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DALLAS, JUNE 28, 2001 - Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc., the world's largest independent producer of aerostructures, recently delivered the 150th shipset of integrated wings for the Gulfstream V ultra-long range business jet.
Under a 1993 revenue-sharing agreement with Gulfstream, Vought designed and produces the wings for the Gulfstream V, including integration of the electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems. The first 94-foot-long integrated wing was designed and produced in 25 months, with an on-time delivery of July 18, 1995. First flight of the Gulfstream V took place Nov. 28, 1995. To date more than 200 Gulfstream V series aircraft have been sold.
"This wing marks a major milestone on the GV program," said Russ Day, Vought's Director of Gulfstream V Programs. "Vought uses custom-built tooling and advanced manufacturing technology in producing this product. We work hard to provide Gulfstream with the highest quality wing in the industry."
The Gulfstream V's upper wing skin is a single sheet of machined aluminum, constructed using a technique called age-creep forming. The complete wing assembly includes flaps, ailerons, leading edges and trailing edges, as well as installed sub-systems. Teammates and subcontractors to Vought on the Gulfstream V wing program are ShinMaywa of Japan (flight control surfaces) and Korea Aerospace Industries (leading edges).
Gulfstream Aerospace, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, launched the Gulfstream V in 1992 in response to a market need for extended-range business jets. It has a range of 6,500 nautical miles and is designed to cruise at altitudes of up to 51,000 feet - high above commercial air traffic, weather and adverse winds - permitting more direct routing by air traffic control and shorter en route times.
Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. is the world's largest independent supplier of aerostructures. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company provides fuselage subassemblies, nacelles, and thrust reversers, empennage structures and other components for prime manufacturers of aircraft. Vought has more than 5,000 employees and annual sales exceeding $1 billion. It operates product-focused assembly sites in Dallas; Hawthorne, Calif.; Stuart, Fla.; Milledgeville, Ga.; and Perry, Ga. |
