As part of the so-called “Cheetah Project,” the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan has authorized the development of an 8×8 wheeled fire support vehicle equipped with a 105mm cannon, a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun, and a remotely controlled 12.7mm turret.
The new Fire Support Vehicle will be a variant of the CM-34 “Clouded Leopard” infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), an 8×8 armored vehicle currently manufactured for the Taiwanese Army, which is based on the 6×6 CM-31 designed by Timoney Technology Limited of Ireland and developed by the Ordnance Readiness Development Center. Specifically, the CM-34 is the fourth prototype of the variant of the vehicles that has been active and in service since 2019, and it has already been seen armed with the Mk44 Bushmaster II cannon.
The Clouded Leopard also features powerful armor that incorporates NBC protection and fire suppression systems, as well as a V-shaped hull that provides solid protection against landmines.
For the creation of two prototypes of this new variant, the island’s government allocated a budget of 768 million TWD (USD 23.9 million). In addition, the Taiwan Army (RoCA) conducted rigorous combat readiness tests to validate the effectiveness of the vehicle’s firepower.
As an additional measure, Taiwan tasked the 202nd Ammunition Factory of the Arsenal with producing armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot tracer (APFSDS-T) projectiles adapted to the new 8×8 variant. This, in turn, could complement a possible acquisition of 30mm ammunition authorized by the United States for the original CM-34 of the Taiwanese Armed Forces.
Includes images from: Absalon L16 and International Defence Analysis.
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