Representatives from 25 US defense contractors are scheduled to arrive in Taiwan on Tuesday next week to attend an industry forum and meet with local officials, a military source said on Wednesday.
Aside from attending the half-day Taiwan-US Defense Industry Forum, the delegation would also visit the Ministry of National Defense and Taiwan’s top military research unit, the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the source said.
Among the 25 visiting companies are AeroVironment, the maker of Switchblade 300 loitering munition, commonly known as a “suicide drone,” which has been used to great effect by Ukraine in its war with Russia, the source said.
Photo: CNA
The company’s representatives are expected to exchange views with officials at the research institute, which has begun making its own version of the loitering munition, the source said.
The Taiwan-developed loitering munition is set to undergo operational trials in July and enter mass production next year, they added.
The institute announced earlier this year that it was working closely with the private sector to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for military use in the hope of building a “UAV fleet” next year.
The US-Taiwan Business Council, the main organizer of the forum, said that the event would feature addresses from council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers and other experts and representatives from defense companies.
The event is to be held at Taipei International Convention Center on Wednesday next week.
Attendees are expected to discuss planned joint projects that can help support Taiwan’s national security needs in the face of geopolitical risk, the organizers said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS