Taiwan Defence | Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific Defence News

Malaysian defence minister handing over the ASEAN defence ministers' meeting chairmanship to Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on a stage

Beijing blames Manila for its low-level seat at ASEAN defence talks, and Teodoro pushes back

China's defence ministry says Philippine politicians obstructed its attendance in Cebu; Teodoro says ASEAN does not share that view and left the attache to his deputy.

TaiwanDefence · 1m ago · 3 min read

Cross-Strait

A grey Chinese J-15 carrier fighter with its hook down approaching the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Liaoning at sea

Cross-Strait

Taiwan says China has sent more than 50 warships and coast guard ships across the first island chain

National Security Council chief Joseph Wu says several PLA Navy formations, including the Liaoning carrier group, are training east of the first island chain.

TaiwanDefence · 20h ago · 2 min read

White stone facade of the Legislative Yuan chamber building in Taipei with steps and potted shrubs in front

Cross-Strait

Taiwan's legislature starts its review of a 2027 budget with NT$1.12 trillion for defence

Lawmakers sent the 2027 spending plan to committees after Premier Cho Jung-tai's report, a year after the 2026 budget took 351 days to pass.

TaiwanDefence · 1d ago · 2 min read

Cross-Strait

Taiwan says about 4% of its troops still get no extra pay after the new combat allowance

2d ago

Cross-Strait

China opens a party plenum as a think tank finds 42 of 44 PLA Central Committee members purged or missing

3d ago

Navy

A black Virginia-class submarine moored pierside, its sail and hull visible above the water

Navy

USS Colorado will be the first US attack submarine to rotate through Western Australia under AUKUS

The US, Australia and Britain named the Virginia-class boat as the first for Submarine Rotational Force-West at HMAS Stirling, starting in late 2027.

TaiwanDefence · 2d ago · 3 min read

Navy

South Korean navy flight instructor becomes the service's first pilot to log 10,000 accident-free hours

Park Ki-hyun, a former navy helicopter pilot who now trains new aviators at Mokpo, reached the mark on a training flight on 23 October, the navy said.

TaiwanDefence · 3d ago · 3 min read

Navy

Philippine Navy reports track the Liaoning carrier group turning northeast past Mindanao

3d ago

Navy

India's home-built submarine AIP system enters its next phase of tests at Hazira

4d ago

Analysis & Commentary

All analysis →

TaiwanDefence

Xi's purge leaves the PLA short of generals, but analysts in Taipei see no let-up in pressure on Taiwan

Willy Lam told a Taipei seminar on 28 October 2026 that only a handful of PLA full generals remain. A thinner high command need not mean a quieter strait.

TaiwanDefence

What India's approval of Project 18A destroyers settles, and what it leaves open

India's defence council cleared Project 18A destroyers on 26 October 2026, but their size, number and engines are still unsettled and service entry looks a decade away.

TaiwanDefence

India's nod for 335 more K9 Vajra guns could make a desert-bought howitzer its mainstay facing China

India's October 2026 approval of 335 more K9 Vajra-T guns builds on lessons from Ladakh, but a long road from approval to contract still lies ahead.

Army

Taiwan's army parks all 29 of its Apache gunships while the US checks a suspect transmission

Taiwan has reportedly grounded its whole AH-64E fleet after a US Army stand-down over gearbox failures, and may clear low-hour airframes first for readiness.

TaiwanDefence · 9h ago · 2 min read

Army

Nineteen Taiwanese service members have died by self-harm this year, more than in all of 2025

14h ago

Army

Taiwan air force C-130s fly stranded travellers home from Kinmen and Matsu after Typhoon Champi

4d ago

Army

Taiwan army drops score sheets in base training and adds battlefield stress first aid

4d ago

Air Force

Ten C-130Js would retire Taiwan's oldest Hercules as the US starts work on the request

Military sources say Washington has begun processing Taiwan's request for 10 new transports, with the case due by next May and funding from 2028.

