AEROSPACE & DEFENSE

Hughes Cancels Plans to Participate in Air Show: Hughes Aircraft Co. suspended plans to display its wares at the Paris Air Show in June, after the defense company and other U.S. firms were told by the Central Intelligence Agency that they appear to have been targeted by the French for industrial espionage. The Wall Street Journal reported that Hughes Chairman C. Michael Armstrong said in an interview that he was briefed 10 days ago by the agency. He was advised that French documents secured by the CIA suggest that the Hughes unit of General Motors Corp. was among 49 U.S. aerospace and defense companies targeted by a French government spying scheme. However, he said the documents must still be verified. A French Defense Ministry official had no comment.