the 900 series receiving certification in September 2011. Dassault and API have also certified winglets for the Falcon 50 series aircraft. Airbus worked with Aviation Partners from 2006 through 2011, in an effort to modernize its A320 family of jets. In 2011, however, Airbus announced that it came up with its own design, which it branded "sharklets," and obtained a patent in Europe. In December 2011, Airbus filed suit in Texas seeking to invalidate Aviation Partners' 1994 winglet patent. Airbus settled the lawsuit by making a large payment to Aviation Partners in 2018. By 2009, API's product had been introduced to the Boeing 757, Boeing 767, and several business jets. Aviation Partners is currently developing the Spiroid winglet, a closed wing surface mounted at the end of a conventional wing. Initial testing using a Gulfstream II test aircraft has shown the winglet design to reduce fuel consumption in the cruise phase by over 10%. APB's Split Scimitar Winglet retrofit program consists of retrofitting 737NG's winglets by replacing the aluminum winglet tip cap with a new aerodynamically shaped "Scimitar" winglet tip cap and by adding a new Scimitar tipped ventral strake. This modification demonstrated approximately 2% drag reduction over the basic Blended Winglet configuration. FAA granted supplemental type certification (STC) for the Split Scimitar Winglet (SSW) retrofit on the 737-800 and BBJ2 on February 6, 2014, for 737-900ER on August 27th, 2014, for 3 additional 737-800 wing configuration on October 2, 2014, and for all models of the 737-700 including the Boeing Business Jet on April 21, 2015. APB expects Scimitar Winglet Systems installed on a 737-800 to save the typical airline more than 45,000 gallons of jet fuel per aircraft per year resulting in a corresponding reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of 476 tons per aircraft per year. The fuel savings can enable a 737-800 to increase its payload up to 2,500 pounds or increase its range up to 75 nautical miles. APB also expects to certify an improvement in low speed performance that will generate significant take-off benefits from high/hot or obstacle limited runways. The first European Split Scimitar Winglets were installed on the TUI fleet aircraft in Stansted in 2014 by Chevron Technical Services Ltd. References External links Aircraft manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Seattle American companies established in 1991 Aircraft wing design