TADTE 2023: Taiwan showcases new 4×4 light tactical vehicle

The Scout Vehicle, pictured above from TADTE 2023, weighs 7.5 tonnes in its combat form and has a maximum range of 500 km. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)

The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense's (MND's) Armaments Bureau has unveiled the prototype of a new 4×4 light tactical vehicle called Scout Vehicle at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition 2023 (TADTE 2023) held in Taipei from 14 to 16 September.

Under development by the 205th Arsenal, based in the southern city of Kaohsiung, the vehicle is designed to perform reconnaissance, surveillance, security, and counterattack missions.

According to Armaments Bureau marketing material, the vehicle provides manoeuvrability and protection capabilities to the military, integrating observation and weapon systems equipped with optoelectronic reconnaissance and fire-control functions.

A spokesperson for the 205th Arsenal told Janes at the exhibition that the vehicle is under development and testing will start from 2024.

The vehicle can carry five troops and will be equipped with new types of guns to enhance ground combat capabilities of the military, the spokesperson added.

The vehicle weighs 7.5 tonnes in its combat form and has a maximum range of 500 km, according to the Armaments Bureau. The vehicle's maximum speed is 100 km/h and it is equipped with a 12.7 mm remote weapon station (RWS).

Apart from the Scout Vehicle, the bureau showcased the CM-34 8×8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) at the exhibition.

In 2019 the Republic of China Army (RoCA) ordered 305 CM-34s. “This is the final year of mass production of CM-34s and all the vehicles will be delivered to RoCA by the end of this year,” the spokesperson said.