Military Aircraft Design Companies


Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Aero   United States 1944 Aero was established in California to develop and produce the Aero Commander. In 1950 it moved to Oklahoma and became the "Aero Design and Engineering Company".
Aero Commander   United States 1960 In 1960 Rockwell-Standard bought Aero Design and Engineering Company (originally the California-based Aero company) and renamed it "Aero Commander" after its product. Rockwell Standard merged with North American Aviation in 1967 to form North American Rockwell — which would become Rockwell International in 1973.
Aero Design and Engineering Company   United States 1950 Formerly the California-based Aero, developer of the Aero Commander. In 1960 it was bought by Rockwell-Standard and became "Aero Commander".
Aero Engine Services Ltd. (AESL)   New Zealand 1967 Developer of the CT/4 Airtrainer, AESL merged with Air Parts (NZ) Ltd. to form "New Zealand Aerospace Industries" (NZAI) in 1973, which was in turn renamed "Pacific Aerospace Corporation" (PAC) in 1982.
Aero Vodochody   Czechoslovakia   Czech Republic 1919 Originally founded as Aero Tovarna Letadel [Aero Aircraft Manufacturing Company] a year after Czechoslovakia gained independence, in 1953 Aero built a new factory expressly for jet aircraft at Vodochody and named "Aero Vodochody Narodni Podnik". Although normally just called "Aero", since being privatized in 1990, it has come to be most often referred to as "Aero Vodochody".
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)   India 1984 ADA was established in 1984 to develop the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which will actually be produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL).
Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC)   Taiwan 1969 AIDC has its origins in the Bureau of Aircraft Industry (BAI), which was established at Nanjing in 1946, and evacuated to Taiwan in 1948. In 1969 BAI became a branch of the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) as the "Aero Industry Development Center" (AIDC). Plans to privatize AIDC as the "Han Hsiang Aerospace Industry Co. Ltd." in July 1996 gave way instead to its restructuring as a state-owned enterprise, which was renamed the "Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation".
Aérospatiale / Aérospatiale-Matra   France 1970 Aérospatiale, originally known as Société Nationale d'Industrie Aérospatiale (SNIAS), was formed from the 1970 merger of Nord Aviation, Sud Aviation and Société d'Études et de Réalisation d'Eengins Balistiques (SÉREB). In 1999, Aérospatiale merged with Matra Haute Technologie to form "Aérospatiale-Matra", which entity endured until 2000, when Aérospatiale-Matra merged with Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) of Spain and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany to form the "European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company" (EADS).
Airbus   France 2001 Airbus is a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), and was established to design and build airliners and transport aircraft.
Amiot   France 1916 Félix Amiot founded Avions Amiot in 1916, which partnered with Société d'Emboutissage et de Constructions Mécaniques (SECM) to license produce other companies' designs. After WWI, SECM-Amiot began producing light aircraft of Amiot's design, which led to military aircraft development beginning in the mid-1920s. In 1929, Amiot bought Société Latham & Cie, which was renamed "Latham-SECM". In 1945, Amiot briefly became "Ateliers Aéronautiques de Colombes" (AAC) where it continued to build Ju-52 transports – as the as the Amiot AAC 1 Toucan – for the French Air Force until 1947.
ANF Les Mureaux   France 1918 The Atelier du Nord de la France (ANF) Les Mureaux, also referred to as "ANF Les Mureaux" or simply "ANF Mureaux", was established in 1918 as the aircraft division of the locomotive manufacturer ANF. ANF Les Mureaux was significantly expanded in 1928 through the acquisition of seaplane manufacturer Besson; but in 1937 it would be nationalized into the "Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord" (SNCAN).
Antonov   Soviet Union   Ukraine 1946 Noted primarily for its airliners and transport aircraft, the Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex (Antonov ASTC) (OKB-153) was moved to Kiev in 1952. As a result, Antonov became a Ukrainian company upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.
Arado Flugzeugwerke   Germany   Germany 1924 In 1921 Walter Rethel bought Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen's defunct aircraft factory at Warnemünde and began producing aircraft for export in 1924; in 1925 he renamed his company the "Arado Handelsgesellschaft", and when it was nationalized in 1933, it became "Arado Flugzeugwerke GmbH". Most famous for its Ar 234 Blitz, the first jet-powered bomber, Arado was liquidated in 1945.
