AROUND 100 jobs will be created at a Dorset defence company after it won a slice of a huge government contract.

Julian Hellebrand, group director of communications at Wimborne-based Cobham plc, said: "This is great news as it will create 100 new jobs locally, mostly at our business at Bournemouth Airport, sustaining around 120 jobs in all."

Cobham, part of a consortium, has secured a 27-year contract with the Ministry of Defence.

The consortium, AirTanker Ltd, will supply advanced air to air refuelling and transport capability to the Royal Air Force.

AirTanker will provide a fleet of 14 new Airbus A330-200 tanker aircraft powered by Rolls Royce Trent engines.

The aircraft will come into service from 2011, replacing the previous, existing fleet of VC-10 and Tristar refuelling aircraft.

Each of the FSTA aircraft will be supplied with two Cobham wing-mounted air refuelling pods and five will be fitted with Cobham's Fuselage Refuelling Units to enable the FSTA aircraft to refuel large receiver aircraft.

All the air refuelling equipment will be supplied by Cobham Mission Systems in Wimborne with deliveries commencing in 2010.

Twelve of the 14 aircraft will be converted by Cobham Aviation Services at Bournemouth Airport, starting in 2011. The first two aircraft will be converted by EADS in Spain with the support of Cobham engineers.

Cobham chief executive Allan Cook, said: "This is excellent news for Cobham and the whole AirTanker team. We have worked hard over the last seven years to get to this position with our customer and I am certain that the RAF will be delighted with the increased level of capability.

"March has been an eventful month for Cobham with the selection of the Northrop Grumman/EADS/Cobham team for the USAF Tanker and now award of the FSTA contract. The FSTA contract will sustain up to 120 long term jobs in Dorset and underpin our development plans for a new engineering centre of excellence in Wimborne."

Mr Hellebrand concluded: "It's been a good month for us with the USAF tanker, entry into the FTSE 100 and now FSTA - a bit like buses, all at once."