Rolls-Royce keeps guidance, eyes currency drag to revenue

BERLIN/LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) - British engineer Rolls-Royce maintained its 2015 profit guidance, but said currency swings could dampen revenue.

The world's second-largest maker of aircraft engines after U.S. group General Electric said that profits would be more weighted towards the second half of the year and that currency effects could wipe some 350 million pounds ($540 million) from its revenue this year.

Rolls Royce (LSE: RR.L - news) , which is due to welcome a new chief executive in July after a series of profit downgrades, gave a target for 2015 profit of between 1.4 billion and 1.55 billion pounds.

Rolls-Royce in April named one of Britain's most successful technology executives, Warren East, as its new chief executive, looking to the former ARM head to restore its fortunes after a year of falling profits, job cuts and cancelled orders.

($1 = 0.6477 pounds) (Reporting by Victoria Bryan and Sarah Young; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)