GKN Aerospace celebrates the HondaJet world tour

GKN Aerospace congratulates Honda Aircraft Company on a successful world tour of its advanced light jet, the HondaJet.

GKN Aerospace supplies the complete composite, lightweight bonded fuselage and the innovative, all-acrylic, front and side windshields for this technologically advanced aircraft.

The fuselage is manufactured at GKN Aerospace's facility in Alabama, USA with assembly at GKN's plant in Orangeburg, South Carolina, close to Honda Aircraft Company's world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. The windshields are produced at GKN Aerospace's specialist transparencies operation in Garden Grove, California.

The fuselage, designed by Honda Aircraft Company, is constructed of composite materials co-cured integrally in an autoclave. This reduces manufacturing complexity and produces a lightweight fuselage, improving fuel efficiency and increasing interior cabin and luggage space. GKN Aerospace gained the HondaJet fuselage development contract in 2009 with the production contract awarded in 2011.

Kevin Cummings, CEO, GKN Aerospace comments: “We are extraordinarily proud to have played a role in the evolution of the HondaJet. To watch now as it continues its world tour is to appreciate Honda's challenging spirit and vision in creating this high performance, fuel efficient light jet. We look forward to a long and successful relationship supporting Honda as the aircraft enters service with customers around the globe.”