Arsenal de l'Aeronautique   France 1936 Formed in 1936, Arsenal produced a number of capable fighter designs (e.g., the VG-33), but these entered service too late to prove their worth in WWII. Arsenal was nationalized as the "Société Française d'Etude et de Construction de Matériel Aéronautiques Spéciaux" (SFECMAS) at the end of 1952.
ASJA   Sweden 1930 AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstädernas Aeroplanavdelning was formed as an aircraft subsidiary of the Swedish Railway Workshops Co. ASJA bought out Svenska Aero in 1932, and in 1937 formed a joint company with Bofors named "AB Förenade Flygverkstäder" (AFF); this partnership soon fell apart and ASJA was merged into SAAB in 1939.
Atlas Aircraft Corporation   South Africa 1964 Registered as a private company in 1964, but not opened for business until 1965, Atlas was created as a means to supply South Africa with its military aviation needs in the face of a 1963 United Nations arms embargo; it was absorbed by Denel in 1992, and in 1996 was merged with Simera to form Denel Aviation.
Avia   Czechoslovakia 1919 A noted early biplane fighter designer, it was acquired by Škoda Works in 1928. After WWII, Avia was nationalized and continued producing aircraft until 1963.
Aviatik   Germany 1910 Automobil und Aviatik A.G. was founded in 1910 and originally produced two French aircraft designs. Its Austro-Hungarian division was a major source of military aircraft for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it actually produced more aircraft than its German parent firm. Aviatik became defunct in 1919.
Avioane   Romania 1991 Founded in 1972 as Intreprinderea de Avioance Craiova [Craiova Aircraft Enterprise], in 1991 IAv Craiova was renamed "Avioane" ("S.C. Avioane S.A. Craiova").
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW)   Germany   Germany 1926 Established independently the same year as Messerschmitt, the Bavarian government forced the two companies to merge in 1927. In 1938, BFW's name was changed to "Messerschmitt AG"; aircraft projects begun before that time had the 'Bf' prefix and those after 'Me' (hence "Bf 109" is correct, not "Me-109"). (See the "Messerschmitt" entry for subsequent history.)
Bell Aircraft   United States 1935 Acquired by Textron in 1960 as its Bell Helicopter Textron division.
Bell Helicopter Company   United States 1960 Formed by Textron's 1960 acquisition of Bell Aircraft; renamed Bell Helicopter Textron in 1976.
Bell Helicopter Textron   United States 1976 Renaming of Textron's "Bell Helicopter Company" in 1976.
Beriev   Soviet Union   Russia 1934 Originally known as the "Beriev Design Bureau" (OKB-49), it underwent privatization as the Beriev Aircraft Corporation in the post-Soviet era, and was merged into the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC) super-conglomerate (also known by its Russian acronym "OAK") in 2007.
Blériot Aéronautique   France 1906 Famous aviation pioneers Louis Blériot and Gabriel Voisin formed the Blériot-Voisin Company in 1903, which developed several unsuccessful aircraft designs before the designers decided to go their separate ways in 1906. Blériot established his own firm, Société Blériot Aéronautique, and in 1907 produced the Blériot V, the world's first monoplane to fly successfully. In 1909 he took the prize for the first flight across the English Channel in his first truly successful aircraft, the Blériot XI. In 1914, as part of a consortium, Blériot became president of the bankrupt Société des Productions Aéroplanes Deperdussin (SPAD), which he renamed Société (anonyme) Pour l'Aviation et ses Dérivés (retaining the acronym) and turned it into one of France's leading manufacturers of combat aircraft. In 1921 Blériot Aéronautique absorbed SPAD. Blériot died in 1936, and his firm was nationalized into Sud-Ouest Aviation (SNCASO).
Bloch   France 1930 Marcel Bloch's Société des Avions Marcel Bloch was nationalized in 1936, and before the end of that year, he founded the Société Anonyme des Avions Marcel Bloch (SAAMB). Bloch restarted Avions Marcel Bloch in 1947, but in 1949 he changed his own name to Marcel Dassault and renamed his company "Société des Avions Marcel Dassault". (Accordingly, SAAMB is legally the initial forebear of Dassault Aviation.)
