Defense Contractor Achieves Gain

General Dynamics,one of the largest U.S. defense contractors,has delivered a good report for Q4.GD's net income rose 18.7%,to 2.46 billion dollars from 2.07 year over year.Its order backlog rose by 13.6 billion.Higher gains in its Gulfstream business jet unit,as well as its shipbuilding division,bumped its profit up about 6% to 612 million.On the minus side,its combat systems unit,which builds armored vehicles for the Army and Marine Corps,saw a drop in sales as its contract for the Iraq war wound down with the war itself.GD's overall sales rose 4.5% to 7.85 billion.It is headquartered in Falls Church,Virginia.