Skip to content
Welcome, thoughtbot's Giant Robots listeners!Start here
Thunder Tiger
AI-generated illustration
OrganisationTW

Thunder Tiger

Taichung drone and uncrewed-vehicle maker listed in Taiwan; delivered 1,520 FPV drones to the Pentagon.

Thunder Tiger's team finished its Pentagon Gauntlet I order of 1,520 drones with no inspection failures, the company announced on 16 October 2026, and it agreed a Switchblade memorandum with AeroVironment the same week.

Last refreshed: 26 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Can a Taichung model-maker become a Pentagon drone supplier?

Timeline for Thunder Tiger

#19 16 Oct

Delivered 1,520 FPV attack drones to the Pentagon

Drones: Industry & Defence: Thunder Tiger delivers Gauntlet I drones
View full timeline →

Background

On 16 October 2026 Thunder Tiger announced that its Gauntlet I team, partnered with Rehfeldt Group and Farage Precision, had completed delivery of 1,520 FPV attack drones to the Pentagon, with none failing inspection. At the AUSA show in Washington it also agreed a memorandum with AeroVironment covering Switchblade on Thunder Tiger's uncrewed surface and ground vehicles, plus possible joint drone production in Taiwan. That deal gives Taiwan a foothold in US drone supply chains that avoid China.

Founded in Taichung in 1979 and listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange as 8033, Thunder Tiger began in radio-controlled models. It now makes FPV strike drones, Seashark uncrewed surface vessels and the Seawolf 400 underwater vehicle, and became a prime contractor in Taiwan's national drone programme after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Programme-wide, Gauntlet I suppliers had shipped 13,440 drones against orders for 22,320 as of 25 August 2026. At home, Taiwan's August 2026 drone act tells the Defence Ministry to give domestic makers priority.

Common Questions
How many drones did Thunder Tiger deliver to the Pentagon?
1,520 first-person-view attack drones for Gauntlet I, delivered with Rehfeldt Group and Farage Precision. The company said on 16 October 2026 that all passed inspection.Source: Taiwan News
What did AeroVironment and Thunder Tiger agree?
A memorandum signed at the AUSA show in October 2026 to fit Switchblade loitering munitions to Thunder Tiger's uncrewed boats and ground vehicles, and to explore building drones in Taiwan.Source: The Defense Post
Where is Thunder Tiger based?
In Xitun district, Taichung, Taiwan. It was founded there in 1979 and trades on the Taiwan Stock Exchange as 8033.Source: Wikipedia
Source Material

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 26 October 2026. Editorial standards.