thumb|F-104 on display outside Volvo Aero
thumb|Volvo RM6B
thumb|Volvo Flygmotor RM8B
Volvo Aero was a Swedish aircraft, guided missiles and rocket engine manufacturer. It became GKN Aerospace Engine Systems following the company's acquisition by British engineering conglomerate GKN during 2012.
It was originally established as Nohab Flygmotorfabriker AB in 1930 to produce aero engines. The firm became a part of SAAB during 1937; Volvo later purchased most of the stock, thus it was renamed Svenska Flygmotor AB (SFA) and later Volvo Flygmotor. It became the major engine supplier of the Swedish Air Force during the post-war period. During the 1970s, Volvo Flygmotor branched into the commercial aerospace sector, offering overhauls and subcomponent production for several international engine manufacturers, as well as into the European space sector.
During the 2000s, Volvo Aero focused on cooperative ventures with various partner companies around the globe. As a result of the Great Recession, Volvo Aero experienced a sustained downturn in business, resulting in layoffs and contributing to the firm's sale. Parent company Volvo decided to sell their aerospace division amid the economic downturn; GKN emerged amongst several bidders as the frontrunner, finalising its purchase of Volvo Aero during 2012.
History
Nohab Flygmotorfabriker AB was founded in Trollhättan, Sweden, in 1930 to produce aircraft engines for the Swedish Board of Aviation. As reflected in the name of the company, it was a subsidiary of the Swedish manufacturing and railway locomotive specialist NOHAB.
During the 1970s, the firm decided to apply the experience it had gathered on the production and service of military aircraft engines towards the commercial aerospace sector.
During the 2000s, further efforts were made by Volvo Aero towards close cooperation with various industrial partners. In November 2008, Pratt & Whitney and Volvo Aero Norge agreed for the latter to produce diffuser case components for the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine; that same year, Volvo Aero secured work on the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engine as well.
Following the start of the Great Recession in 2008, Volvo Aero shared in the general downturn in business activity.
By 2011, Volvo was seeking to dispose of its aero engine division to focus on its production of trucks and construction equipment. In March 2011, British engineering group GKN was reportedly being regarded as the frontrunner to acquire the company as several other bidders, including German engine specialist MTU Aero Engines, as well as private equity firms The Carlyle Group and Nordic Capital, decided to withdraw from their own acquisition ambitions. On 6 July 2012, Volvo Aero was acquired by the GKN in a SEK 6.9 billion deal. The sale was viewed as one step in a wider trend in the aerospace industry towards consolidation. During 2012, Volvo Aero declared that it intended to expand its engine component production range over the coming years.
Test facility
In the 1950s, the Swedish Air Board constructed an unusual test facility at Flygmotor. This was an engine test facility, a form of wind tunnel, which could operate at high inlet pressures, thus high Reynolds numbers. This tunnel was unique in being water-powered. A sealed underground chamber was blasted out of the granite beneath the Göta Canal. When the canal was allowed to flood the chamber, air was driven from it at high pressure and through the test chamber. A supersonic test of an engine could be carried out for around 10 minutes, after which it took 24 hours to pump the chamber dry again.
Space propulsion
Volvo Aero manufactures combustion chambers, nozzles and turbines for commercial launch vehicles.
Hydraulic motors
The company have produced the F-series hydraulic motors under the Volvo Flygmotor, "Volvo Hydraulics" and VOAC brands. The main feature of these products are the spherical pistons each with a laminated segment. This technology permits a large angle (40°) between the shaft and the cylinder barrel.
Locations
Volvo Aero subsidiaries are located in the United States and Norway, in addition to Volvo's home country, Sweden. The Norwegian plant, in Kongsberg, is the former Norsk Jetmotor, itself formerly a part of Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk.