TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Army will hold an inaugural ceremony for its first battalion of Abrams tanks next week, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) confirmed at a Legislative Yuan Foreign and National Defense Committee hearing on Thursday.

The ceremony is set for Oct. 31 at the 584th Armored Brigade base in Hukou, Hsinchu, Koo said, per CNA. The first batch of 38 Abrams tanks arrived in Taiwan in late December. After crews completed training, they conducted target practice during the Han Kuang Exercise in July, hitting all targets.

Forty-two additional tanks arrived in July, and a third batch of 28 is expected to arrive early next year. The Army allocated NT$40.52 billion (US$1.31 billion) from 2019 to 2027 to buy 108 Abrams from the US.

Most of the new tanks will be deployed with the 584th Armored Brigade. The remainder will go to the 269th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Taoyuan and the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County.

The Abrams has a hunter-killer system that allows the gunner to engage an identified target as the commander immediately begins searching for the next target, greatly improving combat efficiency.

The Army currently fields approximately 1,000 tanks, including M60A3 Pattons, many of which have been in service for more than 20 years. The Patton tanks will be refitted with new engines and new fire-control systems to enable a “hunter-killer” mode similar to the Abrams, CNA reported.