U.S. Aircraft Component Manufacturing Leads to Billions in Spending

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Written by Eric Funderburk for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

U.S. construction geared toward the production of components of aircraft adds up to billions of dollars.

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A Big Market

The aircraft sector is a big industry in the U.S., often including multiple plants to manufacture the different components that will come together at a final assembly plant. Industrial Info Resources data show billions of dollars' worth of U.S. construction underway geared toward the manufacture of aircraft components. These include both commercial and military endeavors.

Geared Toward the Military

A U.S. Army aircraft is behind $632 million in investment from Bell Textron in its renovation of an existing structure in Fort Worth, Texas, that will manufacture components for the upcoming MV-75 Cheyenne II, the Army's next-generation long-range assault aircraft. The MV-75 is neither a helicopter or airplane but a tiltrotor aircraft, which combines tiltrotor aircraft the vertical takeoff and hovering capabilities of a helicopter with the high speed and long range of plane. Bell will manufacture the aircraft using its plants as a distributed network, with the Fort Worth facility being a key target for investment with assembly of other components planned at existing plants, including fuselages in Wichita, Kansas, and final assembly occurring at Bell's Amarillo, Texas, plant. Readers can access details of the Fort Worth renovation project, including construction timelines, key contact details, and equipment and service needs, by clicking here.

Various models of the F-35 fighter aircraft are used by the U.S. Air Force, Marines and Navy, and GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems is underway with an expansion at its plant in Garden Grove, California, to manufacture canopies for the F-35. The canopy in layman's terms is the transparent "windshield" that surrounds the cockpit. GKN is only one company in a network of key supply chains for the F-35 that span the world, ending in the U.S. at one of F-35 developer Lockheed-Martin's massive assembly plants in Fort Worth.

GE Aerospace

GE Aerospace is underway with multiple component projects across the U.S. Industrial Info Resources data show seven GE aircraft-related projects underway. Last year, the company announced it would invest $1 billion in U.S. aircraft plants, targeting both defense and commercial aircraft components. The company's investment targets include sites in Lynn, Massachusetts, and Madisonville, Kentucky, which GE is upgrading in preparation for engines for the new T901 Black Hawk and Apache helicopters for the military.

GE's commercially geared projects underway include an equipment addition at its plant in Durham, North Carolina, targeting among other things components of the company's LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engine, which it is developing as part of a joint venture with Safran Aircraft Engines and that is the preferred engine for various models assembled by Airbus and Boeing, including Boeing's 737 MAX.

Other Construction Underway

Producing more fire and overheat detection systems for various aircraft models, particularly those for Airbus, is the goal of Collins Aerospace's expansion of its plant in Wilson, North Carolina. Collins is renovating a recently acquired adjacent building to expand production. Work started earlier this year and is expected to wind down toward the end of the year.

Key Takeaways

• Aircraft component construction means big spending in the U.S.
• One of the leading projects comes in Fort Worth, Texas, from Bell Textron for military aircraft components.
• GE Aerospace also represents another big spender with multiple projects geared for both the commercial and military sectors.

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).