A SPECIALIST aviation and engineering company in Bolton has landed part of a £1.1 contract with the Ministry of Defence.

APPH Bolton Hydraulics, which manufactures and assembles landing gear and hydraulics for aircraft at its site at Wingates Industrial Park, Westhoughton is to supply spares for hydraulic equipment on the Nimrod aeroplanes.

The company's sister firm in Runcorn, which is also part of the APPH Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of BBA Aviation plc, has won the contract for the repair and overhaul of undercarriage and associated equipment on Jetstream, Bulldog and Dominie aircraft. Both contracts will run until March 2012.

The contracts were placed by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), which is part of the MoD.

Group Captain Chris Daykin, from DE&S, said: "APPH Group is a British company with a long and valued association with the Ministry of Defence.

"The contracts that we have renewed this year offer good value for defence and for the British taxpayer."

David Haslam, managing director of APPH Group welcomed news of the new contracts.

"Staff at our Bolton and Runcorn sites are delighted that the Ministry of Defence continues to entrust APPH with these valuable contracts, ensuring that engineering skills and employment in the North West aerospace industry continue to flourish," he said.

APPH is part of BBA Aviation PLC, and provides specialist services including design, manufacture, assembly and support of landing gear, hydraulic and filtration systems, plus other component repair and overhaul services for virtually all segments of the aviation industry.