British engine maker Rolls-Royce said on Thursday trading for the period June 30 to October 29 was in line with market expectations.

The company said its order book has continued to grow with a further GBP5 billion pounds (USD$8.02 billion) of new orders received since June 30.

Chief executive John Rose said that while it was too early to assess the impact of the downturn on the company, he believes the company is well positioned to deal with the situation.

"The breadth of our business and product portfolio, our access to a wide range of global markets, our growing installed base, the strength of our balance sheet and our ability to manage costs effectively mean that we are well positioned to deal with the challenging economic conditions," he said in a statement.

The company is best known for making aero engines and booming demand for commercial airlines in recent years has left it with a record order book of GBP53.5 billion pounds on June 30, up 17 percent year-on-year.

Rolls-Royce raised its dividend by a third in February, at the time of its 2007 results, to signal its confidence in future growth. Investors had hoped for a bigger payout at the time.

Rolls-Royce also has sizeable businesses making gas turbines for ships and power generation markets. Servicing the engines it makes now accounts for about half the company's turnover.

Earlier this year, Rolls-Royce said it was to rejig its nuclear business, which has a long history supporting Britain's nuclear submarine fleet, to win business in the civil market where Britain has plans to build a new generation of power stations.

The company has estimated that the nuclear market worldwide could be worth GBP50 billion pounds per year in 15 years time.