WORLDWIDE GULFSTREAM PRODUCT SUPPORT NETWORK CONTINUES EXPANSION

People, Parts Added In Europe And Asia

SAVANNAH, Ga., May 3, 2010 - Gulfstream Product Support grew substantially over the last year, most notably by increasing its international parts and materials inventory, adding key personnel in Europe and Asia, and opening the second phase of its Gulfstream Savannah Service Center.

"We’ve expanded to meet the demands of the Gulfstream fleet as it grows around the world," said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream Product Support, a 3,200-employee organization. "We have a very strong support network in North America and we’re working to enhance our depth internationally. The people and parts we’ve added in Europe and Asia reflect our commitment to our customers."

On the inventory front, Gulfstream has $1.2 billion worth of spare parts and materials at 15 facilities around the world. Nearly $60 million of that inventory is housed at two facilities: CORJET Europe at Madrid Barajas Airport in Spain, and Metrojet at Hong Kong International Airport in China. Those distribution centers had a combined inventory of less than $20 million in 2009. The Madrid facility’s capabilities include courier service through Iberia Airlines.

"We’ve increased the parts and materials inventory at Madrid and Hong Kong because of the increase we’ve had in international sales," Burns said. "Those two locations are ideally located - we can get parts to a lot of Gulfstream operators and deliver them faster than ever."

To further support growth in international sales, Gulfstream appointed six field service representatives in the last year. Positions were added in Madrid; Mexico City; Beijing; Chennai, India; Amman, Jordan; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. In Sao Paulo, Gulfstream also provides maintenance support and dedicated maintenance technicians from Jet Aviation.

In the past year, Gulfstream also added two authorized warranty line-service facilities to its product support network, Aerovics, S.A. in Toluca, Mexico, and Jet Aviation Brazil in Sorocaba.

As part of its growing commitment to the rapidly growing Asian business-aviation market, Gulfstream recently established a Beijing-based maintenance support team, a Hong Kong-based regional program director, an international distribution manager for parts and materials, and two Hong Kong-based interior technicians.

"These new positions underscore our commitment to business aviation in Asia," Burns said. "The growth is tremendous, and we plan to be right there assisting Gulfstream operators with the same exemplary product support we have established in many other parts of the world."

Additional highlights for Gulfstream Product Support in the past year included the October 2009 opening of the second phase of the Gulfstream Savannah Service Center, which is part of a seven-year, $400 million long-range expansion plan the company announced in March 2006. At 679,199 square feet, the overall service center is the largest maintenance facility in the world built specifically for business jets.

"The facility is a tremendous achievement for us and keeps us at the forefront of product support organizations in business aviation," Burns said.

The second phase of the service center covers 348,248 square feet. It includes a hangar building that can accommodate 18 large-cabin aircraft, an in-flight support center, offices, an engine run-up area for customers and additional repair shops.

The 330,951-square-foot first phase, which opened in August 2007, also has a hangar that can house 18 large-cabin aircraft, offices, repair shops, a fuel farm, an engine run-up area, and a cafeteria.

The completed service center, which has a maximum capacity of 74 aircraft, puts all Savannah Gulfstream Product Support personnel under one roof for the first time. Since hangars are connected to back shops, aircraft components can be moved back and forth internally without major transportation issues while an airframe or power plant is being serviced.

"Completing the second phase of the Gulfstream Savannah Service Center has tremendously enhanced our ability to provide the best in aircraft refurbishment and maintenance to our operators," Burns said. "With all of our people and services together, we have never been more efficient in taking care of a customer’s needs."

The former 209,000-square-foot service center will become a completions facility for the company’s new flagship aircraft - the Gulfstream G650.

 

NOTE TO EDITORS

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced some 1,800 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the wide-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150®; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200®; the new large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G250®; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350®; the large-cabin, long-range G450®; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500®; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550® and the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range G650®. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Financial Services Division and Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales®. The company employs more than 9,000 people at seven major locations. We invite you to visit our website for more information and photos of Gulfstream aircraft at www.gulfstream.com.

General Dynamics headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 91,700 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.gd.com.