United States
Gulfstream Aerospace is a wholly owned subsidiary under General Dynamics. This American aircraft company is involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and servicing of business jets. They have produced more than 2,000 airplanes since their founding in 1958.
Gulfstream is one of, if not the best private jet manufacturer.
Read moreThe Gulfstream Aerospace company that people know today was started by Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co. in the late 1950s. This company was known for producing military aircraft and developed an impressive twin turboprop business plane, named the Grumman Gulfstream. This plane could seat 12 people and had a range of 2,200 miles.
Thanks to the success of this aircraft, the company then developed the GII, a jet-powered Grumman Gulfstream II. When this program began, the civil and military productions were separated to ensure efficiency. This resulted in the civilian aircraft production being relocated to Savannah, Georgia.
A merge with American Aviation Corporation occurred on January 2, 1973. In 1987, the Savannah production plant and the Gulfstream line were sold to American Jet Industries, making Allen Paulsen the CEO and president of the company. He then renamed the company Gulfstream American, and made the development of the Gulfstream III a priority.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Gulfstream continued to introduce more aircraft with improved performance. In the late 1990s, Gulfstream was purchased by General Dynamics. Four new maintenance facilities and a facility in Massachusetts were joined to form General Dynamics Aviation Services, in charge of maintaining and repairing Gulfstream aircraft.
A seven-year expansion plan of the Savannah facilities was announced in 2010, adding 1,000 jobs, which was an increase in jobs of more than 15%. Around the same time, Gulfstream grew their production sites in Luton, UK as well as in Westfield, Massachusetts. They continued to add new jobs throughout their workforce until a setback crash in 2011.
In late 2012, there were reports that Gulfstream Aerospace was going to announce their new design of an impressive and quiet supersonic business jet.
Currently there are around 200 Gulfstream aircrafts in use by 35 governments. Most of these aircraft are the G550, and are used for air transports of government and state heads, medical evacuation, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and airborne early morning.
Gulfstream Aerospace is known for continually producing pioneering aircraft. Their G650ER entered service on November 14, 2014, followed shortly by the G500 on May 18, 2015. On December 17, 2016, their G600 made its first flight. This was considered to be a new standard for comfort, style, and innovation. With a maximum range of 6,5000 nautical miles, this aircraft offers long flight abilities.
On April 2, 2011, a crash occurred during an experimental test flight of the G650. This occurred because the aircraft stalled when it was lifting off of the ground. All four people who were on board the flight were instantly killed.
Analysts were not happy with the fact that this crash had occurred, as there had been other warning signs with the G650 in the past, leading many to believe that the crash should have been prevented and that the four people on board the plane had lost their lives for no reason.
The headquarters of Gulfstream Aerospace are located in Savannah, Georgia; however, they operate worldwide and have centers in multiple countries.
The large and ultralarge aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace are manufactured in Savannah, Georgia. Midcabin aircraft is competed in Dallas, Texas. The subassemblies, machined parts, sheet metal components, and wiring harnesses are all produced in a Mexicali, Mexico facility.
In addition, since there are so many different cabin configurations to choose from, the company outfits the cabins, paints the exterior of the aircraft, and installs equipment in multiple completion centers. These centers are located in Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, and California.
There are 11 service centers located on four different continents to ensure that all Gulfstream Aerospace aircraft can easily and quickly be serviced when there is a problem. Additionally, there are teams designed for field and airborne support when an aircraft is not near a service center.
Gulfstream Aerospace is known for manufacturing business jets. Since the creation of the Grumman Gulfstream I in 1959, they have produced seven other designations. Some, such as the Grumman Gulfstream II, have many variants. Some of these variants are still under production today.
There are currently 13,313 employees working for Gulfstream Aerospace.
Mark Burns is the current president of Gulfstream Aerospace.