P.M. BRIEFING : Gulfstream Works on Jet Muzzle

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. is developing an engine noise-reduction device that will make older jet aircraft quieter and more fuel-efficient, company Chairman Allen Paulson said today.

Paulson said he has applied for a patent on the device and production could begin in 1 1/2 to 2 years.

The device is being designed not only for Gulfstream’s older G-II and G-III corporate jet aircraft but also for commercial jets, including Boeing 707s and 727s and McDonnell-Douglas DC-9s, said Paulson.

“It could be bigger than anything we’ve ever done,” he said.

Paulson said the device will give airlines a cost-effective answer to environmental pressures to reduce engine noise emissions. He said airports in Van Nuys and Long Beach, Calif., have tightened jet engine noise emission standards, and he expects others to follow.