The CM-12 Tank is a modified M48A3 made for the

Republic of China Army The Republic of China Army (ROCA), previously known as the Chinese Nationalist Army or Nationalist Revolutionary Army and unofficially as the Taiwanese Army, is the largest branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces. An estimated 80% of th ...

situated on

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. The Armored Vehicle Development Center (AVDC) used the extra 100 fire-control system units from the production of the

CM-11 Brave Tiger The CM-11 Brave Tiger () is a main battle tank (MBT) that was developed by the American General Dynamics and the Republic of China Army Armored Vehicle Development Center. It was introduced to the public on 14 April 1990. The CM-11 is a hybrid ...

to modify the existing M48A3 tanks of the ROC Army. The modification was completed as of 1993. The CM-12 can be distinguished from the CM-11 by the rounded glacis plates, and from the M48A3 by the 105mm M68A1 cannon, which is longer than the 90mm T139/M3A1 cannon on the M48A3 and lacks a

muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...

, and by the different commander's cupola.

Modifications

The CM-12 program selected some M48A3 hulls and replaced the petrol engines with

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

s, installed a new transmission, replaced the tracks, and replaced the turret with the CM-11's turret. The modified tank was renamed CM-12. During the Brave Tiger (CM-11) upgrade program, AVDC received an M48A5 for reference. The idea of the CM-12 was derived from the M48A5. The exterior of CM-12 and M48A5 are similar, but the interior is completely different; the main difference being that replacing the original engine and turret of the M48A3 cost interior fuel capacity, decreasing its range. The CM-12 also has an upgraded fire-control system due to it using the same turret as the CM-11. The M48A5 has no upgraded fire-control system. The armament of CM-12 is identical to CM-11's. The main cannon is an M68A1 105mm cannon, which can fire ammunition such as

armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), long dart penetrator, or simply dart ammunition, is a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition used to attack modern vehicle armour. As an armament for main battle tanks, it succeeds A ...

(APFSDS) Rounds. It can carry up to 60 rounds on board. One M2HB machine gun is mounted on the commander's cupola, one T74 machine gun on the gunner's cupola, and one coaxial M240 machine gun inside the turret. The protection on CM-12 is outdated, being unable to stop shells fired from the 125mm smoothbore cannon mounted on tanks used by the

Chinese People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...

such as the Type 96, and the material used is inferior to that used on newer tanks, being made of cast steel instead of more modern composite materials. After the great disarmament of Ching Shih (精實案) and Ching Chin (精進案), the existing CM-11 and M60A3 TTS tanks are enough for the ROCA, and almost half of the CM-12s are now retired. File:CM-12 Tank Turret Font Near View 20120211.JPG, Close up of the CM-12's turret File:CM-12 Tank Side View in ROCA Infantry School 20120211a.JPG, Side view of the CM-12 File:CM-12 Tank Rear View in ROCA Infantry School 20120211.JPG, Rear view of the CM-12 File:CM-12 Tank Ready to Transport 20120211a.JPG, A ready-to-transport CM-12 File:Soldiers Taken out Machine Guns of CM-12 Tank 20120211.jpg, Soldiers removing machine guns from a CM-12

References

External links

Defense News: Taiwan CM12 V.S. Korean M48A5KMilitary Factory
{{commons category, CM-12 Post–Cold War main battle tanks Armoured fighting vehicles of the Republic of China Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s