WICHITA, Kansas, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPR) today announced it expects a pre-tax charge of approximately $28 million, or $0.13 per share associated with the development effort on the CH-53K helicopter program.
"As a result of lessons learned on development of the initial cockpit and cabin, we have decided to proceed with a more traditional design and build approach as we prepare to manufacture the remaining test units and focus on the continued success of the program," said Mike King, senior vice president and general manager of Spirit's Fuselage Systems Segment.
The additional costs associated with this change have resulted in a loss program for Spirit on the Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract. Spirit won the ~$150 million firm fixed-price contract in May 2007 and delivered the first of seven CH-53K test articles in December 2010.
The company expects to achieve its 2011 fully diluted earnings per share guidance of $1.70-1.90. Spirit will release its first quarter 2011 financial results, including the impact of the charge, at its next quarterly financial performance announcement on May 5, 2011.
On the web: http://www.spiritaero.com
About Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Based in Wichita, Kan., Spirit AeroSystems is the world's largest independent supplier of commercial airplane assemblies and components. In addition to its Kansas facility, Spirit has locations in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla.; Kinston, N.C.; Prestwick, Scotland; Preston, England; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and is developing a new manufacturing facility in Saint-Nazaire, France. In the U.S., Spirit's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components. Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and fleet support services in North America, Europe and Asia. Spirit Europe produces wing components for a host of customers, including Airbus.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "believe," "project," "continue," "plan," "forecast," or other similar words, or the negative thereof, unless the context requires otherwise. These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown. Our actual results may vary materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward-looking statements and that should be considered in evaluating our outlook include, but are not limited to, the following: our ability to continue to grow our business and execute our growth strategy, including the timing and execution of new programs; our ability to perform our obligations and manage costs related to our new commercial and business aircraft development programs and the related recurring production; potential reduction in the build rates of certain Boeing aircraft including, but not limited to, the B737 program, the B747 program, the B767 program and the B777 program, and build rates of the Airbus A320 and A380 programs, which could be negatively impacted by continuing weakness in the global economy and economic challenges facing commercial airlines, and by a lack of business and consumer confidence and the impact of continuing instability in the global financial and credit markets, including, but not limited to, sovereign debt concerns in Europe; the inability to resolve significant claims with Boeing related to non-recurring and recurring costs on the B787 program; declining business jet manufacturing rates and customer cancellations or deferrals as a result of the weakened global economy; the success and timely execution of key milestones such as certification and delivery of Boeing's new B787 and Airbus' new A350 XWB aircraft programs, including receipt of necessary regulatory approvals and customer adherence to their announced schedules; our ability to enter into supply arrangements with additional customers and the ability of all parties to satisfy their performance requirements under existing supply contracts with Boeing and Airbus, our two major customers, and other customers and the risk of nonpayment by such customers; any adverse impact on Boeing's and Airbus' production of aircraft resulting from cancellations, deferrals or reduced orders by their customers or from labor disputes or acts of terrorism; any adverse impact on the demand for air travel or our operations from the outbreak of diseases or epidemic or pandemic outbreaks; returns on pension plan assets and impact of future discount rate changes on pension obligations; our ability to borrow additional funds or refinance debt; competition from original equipment manufacturers and other aerostructures suppliers; the effect of governmental laws, such as U.S. export control laws, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, environmental laws and agency regulations, both in the U.S. and abroad; the cost and availability of raw materials and purchased components; our ability to successfully extend or renegotiate our primary collective bargaining contracts with our labor unions; our ability to recruit and retain highly skilled employees and our relationships with the unions representing many of our employees; spending by the U.S. and other governments on defense; the possibility that our cash flows and borrowing facilities may not be adequate for our additional capital needs or for payment of interest on and principal of our indebtedness and the possibility that we may be unable to borrow additional funds or refinance debt; our exposure under our revolving credit facility to higher interest payments should interest rates increase substantially; the outcome or impact of ongoing or future litigation and regulatory actions; and our exposure to potential product liability and warranty claims. These factors are not exhaustive and it is not possible for us to predict all factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in our forward-looking statements. These factors speak only as of the date hereof, and new factors may emerge or changes to the foregoing factors may occur that could impact our business. As with any projection or forecast, these statements are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Except to the extent required by law, we undertake no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any obligation to, publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should review carefully the section captioned "Risk Factors" in our 2010 Form 10-K for a more complete discussion of these and other factors that may affect our business.
