* According to a German financial newspaper, vehicle manufacturers Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter are well on their way to negotiate a merger. Handelsblatt [in German] | Les Echos [in French].
* 5 Chinese ships coming back from a joint exercise with Russia went out of their way to sail through the La Pérouse/Soya strait near northern Japan. These are international waters only because the Japanese reduced their claims to 3 nautical miles in the area (vs. the standard 12 nmi), in order to let US nuclear submarines through without being at odds with Japan’s non-nuclear policy.
* That said, Japan’s latest whitepaper triggered rebukes not just from China but also from South Korea, so China does not have a regional monopoly on posturing and provocations.
* South Korea’s army is about to deploy much faster tactical communications systems. Yonhap | DAPA [in Korean].
* India wants border surveillance systems to keep an eye on (Chinese) movement across the Line of Actual Control. Also, terrorism in the Jammu and Kashmir region may have subsided but it remains a concern.
* Earlier this month India launched its 1st of 7 IRNSS regional GNSS (GPS) satellites, and aims to have the whole constellation in orbit by 2016. Forbes looks at the constellation’s features, challenges, and potential. Well done, right as Russia’s latest 2 satellites for its GLONASS system blew up at launch.
* US Navy Rear Adm. Terry McKnight (retired) thinks the LPD program could provide an affordable basis for the future LX(R) landing ship dock class.
* After almost 6 years in the job, Canada’s defence minister Peter MacKay swapped ministries with (now former) justice minister Rob Nicholson.
* The video below shows US NAVAIR testing EMALS on F-35s, on land for now:
