Market Share of Aircraft Control Surfaces Industry
The aircraft control surfaces market is semi-consolidated due to the long-term associations of market players with aircraft OEMs for specific aircraft models. Triumph Group, Inc., Magellan Aerospace Corporation, Strata Manufacturing PJSC, The Boeing Company, and Airbus SE are some of the prominent players in the market.
Aircraft manufacturers are welcoming innovations in control surface technologies that weigh less, reduce drag, and increase fuel savings to increase their profitability on the whole. Hence, newer types of control surfaces with different materials and slight design changes are expected to be launched in the years to come.
Initiatives like the focused factory initiative from Boeing, which aims at lowering manufacturing costs, improving quality, and increasing delivery efficiencies, are helping the players gain new contracts. For instance, in June 2023, Joby Aviation, Inc. and GKN Aerospace entered a multi-year agreement for the supply of thermoplastic flight control surfaces for Joby aircraft. The flight control surfaces will be comprised of a lightweight thermoplastic structure assembly manufactured using an advanced out-of-autoclave production method. This cutting-edge manufacturing process will enable high-rate production while delivering on the high-performance requirements of Joby's aircraft.
Similarly, in January 2023, DARPA awarded The Boeing Company a contract to build a full-scale demonstration aircraft for the experimental Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) project. The X-plane relies on active flow control (AFC), or the use of strategically placed actuators and effectors to alter the flow of air on the aircraft's surface to alter aerodynamic performance. These mechanisms replace traditional rudders, ailerons, and flaps. They also reduce drag and weight, generate lift at a high angle of attack, and allow for a change in the thickness of the structure.
Aircraft Control Surfaces Market Leaders
Triumph Group, Inc.
Magellan Aerospace Corporation
Strata Manufacturing PJSC
The Boeing Company
Airbus SE
*Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order
