Rolls-Royce says Joint Strike Fighter will sustain 900 jobs

Rolls-Royce says the Joint Strike Fighter contract will bring business worth £693m to the company.

The aero-engine firm says the world's largest defence contract will sustain 900 jobs.

Development work on the JSF will take place at Rolls-Royce sites in Bristol and Indianapolis.

The JSF is expected to generate US and UK orders for at least 3,000 aircraft, with an export potential of more than 2,000 additional aircraft.

The first production JSF aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2008.

Colin Green, president of defence aerospace for Rolls-Royce, says: "Our key position as a truly transatlantic supplier to this transatlantic programme is due to a number of factors.

"These include investment in leading-edge technology to anticipate customer requirements and providing that technology in a timely, affordable manner."

Rolls-Royce says the engines it's developing will allow the JSF to take off and land in locations with minimal or no runway space.

Smiths Group has said the US government's decision to award Lockheed Martin the contract to build the JSF could bring its aerospace division new business worth more that £6.9bn over the lifetime of the aircraft.

It is a key supplier of electronic and mechanical systems for the programme.

Chief executive Keith Butler-Wheelhouse said: "This is clearly the biggest business opportunity ever for Smiths Aerospace."