Gulfstream Aerospace is expanding the capacity to manufacture wings for its large-cabin twinjets as the Savannah, Georgia-based company prepares to ramp up aircraft production in the coming years, according to Phebe Novakovic, the chairman and CEO of parent company General Dynamics. In 2019, the company opened a 290,000-sq-ft production facility dedicated to wing and empennage work at its Savannah headquarters, vertically integrating wing manufacturing for its large-cabin in-production G500, G600, and G650ER jets, as well as the forthcoming G400, G700, and G800.

Backlog at the company’s aerospace unit increased by $4.7 billion last year and Novakovic said the sales pipeline is “robust” and termed sales activity as “brisk.” Thus, the company is projecting a ramp-up to 170 jet deliveries in 2024, compared with 119 last year. This presents a “rich problem” for Gulfstream, namely if the supply chain can keep up with aircraft demand, she noted.

“We will increase production in 2022, but not to where it needs to be,” Novakovic said. “The long pole in the tent is manufacturing wings, which we do ourselves. We need to expand our new line wing facility and acquire another set of tools and fixtures. All of this is underway and will be in place to satisfy our needs for 2023 and beyond.”