This year’s 10-day live-fire Han Kuang drills are the longest yet and follow the delivery of a range of new weaponry from tanks to waterborne drones. The drills in Taiwan come as regional tensions and harassment by China and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are increasing.

This year’s military exercises, unprecedented in length and scale, are designed to prepare people for the prospect of Chinese troops storming Taiwan’s shores.

Taiwan's defense ministry plans to procure 48,750 drones across five categories through 2027 with a budget exceeding US$1.68 billion, attracting manufacturers globally as the island bolsters military capabilities amid rising tensions with China.

Air raid sirens wailed across Taipei on Thursday as large-scale drills were carried out as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercises designed to strengthen Taiwan's preparedness in the face of mounting tensions with China.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which included $500 million for Taiwan. The bill is not final and must pass the U.S. Senate before it can be sent to the president for signing.

Taiwan's defense ministry has expanded drone procurement sixteenfold to 48,000 units from an initial 3,000, testing domestic manufacturers' ability to rapidly scale production amid heightened military tensions with China.

There has been increasing "gray-zone" conflict across the strait. Since the beginning of October, Beijing has sent more than 150 military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense zone in an attempt to ...