Europe’s diesel crisis deepened as prices hit record highs, pushing drivers toward fuel conversions, while EV sales surged to offset collapsing petrol and diesel demand. Bentley launched its first fully electric vehicle, and China expanded its satellite constellation with two launches. In defense, North Korea tested upgraded rocket artillery, the U.S. awarded major contracts for F-130J propellers and Viper electronic warfare suites, and France inducted its Jaguar R3 armored vehicle with AKERON MP missiles into service.
- Diesel Crisis: Diesel prices in France and Germany hit record highs above €2.40/liter; European diesel drivers collectively pay an extra €203 million daily, with Marseille seeing a surge in petrol-to-bioethanol conversion orders .
- Europe EV Sales: New EU car registrations rose 5.3% in August as electrified vehicles surged—battery-electric up 52.2%—while petrol and diesel registrations fell roughly 23% each; combined combustion market share dropped to 29% .
- Bentley Torcal: Bentley officially began production of its first fully electric model, the Torcal, at its upgraded Crewe factory; the 113 kWh luxury EV offers up to 600 km CLTC range and 888 hp in the S variant, priced from £173,000 .
- China Satellite Launches: China launched two satellite groups on September 24—a remote sensing constellation via Long March 6A from Taiyuan, and a batch of low-orbit internet satellites via Long March 8A from Hainan .
- U.S. Defense Contracts: The U.S. awarded a $199.7 million contract to GE Aviation for R-391 propeller assemblies supporting F-130J aircraft, and an $87.4 million modification to Northrop Grumman for the Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite .
- North Korea Artillery Test: North Korea test-fired upgraded 240mm multiple-rocket launcher shells equipped with autonomous guidance, capable of striking targets 100 km away, and vowed to deploy the “deadliest” attack forces along the South Korean border .
- France Jaguar R3: The French Army inducted 21 Jaguar R3 armored reconnaissance vehicles into full operational configuration, now integrated with AKERON MP anti-tank missiles capable of hitting heavy armor beyond 4 km .
- F-35 India Exercise: U.S. F-35A stealth fighters will participate for the first time in tactical training with the Indian Air Force during Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, running September 26 to October 12 at Jodhpur .
