Type Armoured vehicle Unit cost US$2million | Designed 2002 | |
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Place of origin Taiwan (Republic of China) Designer Ordnance Readiness Development Center and Timoney Technology Limited Manufacturer Ordnance Readiness Development Center | ||
The CM-32 "Clouded Leopard" (雲豹裝甲車 "Yunpao"), officially Taiwan Infantry Fighting Vehicle (TIFV), is an eight-wheeled armoured vehicle currently being produced for the Republic of China (Taiwan) Army. It is based on the 6x6 CM-31 designed by Timoney Technology Limited of Ireland and is further developed by the Ordnance Readiness Development Center.
According to the Taipei Times, it was named after the clouded leopard to show that the vehicle is "agile and swift".
Design and development
The project was launched in 2002, at a cost of NT$700 million (US$21.9 million) per unit.
Mass production started in 2007, with an initial order for 600 units. It is estimated that up to 1,400 CM-32s may end up being in operational service. The armor of the CM-32 provides protection of 7.62 mm AP rounds, while the frontal arc withstands 12.7 mm AP rounds. NBC protection and fire suppression systems are also standard. The V-shaped hull provides protection from landmines and can withstand 12 kg of TNT under any wheel.
The CM-32 is armed with a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher and a 7.62 mm co-axial machinegun, both mounted in a remote weapons station, in its basic APC form. An infantry fighting vehicle variant with a two-man turret is also slated for mass-production in the near future; the turret main armament was originally planned to be a 20 mm T75 revolver cannon combined with improved armor-piercing ammunition acquired alongside the Phalanx Block 1B weapon systems ordered by the Republic of China Navy, but ultimately the 30 mm Bushmaster II chaingun was chosen instead.
In addition to the infantry carriers, other planned variants include command vehicle, NBC reconnaissance vehicle, mortar carrier (can be configured with either a 81 mm or 120 mm mortar), and assault gun (armed with a 105 mm rifled gun).