GKN Drops Westland Name; Plans Bizjet Expansion Here

GKN Westland Aerospace metamorphisized into GKN Aerospace Services this June (dropping Westland from its name), and it is here at NBAA to promote its latest bizjet capabilities.

GKNAS plans to start introducing more corporate jet and commercial aviation work to the structures plant in St. Louis, Mo., which it bought from Boeing for $61 million last January. It aims to make the first production deliveries of integrated Bombardier Continental engine nacelles from this plant before Christmas.

The St. Louis plant is expected to become GKNAS' single largest facility, outstripping its current Isle of Wight works in the UK. This plant is currently delivering integrated nacelle assemblies to BAE Regional for the Honeywell AS977 engines for the last few Avro RJX regional airliners to be made, nacelles for the Dassault Falcon 50 and Gulfstream G100 (ex Astra SPX), as well as the tailplane, pannier tanks and engine pylons for the soon to be defunct Avro RJX.

In the U.S. GKNAS has two other plants: in San Diego, Calif., (engine and airframe fabrications) and in Tallahassee, Ala., (composite components and airframe assemblies).

In England, the company also produces coated aircraft canopies and transparencies as well as electrothermal ice protection systems, fuel cells and systems and helicopter flotation equipment. Currently 45% of the company's production is in the civil aerospace sector.