General 
Atomics Aeronautical Systems, or GA-ASI, will display a full-scale mockup of its new Predator XP remotely piloted aircraft at the IDEX defense symposium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, later this month, announced the company. “With significant interest from the UAE and other countries in Predator XP’s long-endurance and wide-area surveillance capabilities, IDEX presents the ideal venue for the debut of our Predator XP full-scale model,” said Frank Pace, president of the company’s Aircraft Systems Group, in a Feb. 11 release. Predator XP is an export version of the combat-proven RQ-1 Predator, offering improved intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability and enhancements like an automatic takeoff and landing system and more efficient propulsion, according to the company. GA-ASI has partnered with International Golden Group, a leading defense supplier in the Middle East, to offer Predator XP to the UAE Government. IDEX runs from Feb. 17 to Feb. 21.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.