THE aphorism that when one door closes another opens is making commercial life a little easier at Short Brothers, the Belfast aircraft components company. The Shorts' missile systems division `(SMS), a joint venture operation between Short Brothers plc, in turn a subsidiary of Canadian company Bombardier, and French company Thompson-CSF this week secured a further contract with the British Ministry of Defence for an additional 1,000 Starstrek missiles. Additionally, new work on regional aircraft and business jets from parent Bombardier means an extra 250 jobs' at Shorts, now bouncing back from the bankruptcy of the major Dutch customer, plane maker Fokker.

Shorts chairman, Roy McNulty, detailing the revival in group fortunes this week, said that if the new business trend keeps up, Shorts payroll, `which now stands at 9,000, will be as big as it was when Fokker was still in business. SMS is a world leader is the design and manufacturer of air defence systems, its products in service in 47 countries.