Embraer gaining altitude

Continental Express, American Eagle, JetBlue and US Airways all are buying new regional jets from Brazil's Embraer, whose rapid growth is expected soon to make it the world's third-biggest plane maker, after Boeing and Airbus.

According to a story in the Kansas City (Mo.) Star, experts say the company's booming business comes from Embraer's dead-on prediction in the late 1990s that there would be huge growth in the United States among regional and low-cost air carriers.

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China vows to bolster production of large jets

Top Chinese aviation officials last month vowed to build up production of large commercial airplanes and beef up the air force in an effort to make the industry a leading pillar of the nation's economy, according to a report in the Business Times of Singapore.

"Developing large commercial aircraft is a strategic action taken to boost the development of the national economy and to realize our mission of contributing to the nation by developing the aviation industry," said Liu Gaozhuo, president of China Aviation Industry Corporation I, in the article. "Developing large-sized aircraft could bring technology to a new stage and help to promote economic and social progress."

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Dassault developing unmanned combat aircraft concepts

Dassault, a French aerospace company known for its financially conservative approach to new programs, is now developing concepts for unmanned combat aircraft, according to Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine.

The company is working on at least two unmanned concepts for the military: a stealth UCAV based on its Gran Duc design, and a reconnaissance unmanned air vehicle from its Moyen Duc project. Dassault expects the UCAV prototype to fly within the decade, while it has slated the UAV's first flight for 2004.

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Lockheed Martin to acquire key computer systems company

Lockheed Martin Corp., in an effort to bolster its ability to run government information networks and provide more intelligence and surveillance services, has agreed to acquire Titan Corp. for $1.8 billion in cash and stock, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

San Diego-based Titan develops and supports sophisticated computer systems used by the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies. It also is developing military equipment including a missile-style weapon that can loiter for as long as four hours before attacking a specific target. According to the Journal, Titan has benefited from the Pentagon's efforts to heighten the technological superiority of the U.S. military.

The proposed deal, subject to government approvals, would be the latest consolidation among companies that provide information-technology services to the government. For example, General Dynamics Corp. in June agreed to pay $1.2 billion for Veridian Corp. And Lockheed last month agreed to buy most of the federal computer outsourcing unit of Dallas- based Affiliated Computer Services Inc., paying about $550 million and swapping its commercial computer-outsourcing operation in exchange for Affiliated's federal computer contracts.