicopters, artillery, rocket launchers, coastal batteries, air defenses, Stinger missiles and drones, which are playing an increasingly large role in these plans. A layered defense of Taoyuan fits a style of warfare shaped by drones and long-range weapons.
Abrams tanks take on a broader role
Taiwan ordered 108 M1A2T tanks from the United States, received the first of them in December 2024 and completed deliveries in April 2026. The M1A2T is broadly equivalent to the American M1A2 SEPv3. The 108 Abrams delivered between 2024 and 2026 are now taking on tasks that go well beyond confronting other tanks.
The size and weight of the M1A2T have also raised questions about how well it fits an island where an invasion could lead to urban combat. Taiwan has long practiced for exactly that kind of fighting, hiding armored vehicles among buildings and civilian machinery, with improvised camouflage that has at times turned a Clouded Leopard 8x8 into something resembling a yellow crane.
Protecting Taipei's wider infrastructure
The same thinking extends across the rest of Taipei. The city's metro system is included in planning for moving troops, supplies and air defense equipment, while the protection of critical infrastructure also involves sensors capable of detecting small threats, such as LiDAR systems used to detect drones. Integrating the airport into the broader battlefield plan completes that approach.
