RR wins Airbus Beluga deal

Rolls-Royce won a $700 million deal to supply and maintain engines for Airbus's new fleet of Beluga cargo jets used to transport large sections of new planes, such as entire wings. Rolls-Royce is being awarded the contract to power the five new aircraft with its bestselling Trent 700 engine. The current Beluga fleet use engines made by GE. (Source: Telegraph, 09/11/15) Gulf Coast note: Rolls-Royce tests Trent engines at its outdoor test facility at Stennis Space Center, Miss.; Airbus is formally opening its A320 manufacturing plant in Mobile, Ala., Sept. 14. All the sections are sent by ship from Europe.