MarkD
18th Aug 2003, 18:22
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=186&si=1030381&issue_id=9663
Rolls Royce in bid for B-52 engine contract
ENGINE-MAKER Rolls-Royce is understood to be in the running for a share of a €2.6bn deal to replace the engines on the USA's B-52 bombers.
The group is reported to be in talks with American defence group Boeing.
Boeing has been asked by the US Air Force to look into the options for replacing the fleet's engines.
The bombers, which played a major role in the recent war in Iraq, have been in service for more than 40 years, with engines that were originally designed in the 1950s.
A similar study to replace the engines was carried out in 1996, but was passed over in favour of other upgrades.
Rolls confirmed that it had been contacted by Boeing, which built the B-52s, and had supplied two options for replacing the engines with either eight smaller engines or four larger ones.
However, US-rivals Pratt & Whitney, which originally designed the engines, and General Electric are also understood to be involved in discussions with Boeing over the contract.
No official figure has been put on the value of the contract, but it has been estimated that it could be worth as much as three billion US dollars (€2.66bn) once spares and after-sales maintenance for the aircraft have been taken into account.
If Rolls is successful, it is not known where the engines would be manufactured, but it is likely to be in either the group's Derby plant or its site in Indianapolis in the US.
Last month Rolls unveiled an 11pc rise in underlying profits to €163m, following an aggressive campaign to cut costs, including reducing its workforce by 1,100 to 36,200.
It also said its order book stood at a record €24.9bn, with growth in its after-sales market, which includes servicing and parts, offsetting a 14pc fall in engine deliveries.
Rolls Royce in bid for B-52 engine contract
ENGINE-MAKER Rolls-Royce is understood to be in the running for a share of a €2.6bn deal to replace the engines on the USA's B-52 bombers.
The group is reported to be in talks with American defence group Boeing.
Boeing has been asked by the US Air Force to look into the options for replacing the fleet's engines.
The bombers, which played a major role in the recent war in Iraq, have been in service for more than 40 years, with engines that were originally designed in the 1950s.
A similar study to replace the engines was carried out in 1996, but was passed over in favour of other upgrades.
Rolls confirmed that it had been contacted by Boeing, which built the B-52s, and had supplied two options for replacing the engines with either eight smaller engines or four larger ones.
However, US-rivals Pratt & Whitney, which originally designed the engines, and General Electric are also understood to be involved in discussions with Boeing over the contract.
No official figure has been put on the value of the contract, but it has been estimated that it could be worth as much as three billion US dollars (€2.66bn) once spares and after-sales maintenance for the aircraft have been taken into account.
If Rolls is successful, it is not known where the engines would be manufactured, but it is likely to be in either the group's Derby plant or its site in Indianapolis in the US.
Last month Rolls unveiled an 11pc rise in underlying profits to €163m, following an aggressive campaign to cut costs, including reducing its workforce by 1,100 to 36,200.
It also said its order book stood at a record €24.9bn, with growth in its after-sales market, which includes servicing and parts, offsetting a 14pc fall in engine deliveries.