“Fitted for but not with” is not a popular phrase with sailors. The idea of building a warship with only space and power reserves for important systems is attractive to budget managers, but it can leave navies facing sudden wars with weak and vulnerable ships. Yet when such ships' reserves are put to good use, the result can be a remarkable transformation. Australia's eight Anzac-class frigates are becoming a model example of that, as Canberra moves ahead with the next stage of their upgrade program.

BEIJING — The Royal Australian Navy, moving ahead with the general installation of an anti-ship missile defense (ASMD) upgrade, plans to hand over an Anzac-class frigate for enhancement by BAE Systems in September. Seven ships will be heavily modified in the program, whose key feature is a CEA Technologies radar suite with active, electronically scanned arrays. The eighth member of the class, HMAS Perth, already has the system and proved its effectiveness in trials last year.

None of four foreign manufacturers has yet dropped out of talks with Chinese fighter builder Avic Aviation Techniques (AAT) aimed at joint development and manufacturing of business jets. It is unclear, however, whether all of the bidders are keen to participate in the whole program proposed by AAT — transfer of a current business jet production line to the company’s Chengdu works and joint development of a large new aircraft, with considerable technological transfer.