GKN Aerospace to supply engine nacelles for new Cessna Citation Longitude

GKN Aerospace has been awarded a contract by Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, to supply the nacelle systems to house the HTF7700L turbofan engines that will power Cessna's new Citation Longitude super-midsize business jet.

The new nacelle system will be a development of a GKN Aerospace nacelle that has been in service for 12 years and is now flying on over 600 business jets. By adapting this proven design, the company is able to offer Cessna a bespoke nacelle whilst minimising the time to market readiness, risk and cost for the Citation Longitude programme.

John Pritchard, CEO, GKN Aerospace, Aerostructures - Europe, comments: “This new contract win introduces an important new customer to one of our established areas of expertise - engine nacelle systems. We are proud to be contributing to Cessna's Longitude programme, launched this week at the NBAA show, and to be able to count this highly respected general aviation aircraft manufacturer amongst our customers.”

The nacelles will be manufactured at the company's facility on the Isle of Wight in the UK, with integration of the propulsion system taking place at GKN Aerospace's purpose-built facility in Phoenix, Arizona.

GKN Aerospace is among the leading suppliers of nacelle systems internationally and is one of the major suppliers of engine products to the aerospace market worldwide. With market-leading design and manufacturing expertise across both metallic and composite materials, the company brings a unique breadth of skills and experience to customer programmes.

Through 3rd party customers, GKN Aerospace already provides a variety of engine components and transparencies for the Cessna family of aircraft.