Taiwan is putting serious money into new armored vehicles, a sign it expects to need faster, more mobile ground forces close to home.

• The army will spend NT$57 billion through 2033 to buy 178 wheeled gun vehicles armed with a 105mm tank cannon.
• The vehicle, built at home under the "Cheetah" program, passed army testing after three rounds of redesign, with deliveries starting slowly and ramping up mid-decade.
• It is fast and light — able to hit 100 km/h, shoot on the move, and punch through heavy steel armor at long range.
• Separately, the military is buying 4,647 light off-road tactical trucks — basically pickups — to move troops and supplies quickly between combat zones.
• Another NT$79.5 billion goes to replacing 40-year-old tracked personnel carriers with 410 new wheeled combat and command vehicles.

Outlook: The spending plans now go to Taiwan's legislature, where the defense budget will be debated before purchases formally begin next year.