A DECISION to arm the Eurofighter with the Meteor missile has safeguarded the future of the Matra BAe Dynamics factory at Lostock.

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced yesterday that the Meteor -- to be manufactured by a European consortium -- should be deployed on 232 Eurofighters.

It was a successful conclusion to a major lobbying campaign by the company, unions and local MPs Ruth Kelly, David Crausby, Brian Iddon and Lindsay Hoyle.

The decision was made in the face of pressure from American president Bill Clinton on behalf of the Raytheon alternative.

Mr Terry Standing, general manager at the Lostock plant, said it was "excellent" news for the company and the 450 workers at Lostock.

"It secures the Lostock site's future and that of the people working there," he said.

Development of the Meteor -- a beyond visual range air-to-air missile -- will take place, mainly at Stevenage, over the next eight years.

Lostock will then be the site for components to be assembled, integrated and tested -- electrically and mechanically.

But the company does not see a substantial increase in the Lostock workforce.

"This is about sustaining the site at its current level," Mr Standing said.

Works convenor Barry Knowles said Meteor and previous Sea Wolf and Sea Dart orders equated to "20-plus years of work for Matra BAe Dynamics and its manufacturing base at Lostock."

He paid tribute to the company's bid team and the efforts of the local MPs.

Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly was delighted by the Meteor announcement, which will safeguard around 2,500 jobs across Europe and leave the way clear for future export sales.

She said: "Yet again, this is another example of Labour's commitment to modernising the armed forces and shows the importance of a good working relationship with our European partners.

"Before the last election, the then defence minister Michael Portillo said Lostock would be under threat from a Labour government.

"Within just three years we have seen two significant contracts awarded to British Aerospace which makes a mockery of the Conservatives' scaremongering tactics."

Bolton South East MP Brian Iddon said: "I am glad that the Eurofighter has been given a European missile.

"This is good news for the British aerospace industry and important for Lostock."