Rolls-Royce Canada has signed a ten-year/10,000-hour contract to maintain the BMW Rolls-Royce BR710 engines that will power Executive Jet's ordered fleet of 12 Gulfstream Vs.

Based on a fixed price per flying hour per engine, the $45 million deal covers all shop maintenance, with the work to be done at Rolls-Royce Canada's Montreal facility.

"This is a full fleet maintenance support contract designed to provide continuous BR710 support," says Executive Jet's executive VP Richard G. Smith III. "All 24 engines will rotate through, and spares are included."

Rolls-Royce has an existing contract to maintain R-R Tay engines for New Jersey-based Executive Jet.

Rolls-Royce Canada president Pierre Racine--who participated in a signing ceremony with Smith at the NBAA show on Tuesday--says the BR710 contract "cements" the relationship between the two companies. Rolls' 520,000 square-foot Montreal plant has five engine test cells available, with a sixth one due to be operational by February 2000.

Delivery of Executive Jet's first GV is planned for October 2000; all 12 will join the company's fractional ownership program.