TaiwanDefence · 7h ago · 3 min read

Air Force

Taiwan has two of its six MS-110 spy pods for F-16s, with the rest due by December

1d ago

Air Force

Taiwan air force keeps a reservist call-up on election day, telling 311 to vote before reporting

17 Oct 2026

Air Force

Cabinet warns Songshan airport move would leave a critical gap in capital defence

16 Oct 2026

Industry

South Korean Marine Corps transport helicopter with Korean markings parked beside a large US Marine Corps CH-53E helicopter on an airfield

Industry

South Korea finishes developing its own Marine attack helicopter, with production due to start in 2027

The arms agency says the Surion-based Marine Attack Helicopter has fired all four of its weapons, including an air-to-air missile, and will move into production in 2027.

TaiwanDefence · 1d ago · 3 min read

Industry

Indo-Pacific

Beijing blames Manila for its low-level seat at ASEAN defence talks, and Teodoro pushes back

China's defence ministry says Philippine politicians obstructed its attendance in Cebu; Teodoro says ASEAN does not share that view and left the attache to his deputy.

TaiwanDefence · 1m ago · 3 min read

Indo-Pacific

Beijing blames Manila for its low-level seat at ASEAN defence talks, and Teodoro pushes back

Top Stories

China's build-up comes with no explanation and is straining Southeast Asia, Marles says in Cebu

A US Marine Reaper drone unit is now flying from Palawan, much closer to Second Thomas Shoal

Germany weighs a role in the GCAP fighter as Merz and Takaichi agree to deepen defence ties

Patriot and a US-built Iron Dome interceptor are in the running for Australia's army missile shield

US military hardware is heading to Hanoi's arms expo as Vietnam presses landing-craft talks with Japan

Cross-Strait

Taiwan says China has sent more than 50 warships and coast guard ships across the first island chain

Taiwan's legislature starts its review of a 2027 budget with NT$1.12 trillion for defence

Taiwan says about 4% of its troops still get no extra pay after the new combat allowance

China opens a party plenum as a think tank finds 42 of 44 PLA Central Committee members purged or missing

Navy

USS Colorado will be the first US attack submarine to rotate through Western Australia under AUKUS

South Korean navy flight instructor becomes the service's first pilot to log 10,000 accident-free hours

Philippine Navy reports track the Liaoning carrier group turning northeast past Mindanao

India's home-built submarine AIP system enters its next phase of tests at Hazira

Analysis & Commentary

Xi's purge leaves the PLA short of generals, but analysts in Taipei see no let-up in pressure on Taiwan

What India's approval of Project 18A destroyers settles, and what it leaves open

India's nod for 335 more K9 Vajra guns could make a desert-bought howitzer its mainstay facing China

Army

Taiwan's army parks all 29 of its Apache gunships while the US checks a suspect transmission

Nineteen Taiwanese service members have died by self-harm this year, more than in all of 2025

Taiwan air force C-130s fly stranded travellers home from Kinmen and Matsu after Typhoon Champi

Taiwan army drops score sheets in base training and adds battlefield stress first aid

Air Force

Ten C-130Js would retire Taiwan's oldest Hercules as the US starts work on the request

Taiwan has two of its six MS-110 spy pods for F-16s, with the rest due by December

Taiwan air force keeps a reservist call-up on election day, telling 311 to vote before reporting

Cabinet warns Songshan airport move would leave a critical gap in capital defence

Industry

South Korea finishes developing its own Marine attack helicopter, with production due to start in 2027

India's tri-service headquarters signs a five-year AI pact with Sarvam that covers targeting

Court pauses South Korea's bidding ban on LIG D&A as a KF-21 missile contract waits on a November hearing

Ukraine says Taiwanese-made machines and parts feed Russia's missile plants, often inside Chinese tools

Indo-Pacific

Beijing blames Manila for its low-level seat at ASEAN defence talks, and Teodoro pushes back

China's build-up comes with no explanation and is straining Southeast Asia, Marles says in Cebu

A US Marine Reaper drone unit is now flying from Palawan, much closer to Second Thomas Shoal

Germany weighs a role in the GCAP fighter as Merz and Takaichi agree to deepen defence ties