Taiwan's AIDC has won a two-decade deal to build the cockpit and front fuselage of Bombardier's Challenger 3500 business jet, a big win for the company and for Taiwan's aerospace industry.

• The contract runs the full life of the aircraft program, giving AIDC steady long-term revenue.
• AIDC has built the plane's rear fuselage since 1999 and has delivered over a thousand of them; now it makes the front too.
• The front section is the hardest part to build — it has to hold cabin pressure and tie together the cockpit, doors, and aircraft systems, and few suppliers worldwide can do it.
• The deal took two years to land and cleared a technical review in April.
• Taiwan's economy ministry framed it as proof the island can be trusted as companies rebuild supply chains away from riskier suppliers.

Outlook: AIDC plans to pull more Taiwanese parts makers into the project as it pushes to become a top-tier global airframe supplier.