Rolls-Royce expands

today announced plans to invest £150m over the next five years in two new aero engine facilities in

and

in the

.

Rolls-Royce says it will build a new facility in Singapore to assemble and test large civil engines, starting with the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 and the Trent XWB for the Airbus A350 XWB. Together with its existing UK facility in Derby, this will provide the company with a dual sourcing capability for the assembly and test of large civil engines, including future new versions of the Trent engine.

The company’s Derby facility is planned to remain the centre of expertise for large civil engines, with the capability to design and develop these engines. It will also continue to assemble and test the company’s portfolio of large civil engines.

The new facility will be located in an Aerospace Park at Seletar in the north of Singapore and will be fully operational by the end of 2009. It will employ up to 330 people depending on customer demand and will receive support from the Singapore Economic Development Board.

The new facility in Virginia will assemble and test the RB282, the engine selected in June by Dassault to power its new super midsize corporate jet and potentially the first in a family of small engines for the corporate and regional jet market. More than 90 per cent of corporate aircraft are manufactured in the US, making it the most significant market for these products.

The development and production proving programmes for the RB282 will be undertaken in the UK at recently completed facilities in Bristol.

The new facility in Virginia will also have the capability to undertake blisk manufacture for the F136 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

The new facility will be located at Prince George County, Virginia and will be fully operational by the end of 2009.

‘These latest investments in world-class facilities are further evidence of our success in aerospace markets and the continuing trend towards the globalization of our operations.’ said Sir John Rose, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive. ‘They also build on our existing international presence and relationships and will bring us closer to key customers in Asia and the US.’