Blohm & Voss   Germany   Germany 1930 B+V formed an aircraft subsidiary in 1933, Hamburger Flugzeugbau (HFB); in 1937 it was renamed "Blohm & Voss, Abt. Flugzeugbau" [Blohm & Voss Aircraft Building Division]. It went defunct in 1945, but would be reestablished in 1954 as HFB, which would be acquired by Messerschmitt-Bölkow to become Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (MBB).
Boeing   United States 1917 Originally incorporated almost a year earlier as the "Pacific Aero Products Co." In 1960 Boeing acquired the Vertol Aircraft Corporation (formerly Piasecki Helicopter) as its Boeing Vertol Division, which it renamed "Boeing Helicopters" in 1987. Boeing also acquired Rockwell International's defense divisions in 1996, and McDonnell Douglas in 1997.
Bombardier Aerospace   Canada 1986 Bombardier entered aerospace with the acquisition of Canadair; it subsequently bought Short Brothers in 1989, Learjet in 1990, and de Havilland Canada in 1992 (from Boeing).
Breguet Aviation   France 1911 Formally established in 1911 as the Société Anonyme des Ateliers d'Aviation Louis Breguet, Breguet would merge with Dassault in 1971 as "Avions Marcel Dassault-Breguet Aviation" (AMD-BA). In 1990, however, Dassault-Breguet was renamed "Dassault Aviation".
Brewster Aeronautical Corporation   United States 1932 Known principally for its Brewster Buffalo, Brewster was dissolved in 1946.
Bücker Flugzeugbau   Germany 1933 Carl Bücker, who had founded SAAB in 1921, sold out his interest in 1932 and returned to Germany. The next year he and Anders J. Andersson established Bücker-Flugzeugbau GmbH, which quickly became noted for its sports planes and trainers. The company ended up in the Soviet occupation zone in 1945 and was broken up and its assets shipped back to the Soviet Union.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
CAMS   France 1920 Chantiers Aéromaritimes de la Seine (CAMS) was a profligate designer of seaplanes and amphibians before being merged into Potez in 1933.
Canadair   Canada 1944 Created by the Canadian government from Canadian Vickers Ltd., Canadair was privatized in 1986, becoming part of Bombardier Aerospace.
Caudron   France 1914 The Caudron brothers began their aircraft company in 1908 as Aéroplanes Caudron frères; it would become more formally incorporated as an aircraft manufacturer in 1912. Caudron became a division of Renault in 1933; Caudron-Renault was absorbed into the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN) in late 1945.
Chance Vought   United States 1922 Famous for its WWII naval fighters such as the F4U Corsair, Chance Vought made history in 1922 when their VE-7 "Bluebird" trainer made the first takeoff from the flight deck of the USS Langley, the United States' first aircraft carrier. The company became part of Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) in 1961.
CNIAR   Romania 1978 In 1978 the Grupul de Aviatie Bucuresti (GAB) [Bucharest Aviation Group] was redesignated the Centrul National al Industriei Aeronautice Române (CNIAR) [National Center of the Romanian Aeronautical Industry], which would assume responsibility for the design and development of the IAR-93 with the Yugoslav company SOKO (as the SOKO J-22 Orao); responsibility for the program was taken over by IAv Craiova in 1991.
Consolidated Aircraft   United States 1923 Formed by the merger between the Gallaudet Aircraft Company and Dayton-Wright Aircraft, in 1943 Consolidated merged with Vultee Aircraft to form Consolidated Vultee Aircraft (more popularly known as "Convair").
Convair   United States 1943 Formally the "Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation", but popularly known as "Convair"), the company was created by the 1943 merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. Convair was sold to General Dynamics in 1953, which continued to use the brand name until aircraft production was consolidated at Fort Worth, Texas in 1965 and the "General Dynamics" brand supplanted it.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Daewoo Heavy Industries   South Korea 1988 In 1999 Daewoo's aerospace unit was consolidated along with Samsung Aerospace and Hyundai Space and Aircraft Company to form Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA)   Germany 1995 The 1995 renaming of Deutsche Aerospace (although retaining the DASA nickname). Following the 1998 merger of Daimler Benz and the Chrysler Corporation, the company was renamed "DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG", and in 2000 became part of EADS (as "EADS Germany").
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA)   Germany 1998 Following the 1998 merger of Daimler Benz and the Chrysler Corporation, DASA was renamed "DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG"; in 2000 it became part of EADS (as "EADS Germany").
