BELFAST BASED Shorts are among the beneficiaries of the announcement by British Defence Secretary, Mr Michael Portillo of defence orders worth £4 billion which he said would sustain 5,000 jobs.

An order for 21 Nimrod 2000 aircraft goes to British Aerospace, with engines by Rolls Royce, systems by GEC and Boeing and radar by Racal.

A new air launch Cruise missile order will go to British Aerospace and French company Matra, while an anti tank missile order goes to GEC, who will use Shorts as a subcontractor.