Airbus Unveils Plans for 2 Wide-Bodies

European plane maker Airbus Industrie unveiled plans for two new versions of its wide-body A340 commercial jet at the Paris Air Show, along with its first business plane. Airbus will decide whether to proceed this fall with the A340-500 and A340-600 project, at a cost of $2.5 billion. The planes could begin service in late 2001 or early 2002. The planes would expand the A330/A340 family of jets that have 250 to 400 seats. Airbus hopes the A340-600 will appeal to airlines that want to replace early model Boeing 747s. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin Corp. is holding talks with Airbus partner firms about designing and building a large military aircraft, a senior Lockheed executive said. Lockheed Martin is the largest U.S. military contractor and makes combat planes, rockets, satellites and other high-technology gear. The Bethesda, Md.-based company is looking to diversify into international markets by joining with foreign companies. There were no deadlines for the talks and no decisions have been made, Lockheed Martin spokesman Lee Whitney said.