Dassault Aviation   France 1936 Marcel Bloch’s "Société des Avions Marcel Bloch" was nationalized in 1936, and before the end of that year, he founded Société Anonyme des Avions Marcel Bloch (SAAMB). Bloch restarted Avions Marcel Bloch in 1947, but in 1949 he changed his own name to Marcel Dassault and renamed his company "Société des Avions Marcel Dassault". Accordingly, SAAMB is legally the initial forebear of Dassault Aviation. In 1967, Dassault acquired a controlling interest in Breguet Aviation, with which it would formally merge in 1971 as "Avions Marcel Dassault-Breguet Aviation" (AMD-BA). In 1990, however, Dassault-Breguet was renamed "Dassault Aviation".
Dassault-Breguet   France 1971 In 1967 Dassault acquired a controlling interest in Breguet Aviation, with which it would formally merge in 1971 as "Avions Marcel Dassault-Breguet Aviation" (AMD-BA). In 1990, however, Dassault-Breguet was renamed "Dassault Aviation".
de Havilland Canada (DHC)   Canada 1928 Bought by Boeing in 1988, which sold it to Bombardier Aerospace in 1992.
Denel   South Africa 1991 Denel was created when the manufacturing subsidiaries of Armscor were split off in order for Armscor to become the South African government's defense procurement arm. In 1992 Denel absorbed Atlas Aircraft Corporation, which was merged with Simera in 1996 to form Denel Aviation.
Deutsche Aerospace (DASA)   Germany 1989 In 1989, Daimler-Benz formed Deutsche Aerospace AG through merging its aerospace interests, chiefly Dornier and Motoren- und Turbinen-Union (MTU). At the end of that year, Deutsche Aerospace absorbed Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB). At the beginning of 1995 the company changed its name to "Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG" (although continuing to use the DASA nickname); following the 1998 merger of Daimler Benz and the Chrysler Corporation, the company was renamed "DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG". DASA became a part of EADS (as "EADS Germany") in 2000.
Dewoitine   France 1920 Avions Dewoitine was founded by Émile Dewoitine in 1920 as Constructions Aéronautiques Émile Dewoitine (CAED). In 1937, it was nationalized and absorbed into Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Méditerranée (SNCAM), along with part of Latécoère; SNCAM was closed in 1941 and its assets would be received by Sud-Est (SNCASE) in 1942.
DFS   Germany 1933 The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) was created in 1933 by the nationalization of the Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft (RRG) with the purpose of centralizing all gliding activity in Germany. It primarily developed and produced sailplanes for training Hitler Youth and Luftwaffe pilot candidates and military transport gliders such as the DFS 230; however, it also participated in a wide range of advanced aircraft technology research, including the development of flying wings and rocket engines. DFS became defunct in 1946.
Dornier   Germany   Germany   Germany 1914 Originally named "Dornier Metallbau". Dornier spun off FFA in 1948, but reacquired it in 1987. Fairchild Aircraft acquired Dornier in 1996, forming "Fairchild Dornier"; this company became insolvent in early 2002.
Douglas Aircraft Company   United States 1921 Merged with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation to form the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC) in 1967.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Eurocopter   France   Germany 1992 The Franco-German Eurocopter Group was formed by the 1992 merger of the helicopter divisions of Aérospatiale and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA); in 2000, Eurocopter, along with its parents, became part of EADS.
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS)   France
  Germany   Spain
2000 EADS was formed by the merger of Aérospatiale-Matra, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA), and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). Its aerospace business interests include space launch systems, regional airliners, military transports, trainers, and combat aircraft (such as the Eurofighter Typhoon).
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Farman Aviation Works   France 1908 The Farman brothers were prodigious producers of aircraft until 1936 when Farman was consolidated with Hanriot and part of Avions Amiot as "Farman & Hanriot"; however, it was reformed as SNCAC (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre) in early 1937 in accordance with a policy to remove the former private firms' heritage names. In 1941, the Farman brothers reestablished their company as Société Anonyme des Usines Farman (SAUF), but it was absorbed into Sud-Ouest (SNCASO) in 1944.
Fieseler   Germany   Germany 1930 Founded as Fieseler Flugzeugbau, its official name was changed to "Gerhard Fieseler Werke" in 1939, although it continued to be popularly referred to as just "Fieseler". Defunct in 1945, its Fieseler Fi 156 "Storch" continued to be produced in France and Czechoslovakia after the war.
