Boeing drops planned cargo plane line in Florida

ORLANDO, Florida Feb 26 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) said Thursday it dropped plans to help Italy's Finmeccanica SpA (SIFI.MI) build new cargo planes for the U.S. Army and Air Force, citing the economic climate.

Boeing and Alenia North America, a Finmeccanica unit, said they no longer planned to jointly produce the C-27J, "despite the best efforts of both companies" to seal a deal. The announcement was made during a symposium here organized by the Air Force Association, a group that supports the Air Force. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; Editing by Derek Caney)