GKN Aerospace has been selected as a key supplier for the new Gulfstream G700 business jet — unveiled last month at the 2019 NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition.

It will design and manufacture the tail assembly plus thermoplastic components: the rudder and elevators that are part of the tail assembly, as well as the ‘floorboards’. It will also produce bonded fuselage panels for the new aircraft.

A team of GKN Aerospace engineers has collaborated with the Gulfstream team and taken an active role in the design process. Production takes place at facilities in Hoogeveen and Papendrecht in the Netherlands.

This agreement is a continuation of the long-term business relationship between Gulfstream and GKN Aerospace; the latter’s Fokker business began participating in Gulfstream’s business jet programmes in 1993.

GKN Aerospace (www.gknaerospace.com) says its market-leading position in business jet tail assemblies has been proven in the design and manufacture of these for many Gulfstream large-cabin and ultra-large-cabin aircraft, as well as for Cessna, Dassault and HondaJet business jets.

John Pritchard, GKN Aerospace’s CEO for aerostructures and systems (Europe and Asia), said: “We are proud to be selected again as a key supplier for Gulfstream’s latest flagship. Our partnership of more than 25 years in all Gulfstream’s business jets has led to many breakthroughs in lightweight composite technology.”