South Korea’s technologically ambitious defense ministry aims to test a scaled demonstrator for a stealthy combat drone by 2013, extending the country’s expertise in unmanned aircraft and hedging against cancellation of the KF-X fighter program. With this project, South Korea will be within 10 years of Britain and Germany in flying substantial development hardware for unmanned combat aircraft. South Korea may be ahead of Japan, which has announced no such development effort.

BEIJING — South Korea’s technologically ambitious Agency for Defense Development aims to test a scaled demonstrator for a stealthy combat drone by 2013. Korea Aerospace Industries is well placed to win the project, since it has already embarked on company-funded work to acquire technology in this field, going as far as designing an aircraft that it calls K-UCAV and flying a 20 percent scale model of it.

Thai Airways is seeking 10 billion baht ($300 million) in capital from the Thai government, leading a reluctant finance ministry to consider whether it should scale back its involvement in the carrier. Apparently dissatisfied with Thai Airways’ dependence on public funds and debt guarantees, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said his ministry is considering allowing greater private stock holdings in Thai Airways, which is majority-owned by the state and is restructuring its business and balance sheet after depleting its capital reserves.