Taiwan is setting up its own factory line to assemble 120mm tank shells for its new American-made M1A2T tanks, a move that cuts reliance on foreign ammunition supplies but underlines how fast the island is preparing for conflict.

• Taiwan's military has now received all 108 M1A2T tanks bought from the United States, and they are stationed in the north around Taipei.
• A defense plant in Taipei will spend roughly NT$900 million on an automated system to assemble the tanks' shells at home.
• The line has to turn out at least 160 complete rounds every six hours, a pace built for wartime demand.
• Training rounds come first, but the line must be able to switch over to live armor-piercing and high-explosive shells.
• The tanks replace an aging fleet of Taiwanese armor that has been in service for more than two decades.

Outlook: Taiwan will keep pushing to make more of its own weapons and ammunition at home as tensions with China stay high.