GULFSTREAM

GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORPORATION

Originally an offshoot of Grumman Corporation; passed through several owners before purchase by General Dynamics for US$4.8 billion in May 1999; deal completed 31 July 1999.
Corporate HQ and production centre at Savannah, Georgia, has 4,430 employees. Subassembly and support locations are Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (350) and Mexicali, Mexico (600); however, the company announced that its Oklahoma City subsidiary would close by end 2002. Completions and service undertaken at Long Beach, California (865), Dallas, Texas (705), Appleton, Wisconsin (400) and Brunswick, Georgia (215). Service and refurbishment centre at Westfield, Massachusetts (150); a 4,985 m (53,650 sq ft) refurbishment support facility was added at Savannah in April 2000, at which time the total direct workforce was 8,200. In early 2001, Gulfstream exchanged its engine overhaul service in Dallas with units of BBA Aviation, acquiring four regional maintenance centres in Dallas, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and West Palm Beach; the service operation was rebranded as General Dynamics Aviation Services as a result.
The 1,000th Gulfstream, a Gulfstream V, was delivered to the company's Long Beach completion centre in September 1997. During 1998, Gulfstream and Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works were revealed to be undertaking preliminary studies into the potential of a supersonic business jet; however Skunk Works withdrew from the project in 2000, following financial difficulties.
Gulfstream delivered 51 aircraft (22 Gulfstream IV-SPs, and 29 Vs) in 1997 and 61 (32 Gulfstream IV-SPs and 29 Vs) in 1998. Gulfstream simultaneously handed over the 400th Gulfstream IV and 100th Gulfstream V at Savannah, Georgia, on 25 April 2000. Sales for 2000 were 82, comprising 27 new-generation V-SPs, 35 IV-SPs and 20 Vs; deliveries for same period were 70; for 2001 36 IV-SPs and 35 Vs, plus five Gulfstream 100s and 24 200s; for 2002 85 (all models); and five Gulfstream 100/200s and 14 Gulfstream 300/400/500/550 in the first nine months of 2003.
Following the purchase of Galaxy Aerospace of Israel by General Dynamics on 5 June 2001, the former's Astra and Galaxy business jets were incorporated into the Gulfstream product line as the Gulfstream 100 and 200 respectively. Production continues at Tel Aviv with 'green' aircraft flown to Lincoln, Nebraska (100) and Alliance Airport, Texas (200) for outfitting by Gulfstream; the Alliance facility closed in mid-2002 as a completion centre and became a sales and design centre.
On 9 September 2002, Gulfstream announced revised aircraft designations, the GIV becoming G300 and G400; GV becoming G500 and G550; and a widened G100 being launched as the G150. At the October 2003 NBAA Convention, the G450 was revealed following its previously unannounced maiden flight.

Additional Info

  • Address: Gulfstream Aerospace, PO Box 2206, 500 Gulfstream Road, Savannah, Georgia 31408, United States
  • Tel: (+1 912) 965 30 00
  • Fax: (+1 912) 965 37 75/41 71
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