Rohr Industries Wins Contract for Engine Pod

Rohr Industries Inc. and a company in Northern Ireland have been awarded a $500-million contract to jointly manufacture 500 engine-pod units for the European-produced Airbus Industrie A320 airliner, Rohr said Thursday.

Rohr’s 60% share of the pod, or nacelle, contract will mean $300 million in revenue over the next 11 years, according to Rohr spokeswoman Patricia Smith. However, the contract will not create any new jobs, Smith said.

Rohr employs about 7,000 workers at plants in Chula Vista, Riverside, Auburn, Wash., and Toulouse, France.

Rohr will manage the detail design and production of the pod at its plants in Chula Vista and in France, while Short Brothers of Belfast, Northern Ireland, will design and produce the inlet fan cowl doors, an engine unit.

The contract was awarded by International Aero Engines, which is developing a new-generation turbofan engine.

The first pod is scheduled to be delivered in September, 1986, with the engine--known as the V2500--due for its first test flight in April, 1987.

For the first quarter ended Oct. 31, 1984, Rohr reported sales of $149.3 million, down about 5% from the same period a year ago, and earnings of $11.5 million, up 39%.