Thunder Tiger Group, a Taiwanese defense and unmanned systems manufacturer, said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with US defense technology company Shield AI to integrate the American firm's Hivemind autonomous software into Thunder Tiger's unmanned platforms, beginning with its Sea Shark unmanned surface vessel.

In April 2024, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) executed one of the most significant overhauls of its military architecture in decades. The former Strategic Support Force was disbanded and reorganized into three distinct branches: the Military Aerospace Force, the Cyberspace Force, and the Information Support Force. Together with the existing Joint Logistics Support Force, these constitute a new four-branch support structure — one designed not merely to support terrestrial warfare, but to dominate the space domain itself.

Taiwan's legislature recently passed the final version of a special defense budget totaling NT$780 billion (approx. US$24.75 billion), but drone-related funding was not approved. The decision has drawn attention from Taiwan's domestic drone industry, with groups including the Taiwan Defense Industry Development Association (TW-DIDA) and Taiwan National Drone Industry Association (TNDIA) issuing statements calling for continued efforts to strengthen Taiwan's democratic supply chain.

The global satellite industry is entering what many executives and analysts describe as a historic turning point, as telecommunications operators increasingly integrate satellite connectivity into mainstream communications infrastructure and commercial services.

The emerging space arms race toward 2030 is no longer defined simply by the number of satellites nations can launch into orbit. Increasingly, it is being shaped by breakthroughs in advanced communications, artificial intelligence (AI), orbital logistics, and rapid launch systems, technologies that could redefine military power in space over the next decade.

SpaceX is exploring potential sites in the US and overseas to build new "spaceports," CEO Elon Musk said on X on May 12, as the company prepares for a future in which its Starship rocket could launch at an unprecedented scale.

The global space and defense industry is undergoing a strategic transformation — from treating space as a force multiplier to claiming it as a domain of sovereign control.

Compeq Manufacturing said first-quarter 2026 revenue reached a record high for the period, driven by sustained demand from major US customers for smartphones, notebooks, and low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite products, as well as growing shipments tied to AI data centers.

Syncmold, a precision mechanical components manufacturer, is positioning itself more deeply within the fast-expanding low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite supply chain, betting that space infrastructure will become a new long-term growth engine for the company.

Elon Musk is rapidly expanding his ambitions beyond rockets and electric vehicles (EVs), positioning SpaceX at the center of a vertically integrated artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure strategy spanning semiconductors, data centers, AI models, robotics, and space systems.

The Pentagon has deployed more than 100,000 AI agents through its GenAI.mil platform, marking a broader shift toward algorithm-driven warfare and expanding the US military's push into AI-powered combat operations.