LONDON--Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (RR.LN) has agreed to develop
accessory drive train transmissions for all its future civil
aircraft engines in partnership with Hispano-Suiza, a power
transmission specialist owned by Safran S.A. (SAF.FR).
The companies said they signed a joint venture agreement in an
announcement Friday, following a memorandum of understanding on
July 4.
"Based on an initial exclusive 25-year contract, the joint
company will cover the entire range of civil aircraft, from
business jets to widebody commercial jets," the companies said.
"In particular, it will contribute to the Airbus A330neo, a new
aircraft for which Rolls-Royce won the engine contract in July 2014
with its Trent 7000," they added.
The joint venture company will be headquartered at
Hispano-Suiza's site near Paris. Operations are slated to start in
late 2016 or early 2017. Construction of a production plant "in a
competitive country" is to start in 2015.
Write to Ed Ballard at ed.ballard@wsj.com
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