Wednesday, 21 October 2026 · Taipei
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■Japan's ruling parties will open talks next month on new security documents, split over nuclear submarines■Ukrainian think tank says Taiwan needs at least 1,600 drone boats as its navy readies a 1,320-boat tender■South Korea bars missile maker LIG D&A from defence bids for two years over bribery■Japan signs a deal to give Malaysia's navy a counter-drone system worth 1.65 billion yen■Taiwan's new NT$3.1bn missile upkeep deal shows how much it still leans on ageing air defences■Philippine patrol flight finds no new Chinese structure at Scarborough Shoal despite PLA radio warnings■Japan's ruling parties will open talks next month on new security documents, split over nuclear submarines■Ukrainian think tank says Taiwan needs at least 1,600 drone boats as its navy readies a 1,320-boat tender■South Korea bars missile maker LIG D&A from defence bids for two years over bribery■Japan signs a deal to give Malaysia's navy a counter-drone system worth 1.65 billion yen■Taiwan's new NT$3.1bn missile upkeep deal shows how much it still leans on ageing air defences■Philippine patrol flight finds no new Chinese structure at Scarborough Shoal despite PLA radio warnings
A black Japanese submarine with the hull number 514 and crew lined up on deck sailing past shipyard buildings in Kobe harbour
Indo-Pacific

Japan's ruling parties will open talks next month on new security documents, split over nuclear submarines

The LDP and Ishin will bargain over defence spending goals, the non-nuclear principles and nuclear-powered submarines before Japan rewrites its three security documents.

TaiwanDefence · 38m ago · 2 min read

Top Stories

A grey Ukrainian drone boat with a mounted machine gun on a display stand at a museum entrance
ANALYSISAnalysis

Ukrainian think tank says Taiwan needs at least 1,600 drone boats as its navy readies a 1,320-boat tender

TaiwanDefence · 1h ago · 4 min read

A grey missile mock-up standing upright on a display stand at an indoor defence exhibition
Indo-Pacific

South Korea bars missile maker LIG D&A from defence bids for two years over bribery

TaiwanDefence · 2h ago · 3 min read

A line of grey warships sailing in formation across open sea under a hazy sky
Indo-Pacific

Japan signs a deal to give Malaysia's navy a counter-drone system worth 1.65 billion yen

TaiwanDefence · 3h ago · 3 min read

A light truck carrying a four-missile air defence launcher parked on an air base apron
ANALYSISAnalysis

Taiwan's new NT$3.1bn missile upkeep deal shows how much it still leans on ageing air defences

TaiwanDefence · 4h ago · 4 min read

Aerial view from space of a triangular coral atoll with a turquoise lagoon surrounded by deep blue sea and scattered clouds
Indo-Pacific

Philippine patrol flight finds no new Chinese structure at Scarborough Shoal despite PLA radio warnings

TaiwanDefence · 6h ago · 3 min read

Cross-Strait

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Three officials seated at a briefing table with monitors, under gold characters reading National Police Agency
Cross-Strait

Taiwan's security bureau says China spy indictments rose from 6 in 2020 to 73 this year

A National Security Bureau report to lawmakers says Beijing keeps working to penetrate military units, while attacks on government networks topped 100 million in July.

TaiwanDefence · 9h ago · 3 min read

Grey Taiwanese F-CK-1C Ching-kuo fighter jet with landing gear down on approach against a pale sky
Cross-Strait

Taiwan says the counter-drone system at Ching Chuan Kang air base will be working by the end of October

Defence minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers the system had not yet been accepted when a drone shut the base for 32 minutes and diverted eight fighters.

TaiwanDefence · 10h ago · 2 min read

Cross-Strait

Taiwan tracks 27 Chinese military aircraft as 21 cross the median line in a combat patrol and far-sea drill

13h ago

Cross-Strait

US commission chair calls China's coast guard patrols east of Taiwan highly destabilising

17h ago

Navy

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Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine on its cradle inside a shipyard hall, its bow painted in Taiwan's flag colours
Navy

Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine penalties pass NT$60 million as delivery runs 321 days late

The navy is booking a fine of about NT$190,000 a day against CSBC and will deduct the total from the builder's final payment once the prototype is handed over.

