Taiwan has shown off the Cheetah wheeled combat vehicle, armed with a 105mm gun, and announced that it should enter mass production next year, Reuters reported on a Taipei Times publication. The vehicle was demonstrated by the Armaments Bureau on September 23 in the southern city of Tainan, where it showed firing at stationary and moving targets, as well as working in the so-called hunter-killer mode.
The development is a joint effort between the Armaments Bureau and the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology. According to the publication, the Cheetah passed its first army tests back in 2023, and has now reached a stage where authorities are talking about mass production.
What the new machine shows
The demonstration comes at a time when Taiwan is accelerating its programs to modernize its ground forces. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Cheetah is designed to operate in a wide range of terrain, including underpasses and rough roads, and to provide greater maneuverability when fighting in urban environments.
The Taipei Times article also states that the machine is designed not only for fire support, but also for more flexible movement on the battlefield. This is what sets it apart from heavier tracked platforms, which are more difficult to maintain and more limited in urban environments.
The Cheetah shown is part of Taiwan's broader attempt to build a more resilient and mobile defense system amid increased military pressure from China. In official documents cited by the publication, the army has set aside 57.07 billion new Taiwan dollars for 178 Cheetah vehicles in the period 2027-2033.
Army plan and budget
The same documents also provide for a separate package of 79.54 billion new Taiwan dollars for 410 wheeled combat and command vehicles, which are to replace the aging CM21 armored personnel carriers by 2034. This shows that the Cheetah is not a single project, but part of a broader change in the land composition of the Taiwanese army.
The project has been in preparation for years. The joint work also involved state scientific structures, and the first tests in 2023 were the key stage, after which the machine received the green light for further development.
The publication emphasizes that the Cheetah was created with greater flexibility on the battlefield and for rapid transition between different types of terrain in mind. This is important for Taiwan, where a possible conflict would include not only open areas, but also densely urbanized areas.
The Taiwanese authorities have not announced a new date for the start of mass production, but according to the Taipei Times, it is planned for 2027. The demonstration in Tainan itself shows that the program has already advanced from the test stage to preparation for serial production.
This places the Cheetah among the most important new land weapons projects on the island. For Taiwan, the vehicle is another element in an attempt to strengthen national defense with local production and reduce dependence on heavier and more expensive platforms.
“The vehicle will provide greater convenience and maneuverability in urban combat“, the Taipei Times quoted a military official as saying, summarizing the project's goal. It is this combination of mobility, firepower and local production that is the basis of the Cheetah.
Sources: Reuters, Taipei Times, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense