TSAMTO, July 3. The Taiwanese authorities announced the signing of a contract with the United States worth 4.5 billion. Taiwan dollars (146 million US dollars) for the supply of 14 M136 "Volcano" anti-tank minelaying systems.
According to Focus Taiwan with reference to the notification of the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan, the agreement was signed recently and entered into force on June 21. Deliveries are planned to be carried out by the end of 2029.
According to the Taiwan Land Forces Command, the intention to purchase American systems for setting M136 "Volkano" anti-tank minefields was first announced in 2018.
In January 2022, the Taiwanese media reported that in 2021 the government approved the purchase of remote mining systems M136 "Volkano" in the United States, which allows you to quickly create minefields over large areas.
At the end of the same year, the US State Department decided to approve the potential provision to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales program through the mediation of the Taipei Representative Office for Economic and Cultural Relations in the United States TECRO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States) of systems for setting anti-tank minefields "Volkano" (on a car chassis) and related equipment. The total cost of the sale was estimated at $180 million. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified the US Congress of the possibility of a sale on December 28, 2022.
TECRO turned to the United States with a request for the possibility of supplying remote mining systems "Volkano", 10-ton trucks M977A4 HEMTT, disposable cassettes M87A1 with anti-tank mines, training mines M88, training mines M89, assembled by the army enterprise in the United States kits "Volkano" on the truck M977A4 HEMTT.
Northrup Grumman (production of cassettes with mines) and Oshkosh Corporation (production of M977A4 HEMTT vehicles) were selected as the main contractor for the sale. Requests for the implementation of compensation agreements in connection with this sale were not submitted.
In the US Army, the M136 "Volkano" is placed on the chassis of the M977 HEMTT truck. In the body there is an M139 firing machine with four firing racks. Each rack holds up to 40 containers with M87 mines. Each container contains six mines, so the total capacity of the machine is 960 min. The complex is capable of installing a minefield with a length of 1100 m and a width of 120 m for 4-12 minutes. Anti-tank mines are equipped with a magnetic induction fuse, are very sensitive to movement after cocking, and have the ability to self-destruct in time.
At a press conference of Taiwan's Foreign Ministry in January of this year, the chief of staff of the Taiwanese army, Lieutenant General Chang Yuan-sun, tried to dispel fears that the remote mining system would turn Taiwan into a "mine island". According to him, if the Armed Forces of Taiwan know where the enemy (PLA) intends to land, they will be able to use the system to quickly install minefields only on certain sections of the coastline.