Midlands aerospace hails Boeing's delivery of the new 787 aircraft to the first airline customer, ANA of Japan.
Participation in the 787 programme is part of a growing Midlands trend of supplying Boeing aircraft programmes, once entirely US products, through aggressive diversification strategies aimed at the world's biggest aerospace market.
The main gateways for Midlands exports via the 787 are:
- Rolls-Royce through the fuel-efficient Trent 1000 engine
- Aero Engine Controls through the sophisticated electronic controls for Trent 1000
- Moog Aircraft Group through the high-lift actuation system that controls the aircraft wings flaps and slats for take-off and landing
Meggitt in Coventry and Redditch-based Mettis Aerospace supply components to the aircraft's alternative GE GEnX engine. Mettis supplies US firm Hamilton Sundstrand with key components for the 787's air management system. ITP Engines UK in Rugby and Leicester is a significant supplier of software knowhow and other technology support for the GEnX engine. The Trent 1000 itself includes parts from many other Midlands firms in the Rolls-Royce supply chain.