Flettner   Germany 1935 Anton Flettner began experimenting with helicopter designs in the early 1920s, and in 1935 he established Flettner GmbH. His efforts resulted in the Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, the first helicopter to be used in combat. Flettner's production facilities were bombed in 1945, and the company became defunct. After the war, Flettner emigrated to the United States where he established a new "Flettner Aircraft Corporation" in 1949; however, the firm was not a commercial success.
Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA)    Switzerland 1948 Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein AG was spun off from Dornier in 1948. Although it received a contract for 100 of its P-16 fighters, the crash of its second prototype resulted in the order's cancellation. FFA was reacquired by Dornier in 1987.
Focke-Wulf   Germany 1923 Founded as Bremer Flugzeugbau AG, it was quickly renamed "Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG". While most famous for its Fw 190 fighter, it also developed the first successful helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 (or Fa 61). Closed at the end of WWII, Focke-Wulf would be revived in 1951 as a manufacturer of gliders and trainers, until it merged with Weserflug in 1964, becoming Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW).
Focke-Achgelis   Germany 1937 Established by Henrich Focke and Gerd Achgelis, the designers of the first fully controllable helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 (or Fa 61). The firm became defunct in 1945.
Fokker   Germany   Netherlands 1912/1919 Originally founded as "Fokker Aviatik GmbH" (some sources say "Fokker Aeroplanbau") in Berlin, Germany in 1912, in 1913 it became "Fokker Flugzeug Werke GmbH" upon moving to Schwerin, which was shortened to "Fokker Werke GmbH" (Fokker Works Ltd.) in 1918, but it became defunct at the end of WWI. In 1919, Anton Fokker returned to his native Netherlands and founded a new company, the "Netherlands (or Dutch) Aircraft Factory" (NV Nederlandsche Vliegtuigenfabriek); it would subsequently be renamed "NV Koninklijke Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker" (Royal Dutch Aircraft Factory Fokker), and then simply "Fokker Aircraft Corporation" (or "Fokker Aircraft Industries" per one source). Fokker formed an unsuccessful alliance with Germany's Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke as VFW-Fokker GmbH, which lasted from 1969-1980. DASA obtained a 51% share of Fokker in 1993, but Fokker was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1996, delivering its final aircraft in 1997.
Fouga   France 1936 Formed as "Établissements Fouga et Cie" in 1936, it would be renamed "Air Fouga" in 1956; however, in 1958 Potez purchased Fouga as a subsidiary, "Potez Air-Fouga", before merging it fully into Potez in 1961.
Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen   Germany 1912 One of Germany's earliest aircraft companies, it became defunct at the end of WWI in 1919. In 1921 Walter Rethel bought Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen's defunct aircraft factory at Warnemünde to form Arado Flugzeugwerke.
Flugzeugbau Halle   Germany 1933 Originally Fieseler's factory in Halle, Germany, it became a separate company in 1933; in 1937, it was renamed Siebel Flugzeugwerke.
Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI)   Japan 1953 The Nakajima Aircraft Company was reborn in 1946 as Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd. (a motor scooter company), returned to its aviation roots in 1953 as part of Fuji Heavy Industries.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
General Dynamics (GD)   United States 1953 GD, which had itself been formed the year before acquired Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in 1953; aircraft production was consolidated at Fort Worth in 1965 and the "General Dynamics" brand replaced that of "Convair" for its fighters. Sold to the Lockheed Corporation in 1993.
Glenn L. Martin Company   United States 1912 Original company merged with the Wright Company in 1916, creating the Wright-Martin Aircraft Company; refounded in 1917. Merged with the American-Marietta Corporation in 1961 to form the Martin Marietta Corporation.
Gotha (GWF)   Germany 1913 Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG, a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock and streetcars, began designing warplanes in 1913 and became famous for its bombers. This division was closed in 1919, but reopened in 1933, producing mainly trainers and gliders until 1945. Gotha was also selected to manufacture the Horton brothers' Horten Ho-IX (or Ho 229) flying-wing fighter, but it did not enter production.
