Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer on Friday announced that its board of directors approved the launch of the mid-light and derivative midsize business jets, dubbed the MLJ and MSJ, respectively. According to a U.S. trademark filing, Embraer has reserved the model names Legacy 400 and Legacy 500, which could be the to-be-announced monikers for the two new twinjets first revealed at the NBAA Convention in September. According to Embraer, the new models will have capacity for seven to 12 passengers and two crewmembers, positioning them between Embraer’s small-cabin Phenom 300 and the super-midsize Legacy 600. Embraer estimates R&D costs for the MLJ and MSJ to be about $750 million and said risk-sharing partners and financial institutions will support the effort. The Embraer MSJ is expected to enter service in the second quarter of 2012, with the MLJ following a year later. According to Embraer, the midsize and mid-light categories could represent 21 percent of the expected 13,150 business jets to be delivered over the next 10 years.