Another round of funding for China’s three big state airlines are likely to get more government capital, official media report. China Southern and Air China, the two largest carriers, are each expected to receive 1.5 billion yuan (US$220 million). China Eastern, which has so far received more than the other two, would get less than 100 million yuan, says the Shanghai Security News.

The market for the Australian-U.S. Nulka naval decoy may be expanding by a factor of two, thanks to a prospective easing of restrictions on exports of the hovering rocket. As the system is fitted to ever-larger ships, previously thought impossible to defend with decoys, there are signs that it will even go on board the largest of all, U.S. aircraft carriers, giving them one more defense layer to add to the several that already surround them.

An investment by the Virgin Group has lifted confidence in the future of Australian affiliate Virgin Blue, one of three airlines in a market that has repeatedly shown it will support only two. Virgin Blue is raising A$231 million ($191 million) in additional capital with an issue of new stock. The carrier, Australia’s second largest, says the issue is a prudent move amid the global economic downturn and will put it in a position to go shopping for cheap aircraft.