Before the chemical crisis, the plant on Western Avenue was primarily known as a worldwide leading manufacturer of cockpit windshields, jet canopies and aviation windows for civil and military aircraft. The site, which employs 540, even developed a line of special bullet-resistant glass.
GKN Aerospace’s Orange County site is one of 36 plants around the world operated by a massive company that started off in 1759 as an ironworks operation in South Wales.
Through the centuries, the United Kingdom-based firm has evolved into an international supplier of jet engines, landing gear, plane bodies and airplane windows, known as transparencies. According to the company’s website, GKN Aerospace parts are used in 90% of the passenger planes, helicopters and fighter jets flown around the world.
Aviation enthusiasts will recognize some of the Garden Grove facility’s accomplishments. It manufactures the canopy for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet as well as the windows for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Airbus A350, HondaJet and Bombardier C-Series.
The windows are built to withstand extreme conditions, such as bird strikes and high pressure. GKN Aerospace has two other transparency manufacturing sites in the United States. Two more company facilities in San Diego County manufacture aerostructures, engine systems and special military technologies.
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/05/22/garden-grove-plant-leading-maker-of-worldwide-aviation-windows-canopies/
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