The representative of a private maintenance company and its technicians have been referred to trial for forging parts used in Air Force fighter jets and embezzling maintenance payments by passing them off as genuine U.S.-made components.

Taiwan prosecutors have indicted 10 tech executives for running illicit procurement rings. The rings smuggled NT$360 million ($11.33 million) worth of export-controlled military chips into China and Hong Kong. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office filed aggravated fraud charges against the group.

Semiconductor sales were $159.7bn during August 2026, an increase of 8% compared to the July 2026 total of $147.9bn and 144.3% more than the August 2025 total of $65.4bn, says the SIA.

The challenges facing today’s electronics manufacturers are wide and far reaching. Like many businesses, global instability has led to supply chain fragility and the sourcing of semiconductors, rare earth materials and passive components remains volatile due to trade restrictions, transport bottlenecks and heavy regional over-concentration.

Conflict Armament Research (CAR) trace investigations have determined that some missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) deployed in the conflict in Ukraine contain counterfeit electronic components, including items that mimic major European or US brands. The presence of counterfeit elements is particularly prominent in analysed remnants of North Korean Hwasong-11-series missiles  documented in Ukraine : half of the 81 components that CAR successfully traced with branded manufacturers have been flagged as suspected or confirmed counterfeits.

Cybersecurity teams often focus on software and digital perimeters. However, physical components deserve similar attention. A defective semiconductor or circuit board can also cause failures, weaken security functions or create conditions that attackers can exploit.

More than 50% of the identified electronic components in North Korean Hwasong-11 (KN-23) ballistic missiles recovered in Ukraine were found to be fake, according to a report by Conflict Armament Research (CAR). Since January 2024, CAR investigators examined the wreckage of 11 North Korean missiles and recovered hundreds of microchips, voltage converters, and memory modules.

WASHINGTON—Today, under Operation Economic Outcast, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 10 individuals and entities in multiple jurisdictions that have procured weapons and weapons components for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), the entity responsible for weapons research, production, and acquisition for Iran’s armed forces.  MODAFL also oversees organizations engaged in the development of Iran’s ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  

More than 10% of the Earth’s surface set localised heat records this year, survey finds. In the wake of record-high temperatures this summer, a survey of executives shows that 55 per cent of electronics manufacturers globally report being exposed to supply chain disruptions caused by extreme heat. 

For decades, consumers could expect their next computer to deliver more power for their money. The AI boom is challenging that expectation and exposing the physical supply chains behind our increasingly digital lives. Since the 1970s, advances in semiconductor technology have made computing more powerful and affordable.