GKN Aerospace plans to establish a new aerospace components manufacturing facility in Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA to house assembly of the HondaJet's all-composite fuselage.
Design and equipping of the 150,000ft² (14,000m²) plant will begin shortly, said GKN. It is scheduled to be operational by the second half of next year.
"This facility is at the heart of the growth of our business in the USA," said Kevin Cummings, GKN's president of Aerostructures for North America.
"This move brings the vital assembly activity close to Honda's own plant. Over the longer term we expect the new site to serve a range of aerospace customers on assembly tasks across civil and military aviation."
Certification of the GE Honda HF120-powered light business jet is scheduled for 2013.
Source: Flight International
