Boeing selects French-owned company to manufacture landing gear

US aircraft maker Boeing Co said it has selected Messier-Dowty, the Gloucester-based business owned by France's state-owned Ste Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation, to provide the main and nose landing gear for the planned 7E7 fuel-efficient passenger plane, also known as "Dreamliner".

Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and along with Airbus it the number 1 maker of large commercial jets.

The group says it is in final negotiations with the French company, and a signed contract is expected in the coming weeks.

Senior vice president of Boeing 7E7 Mike Bair said "Our progress in terms of picking team members is on pace with our program plan".

The airplane is expected to enter into service in 2008.

In Britain, Boeing has so far selected Smiths PLC as provider of the plane's Core Computing System, and Rolls-Royce PLC is competing with General Electric and Pratt & Whitney to provide the engines for the plane.

Boeing is expected by analysts to select two engine providers by the end of April.