The British Rolls-Royce company has won a big order from the United States, which could eventually be wroth 500 million dollars. On Tuesday (4 April) Pan American World Airlines decided to buy 12 Lockheed ten-eleven TriStar wide-body jets equipped with Rolls-Royce engines, and the deal included an option to buy 14 more TriStars. It marked a major breakthrough for the British aviation industry in the United States market, and it will also help push the unprofitable TriStar production line to break even point. The aircraft to be delivered in 1980 and 1981 will be used to replace some of Pan American's ageing fleet of Boeing 707's.

SYNOPSIS: The RB 211-524B engines are manufactured at the Rolls-Royce plant in Derby, and Pan American's chairman, William T. Sewwell, said they had been chosen because of their technical superiority.

Sir Kenneth Keith, chairman of Rolls-Royce described the deal as a triumph for the RB211 engine. Informed sources said that Pan American, originally considered replacing all its 707's with 747's but decided to buy a smaller plane to allow flexibility and economy on more lightly travelled routes. The sources said the decision had been delayed because of a battle over the choice of engines. The battle centred not so much on the performance of the rival engines, as on which firm could offer the best incentives on finance, price and product support.

The RB 211-524B engine is a more powerful version of the RB211-22B, which has been in service with Trans World Airlines, Delta and Eastern since 1972.