GKN Aerospace Opens Radome Test Facility

Fort Worth, TX -- GKN Aerospace announces it has opened a comprehensive new indoor radome test facility at its base in Fort Worth, Texas. The new test range will provide GKN's customers a comprehensive service, which includes a thorough check of each radome for radar transmission efficiency after production or repair. It will be capable of testing every type of aircraft radome, from corporate and regional to large commercial and military aircraft and is already approved by the FAA to test an array of regional and commercial aircraft radomes.

The result of a significant investment by GKN Aerospace, the facility will offer a cost effective, totally quality controlled service providing the complete range of radome repair and support in one place.

Steve Bowen, Vice President and Site Director at Fort Worth notes: "This new on-site transmissivity testing represents a key element in our Company's strategic drive to become a leading player in the component MRO business, providing fully co-ordinated R&O support. It extends our existing global composite and metallic repair capabilities, which cover nacelle and major off aircraft structural component repair. The new facility, developed working in partnership with our customers, will offer a high quality, cost effective service to customers operating in a highly competitive environment."

Located in an independent 3500 square feet facility, the range will test in excess of 60 radomes per month, and will work alongside several in-house radome repair tools and rotable units. It will operate in X-band at a frequency of 9.345 GHz, performing full sweeps of radome transmission windows. Following testing at the facility, operators will receive a new or repaired radome, which operates fully in accordance with RTCA 173, Do213.