Eclipse Aviation signed a contract with Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) of Japan for the manufacture of complete wing assemblies for the Eclipse 500 very light jet. As part of the long-term agreement, Eclipse also licensed its friction-stir welding process to FHI for use in the wing assemblies, as well as other potential applications within FHI’s manufacturing operations. The wing sets will be manufactured in Japan and shipped to the Eclipse plant in Albuquerque, N.M., for final assembly.

Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse, said that having Fuji on board the Eclipse 500 is an important milestone in the effort to break into the market with the first of a number of small, personal jets now under development. FHI is a global manufacturer of transportation and aerospace-related products and of Subaru automobiles. It manufactures the center wing section of the Boeing 777 and was recently contracted to build components for the Airbus A380 super-large airliner.