thumb|right|[[Grob G 103 Twin Astir sailplane]]
thumb|right|[[Grob G 109 B motor glider, built in 1986]]
thumbnail|right|[[Grob G 115|Grob 115E 'Tutor T1' operated by the Royal Air Force]]
thumb|[[Grob G180 SPn|Grob SP<sup>n</sup>]]
Grob Aircraft SE, formerly Grob Aerospace, is a German aircraft manufacturer, specialising in gliders and general aviation.
Since its foundation in 1971, Grob Aircraft produced a range of aircraft. Initially focusing on gliders, it soon grew into other markets. The company has produced a range of trainer aircraft, many of which have been operated in quantity by a number of military air wings. It has also produced specialised high-altitude intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. According to Grob Aircraft, it has delivered over 4,500 airframes which have cumulatively flown over seven million hours across hundreds of operators spread over five continents.
Since the 1970s, the copious use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer in the manufacture of its aircraft has been a hallmark of the firm's designs.
At the onset of operations, Grob Aerospace was involved in the production of gliders, having quickly secured subcontracting work from the existing German manufacturer Schempp-Hirth to build the firm's Standard Cirrus glider under licence. In excess of 200 Standard Cirruses were produced by Grob, the initial example being constructed at its machining workshop in Mindelheim. it was the world's first production all-composite motor glider upon receiving its type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1981. In addition to widespread civilian use of the type, perhaps the most prominent operator of the G 109 was the Royal Air Force, who adopted it for their Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGS) to train Air Cadets through the Gliding Induction and Gliding Scholarship courses up until 5 May 2018; in RAF service, the Grob 109B was designated Vigilant T1.
The G 109 was only the start of Grob Aerospace's motorised aircraft lineup. It was followed by the larger G 115, an all-composite two-seat aerobatic monoplane, which received certification from the FAA during 1987. First flown on 24 June 1987, the type soon established five world records.<!--error in FAI database?--> During 1992, the German Air Force placed an order for a batch of nine EGRETT II aircraft, as well as for a single two-seat trainer and one of the demonstrators. However, in February 1993, the German order was cancelled; this outcome was attributed to the peace dividend following the collapse of the Soviet Union and a decrease in military tensions. During June 2005, Grob Aerospace president Dr Andreas Plesske stated of the G180 SPn: "We have created a new category of jet aircraft".
The G180 SPn performed its maiden flight on 20 July 2005. The second prototype crashed shortly after takeoff on 29 November 2006 close to the production plant in Germany; chief test pilot Gérard Guillaumaud, the aircraft's sole occupant, was killed. During February 2007, following a three-month break, flight testing resumed; by this point, certification was targeted for early 2008.
During November 2008, development of the G180 SPn was put on hold by the insolvency of Grob Aerospace. While subsequent attempts had been made to raise investment to resume development, these came amid the Great Recession. Grob Aerospace's largest creditor did not approve the sale of the G180 SPn to Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation. Niall Olver, Grob Aerospace's former CEO, was appointed by the creditor to find new investors to buy the assets of the G180 SPn with the aim of restarting the program by June 2009. During March 2009, Olver indicated that the then-current plan was to complete certification and commence production near the middle of 2012. The rights to the aircraft became the property of Allied Aviation Technologies.
2008 insolvency
thumb|Initial Grob H3 logo
thumb|Second iteration of Grob H3 logo
On 18 August 2008, Grob Aerospace filed for insolvency. As a consequence, the firm suspended the majority of its activities, including all light-jet production; this shutdown raised questions over the timely delivery of Bombardier Aerospace's Learjet 85 prototypes, of which Grob had been contracted to produce. While efforts were made to seek new investors to rescue the company, most of Grob's employees were released on 3 November 2008. Niall Olver, Grob's chief executive officer, stated of the suspension: