A South Korea surveillance aircraft project aimed at producing a highly capable drone as big as the General Atomics Mariner would advance the country’s expertise in unmanned aircraft and ensure against unavailability of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. The South Korean air force program is running behind that of a smaller drone, the army’s KUS-9, which is supposed to be ready for production by next year.

China Eastern Airlines is still twisting and turning, trying to retain its independence in the face of a bid for control from the parent of Air China. In the latest move, the struggling Shanghai-based carrier has agreed to cooperate with China Southern Airlines in marketing, buying aircraft and ground services, according to the Shanghai Securities News. China Southern is willing to propose China Eastern as a member of the Skyteam alliance, but the two carriers do not propose to invest in each other.

The British defense industry, already a major player in Australia, is expanding in the country with a series of acquisitions. BAE Systems will buy Australia's privately owned Tenix Defence, whose businesses include one of Australia's two main naval shipyards. The purchase will double BAE's presence in the country to more than 5,500 employees and annual sales exceeding A$1.2 billion ($1 billion).