Rocket maker Avio's first-half core profit grows as US growth comes into focus

Sept 10 (Reuters) - Italian rocket maker Avio said on Thursday its first-half adjusted core earnings rose 7.3% from a year earlier, as it pursues its expansion in the United States and ramps up launcher production.

Avio is currently setting up a solid rocket motor facility in Virginia and selling a minority stake to private equity firm Advent International to finance its US operation.

• Net revenue rose 17.5% to €276.0 million, driven by increased production for its Vega-C launchers and Ariane 6 boosters.

• Order backlog stood at €2.05 billion at the end of June, down 5.4% compared to the figure seen at December end.

• CEO Giulio Ranzo said during a conference call that some of the cash gained in its stake sale to Advent could also be deployed for M&A deals in the United States, to hasten its production ramp-up.

• Design of the Virginia plant is moving forward and a ground-breaking ceremony is set for the end of September, according to slides published during the call.

• Shares closed at 2.7% following the publication of the results, paring losses after falling as much as 9.5%.

($1 = 0.8601 euros)

(Reporting by Enrico Sciacovelli, editing by Susan Fenton and Matt Scuffham)