TaiwanDefence · 3d ago · 3 min read

Grey hull and deck crane of a Taiwanese navy minelaying vessel moored at a pier, with a sailor on deck and a small boat in the water behind
Navy

Taiwan's navy will hire fishing boats and civil aircraft to map its likely invasion beaches

The navy plans to send civilian survey firms with sonar and airborne lidar onto its red beaches, feeding a NT$1.25bn data centre for minelaying and submarine hunting.

TaiwanDefence · 3d ago · 3 min read

Navy

Taiwan's navy will wire air combat training pods into its four Keelung-class destroyers

5d ago

Navy

Taiwan's Hai Kun submarine begins deeper sea trials on its 25th outing

5d ago

Analysis & Commentary

All analysis →

TaiwanDefence

Ukrainian think tank says Taiwan needs at least 1,600 drone boats as its navy readies a 1,320-boat tender

A Serpens Center study presented on 20 October 2026 says mass decides drone-boat warfare. Taiwan's own plan is smaller and slower to reach swarm control.

TaiwanDefence

Taiwan's new NT$3.1bn missile upkeep deal shows how much it still leans on ageing air defences

A maintenance contract reported on 20 October 2026 and a life extension for the 20-year-old Antelope show Taiwan paying to bridge the gap until NASAMS arrives.

TaiwanDefence

Taiwan's army is building its tank force around the M1A2T as frozen funds put its upkeep at risk

With Abrams tanks bound for the Lien Yung drill in late 2026 and CM11s headed for storage, a frozen NT$1.3 billion parts budget is the weak link.

Army

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A camouflaged Taiwanese M1A2T Abrams tank on a heavy transporter truck under a cloudy sky
Army

Taiwan's M1A2T tanks will join the Lien Yung joint drill for the first time

The 584th Armored Brigade has already hauled Abrams tanks to Pingtung for the late-November exercise, which will also put one-year conscripts into joint training.

TaiwanDefence · 1d ago · 2 min read

Army

Taiwan's army will blow up a quake-damaged Hualien bridge in its third live demolition drill this year

1d ago

Army

Taiwan's army says its first M1A2T tanks are out of warranty as frozen funds hold up spare parts

1d ago

Army

One-year conscripts will outnumber Taiwan's four-month trainees for the first time next year

1d ago

Air Force

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Helmeted reservists in camouflage kneel with rifles behind barbed wire on grass while officials and officers watch from under a tent
Air Force

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

A venue clash left an Air Force guard battalion's reserve training starting on 28 November, Taiwan's local election day, so reservists may report until 8 pm.

TaiwanDefence · 3d ago · 2 min read

Air Force

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

4d ago

Air Force

Taiwan's Brave Eagle trainers logged 212 engine blade repairs, mostly blamed on runway dust

5d ago

Air Force

Taiwan's air force delays radar guard platoons to 2029 as China-free vehicle bid stalls

5d ago

Industry

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Four Taiwanese military officers in dark green uniforms and peaked caps stand in a line at a building entrance
Industry

Taiwan's deputy defence minister tells US industry that resilience, not more weapons alone, is the goal

Chung Shu-ming told the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference that China is normalising military pressure, as a DPP lawmaker pressed for faster direct sales.

TaiwanDefence · 16h ago · 3 min read

Industry

Japan's military research fund draws a record 560 bids as more universities sign on

18h ago

Industry

HD Hyundai and Anduril run a 368-ton drone ship through autonomous missions off California

23h ago

Industry

Hyundai Rotem buys Hyundai Wia's gun business to make K2 tank main guns in-house

1d ago

Indo-Pacific

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A black Japanese submarine with the hull number 514 and crew lined up on deck sailing past shipyard buildings in Kobe harbour
Indo-Pacific

Japan's ruling parties will open talks next month on new security documents, split over nuclear submarines

The LDP and Ishin will bargain over defence spending goals, the non-nuclear principles and nuclear-powered submarines before Japan rewrites its three security documents.

TaiwanDefence · 38m ago · 2 min read

Indo-Pacific

South Korea bars missile maker LIG D&A from defence bids for two years over bribery

2h ago

Indo-Pacific

Japan signs a deal to give Malaysia's navy a counter-drone system worth 1.65 billion yen

3h ago

Indo-Pacific

Philippine patrol flight finds no new Chinese structure at Scarborough Shoal despite PLA radio warnings

6h ago