As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its third year, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have solidified their role as a pivotal force in both offensive and defensive operations. Recently, fiber-optic-guided drones, known for their exceptional resistance to electronic warfare interference, have surged in deployment across the Ukrainian battlefield, emerging as critical assets for both sides' military operations.

The Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance (TEDIBOA) led a number of Taiwanese drone companies to participate in the Xponential 2025 exhibition in Houston, Texas, with the hope of further expanding drone cooperation opportunities between Taiwan and the US.

China has quietly relaxed export restrictions on rare earth elements crucial for drone manufacturing after the controls threatened to derail the industry's growth, according to people familiar with the matter. The move comes as both Beijing and Washington face mounting pressure from material shortages and stockpile risks.

Under the long-standing global navigation technology landscape dominated by the US GPS, China's independently developed and operated BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is rapidly emerging, gradually expanding its global influence.

Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council revised its beyond 5G satellite development strategy following significant delays, pivoting toward international partnerships rather than domestic production.

Goldman Sachs Research forecasts the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite market will skyrocket from US$15 billion in 2024 to US$457 billion by 2035, driven by surging demand for non-terrestrial networks. These networks are becoming essential infrastructure for enabling beyond-5G and 6G connectivity. In response, governments worldwide are ramping up investment. Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs is fast-tracking tech validation and deployment to embed the island's supply chain into the global satellite ecosystem.

Foxconn, the world's largest electronics manufacturing services provider, has partnered with French defence and aerospace group Thales to establish a EUR250 million (US$272 million) semiconductor facility in France, marking the Taiwanese company's first direct manufacturing investment in Europe and a significant step in the continent's push for technological sovereignty.

The global unmanned vehicle and autonomous systems industry converged at the prestigious Xponential 2025 event, held from May 19 to 22 in Houston, Texas. Taiwan's Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corporation (CIRC), a subsidiary of Coretronic Group, presented its latest self-developed Hybrid Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HVTOL) drone under the theme "Smart Drone & Trusted Partner," underscoring Taiwan's growing prowess and competitiveness in high-performance unmanned systems.

Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology acknowledged finding Chinese-made parts in military drones under development, highlighting the island's struggle to eliminate mainland suppliers from its defense supply chains.

At Computex 2025, Amazon convened a rare public showcase of its Taiwanese partners—including Quanta, Qualcomm, Wiwynn, Accton, and AIDC—signaling a stronger alignment between the US tech giant and Taiwan's electronics ecosystem. Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's attendance underscored the strategic weight of these partnerships.

Taiwan-based high-density interconnect (HDI) board manufacturer Compeq Manufacturing has reported robust growth in its low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications segment, which is expected to exceed 20% of total revenue in 2025.