Taiwanese M41 Variants

     Notes: Taiwan, in the spirit of “any combat vehicle is better than none,” upgraded their M41A3s in the mid-1990s, turning them into much more capable combat vehicles than their M41A3 predecessors ever were.  They began by replacing their M32 main guns with the 76mm M32K1 variant of the M32, an indigenous development of the M32. The M32K1 variant has a fume extractor and a different muzzle brake, allowing it to fire the new 76mm APFSDS rounds that had been developed for M32-type 76mm guns.  Fire control has been significantly upgraded, with a laser rangefinder and ballistic computer. The M41D is equipped with a thermal imager which allows the commander to view through the gunner’s night sights, though it is not a hunter-killer thermal imager. The M41D has lugs for ERA on the turret front, turret sides, hull front, and hull sides.  The vehicle is fitted with armored side skirts protecting the upper track and hull sides; these skirts also serve to keep dust down. The M41D is powered by a 405-horsepower 8V-71T diesel engine which, while it does not have the raw power of an M41A3’s engine, it is much less fuel-hungry. This is accentuated by the larger fuel tanks of the M41D. The engine is coupled to a CD500 automatic transmission. The coaxial armament of the M41D is the Type 74 (or T74) machinegun, which is a locally manufactured version of the MAG.

     The Type 65 (or T65) is a variant of the M41D which has thick applique armor on the hull front and sides and a new cast turret which is also much more heavily armored. The coaxial machinegun is a locally manufactured version of the M60E2 instead of the Type 74 of the M41D. The cast turret’s interior dimensions are smaller than those of the M41D, which can increase crew fatigue.

     The M41D and Type 65 are currently in service with the Taiwanese Army only in small numbers; Taiwanese M41A3s have recently been retired and the M41D and Type 65 are probably soon to follow.