SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY

In an Acquiring Mode: New York-based defense contractor Loral Corp. is discussing the purchase of another Ford Motor Co. subsidiary that was not included in Loral’s pending $715-million purchase of Ford Aerospace Corp. in Newport Beach, the companies said Monday.

Loral is talking with Ford about buying all or part of Ford Microelectronics Inc., a semiconductor maker in Colorado Springs, Colo., with about 200 employees, said Ford spokesman Thomas Rhoades.

The semiconductor unit, which is located on the same property as a Ford Aerospace division in Colorado Springs, makes silicon-based microchips for Ford’s automotive group. It also develops and designs gallium arsenide chips for advanced technical applications.

Loral spokeswoman Elizabeth Allen confirmed that the companies are discussing the purchase of Ford Microelectronics, but she declined to comment on how soon an acquisition could be announced.