Earlier this week, a drone the size of a fighter jet took off from the deck of an American aircraft carrier for the first time in a test flight that could eventually open the way for the US to launch unmanned aircraft from just about any place in the world.

Engineering group GKN today more than doubled pre-tax profits after its aerospace division overcame delays to the Airbus superjumbo programme.

Trading opened flat on the Nasdaq composite and slightly lower on the DJIA.