A £14 MILLION investment will help secure the future of East Lancashire aerospace's industry, workers were told.

The new high tech facilities at British Aerospace, Samlesbury, will be used by more than 150 staff to produce tools to manufacture aircraft components into the next century.

The tooling investment is part of more than £100 million being spent at Samlesbury ready for full production of the Eurofighter.

Although the new facilities will initially be used for Eurofighter, they will also be used for components for other aircraft programmes including the JSF. The official opening of the latest wave of investment at the site comes as the partners involved in the Eurofighter project are on the verge of signing production contracts.

The first aircraft are due to be delivered to the RAF in 2002.

"Eurofighter has been designed like no other aircraft before it, resulting in world beating aerodynamic performance," said Phill Blundell, BAe's director of internal supply.

More than 22,000 different tools will be needed to produce Eurofighter components.

But he said the investment in machinery was only part of story.

"The people are the real key to the success of these facilities. Anyone can buy equipment but it is how the equipment is operated and utilised that makes the difference."

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