A £30 million deal to supply parts for the Apache attack helicopter is expected to be signed within the next few weeks between the Belfast aerospace company, Shorts, and the US defence contractor, McDonnell Douglas.
Senior executives from the five divisions of the US company were in Belfast last week, along with representatives of several of their main suppliers, on a trip sponsored by the IDB.
The delegation met managers from 30 Northern Ireland companies involved in the precision engineering, electronics and computer software sectors. It is hoped that this will lead to local firms becoming suppliers to McDonnell Douglas and its US sub contractors.
The contract for Shorts to supply parts for the Apache was effectively secured in August last year when the British Ministry of Defence placed a £2.2 billion order with Westland Helicopters for 67 aircraft.
Westland was one of a consortium along with Shorts and McDonnell Douglas, which had joined forces in 1993 to compete for the contract.
Under the terms of the deal, McDonnell Douglas is required to spend around £650 million with UK firms over the next 10 years. As a member of the consortium, Shorts also stands to benefit from the sale of Apache helicopters elsewhere in the world.
