Elon Musk dominated the vehicle-space nexus, unveiling a rocket-thrust “flying” Tesla Roadster and pledging a SpaceX share to every American child; VinFast posted a $1.2 billion quarterly loss despite soaring EV and scooter deliveries; Airbus booked 75 more A320neo jets; a tanker burned after striking a mine in the Strait of Hormuz; and defense momentum continued with a custom Lockheed Martin F-35 for a mystery buyer, a new French nuclear submarine rollout, Australia’s armed Ghost Shark drone sub, and large-scale Japan–US military drills.
- Tesla (EV car): Musk unveiled the second-gen Roadster that can jump and flip mid-air using SpaceX-derived thrusters, accelerating 0–60 mph in under a second; consumer production is not expected until 2028. The FAA said the vehicle does not qualify as an aircraft, while the NHTSA said it is watching “very closely.”
- SpaceX (spacecraft): Musk said he will give one of his SpaceX shares to “every kid in America” next year, describing it as “the first of many” such gestures.
- VinFast (EV car, scooter, e-bike): The Vietnamese EV maker reported a $1.24 billion net loss from continuing operations in Q2, even as global EV deliveries rose 96% to 70,085 units and electric scooter/e-bike deliveries quadrupled to 286,039.
- Airbus (airplane): Won an order for 75 A320neo jets from lessor Aviation Capital Group, bringing ACG’s Airbus fleet to 190 aircraft.
- Hormuz/Saudi coast tankers (ship, tanker): An oil tanker caught fire after hitting a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said; days earlier another tanker was hit off Saudi Arabia’s Gulf coast with the crew evacuated.
- Lockheed Martin (fighter jet): Received an $18.8 million Pentagon contract modification to develop and integrate a custom F-35 variant for an undisclosed foreign buyer, with work at Fort Worth through December 2030.
- Naval Group (submarine): Rolled out the “Rubis,” the fifth Suffren-class nuclear attack submarine, for delivery to the French Navy — the fifth of six SSNs due by 2030.
- Anduril/Australia (undersea drone equipment): Australia’s extra-large autonomous “Ghost Shark” undersea drone has reportedly gained new “teeth” — strike capabilities.
- US Navy (ship, equipment): Confirmed the first deployment of an unmanned warship alongside an aircraft carrier strike group.
- Japan–US militaries (missile defense, equipment): Launched joint island drills around southwestern Japan involving amphibious landings, air and missile defense, and mine sweeping amid rising regional tensions.
- Lisbon, Portugal (electric scooter): The city suspended its shared e-scooter system, with the mayor saying that despite tighter rules, “it doesn’t work