Grob Aerospace   Germany 1971 A general aviation manufacturer, Grob has developed two successful military trainers, the Grob G-115E Tutor and G 120.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Halberstädter Flugzeug-Werke (HFW)   Germany 1912 HFW had its origin in the Deutsche Bristol-Werke Flugzeug GmbH which was founded in 1912 to license-build designs produced by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, a British firm. In 1913, Dt. Bristol Werke began development of its own designs, called Taube after Rumpler's monoplanes. In September 1914, use of a British company's name was frowned upon, so the firm's name was changed to "Halberstädter Flugzeug-Werke GmbH". HFW was closed in 1919, at the end of WWI.
Hamburger Flugzeugbau (HFB)   Germany   Germany 1933 Established as the aviation subsidiary of Blohm + Voss in 1933, it was renamed "Blohm + Voss, Abt. Flugzeugbau" (Blohm & Voss Aircraft Building Division) in 1937-1945. HFB was reestablished in 1954, and in 1956 formed Flugzeugbau Nord GmbH as a partnership with Weserflug Flugzeugbau and Siebel Flugzeugwerke to license-build the Nord Noratlas. Messerschmitt-Bölkow acquired the unit in 1969, in the process becoming Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (MBB).
Handley Page Ltd.   United Kingdom 1909 The United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company, Handley Page was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1969 and closed its doors in 1970.
Hannover Waggonfabrik   Germany 1915 Hannover produced a line of eponymous two-seat reconnaissance planes and escort fighters noted for their biplane tails. Hannover was closed in 1919.
Hanriot   France 1914 After first founding the Société des Monoplans Hanriot in 1909 and having to sell off the bankrupt firm in 1912, René Hanriot started over again in 1914. In 1930 Aéroplanes Hanriot et Cie. became "Lorraine Hanriot", a division of Société Générale Aéronautique (SGA), until 1933 when Hanriot's son reestablished it as the Compagnie des Avions Hanriot; however, its independence lasted only until 1937 when it was nationalized as part of the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre (SNCAC).
Heinkel   Germany 1922 Heinkel Flugzeugwerke was well-known for its bombers and also produced the first aircraft to fly under liquid-fuel rocket power (Heinkel He 176) and turbojet power (Heinkel He 178). After WWII, Heinkel was prohibited from building aircraft until 1951; it was acquired by Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW) in 1965.
Henschel Flugwerke   Germany 1933 Better known for their locomotives, Henschel & Sohn entered the defense industry in the early 1930s, becoming a producer of tanks, aircraft and missiles. Most of its defense factories had been destroyed by the end of WWII in 1945.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)   India 1940 Originally formed as "Hindustan Aircraft" in 1940, it was renamed "Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd." in 1967.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Ilmailuvoimien Lentokonetehdas (IVL)   Finland 1921 Finland's Ilmailuvoimien Lentokonetehdas (Air Force Aircraft Factory) was established in 1921, and in 1928 was renamed "Valtion Lentokonetehdas" (VL) (State Aircraft Factory).
Ilyushin   Soviet Union   Russia 1933 Originally known as the "Ilyushin Design Bureau" (OKB-156), it is now intended to be merged into the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC) super-conglomerate (also known by its Russian acronym "OAK") in 2007.
Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR)   Romania 1925 Dissolved in 1945 after the end of WWII, it was reconstituted as "ICA-Braşov" in 1968 to resume producing aircraft, beginning with the IAR-93 (in the YUROM joint venture with SOKO of Yugoslavia). In 1991 it was renamed "IAR SA".
IAv Craiova   Romania 1972 Founded as Intreprinderea de Avioance Craiova (Craiova Aircraft Enterprise), in 1991 it was renamed "Avioane" ("S.C. Avioane S.A. Craiova").
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)   Israel 2006 Renaming of "Israel Aircraft Industries" in 2006.
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI)   Israel 1960 Originally established in 1953 as the Bedek Aviation Company, it became "Israel Aircraft Industries" in 1960 (with the Bedek brand being applied to IAI's aircraft maintenance division); IAI was renamed "Israel Aerospace Industries" in 2006.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Junkers Flugzeugbau   Germany   Germany 1914 Famous as the developer of the first all-metal fuselage aircraft (Junkers J1), the Ju-52 "Tante Ju" and Ju 87 Stuka. At the end of WWII, most of Junkers' assets ended up in East Germany; what was left in West Germany was reconstituted as "Junkers GmbH" in 1956 and absorbed into Messerschmitt in 1965.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Kamov   Soviet Union   Russia 1929 Kamov (OKB-938) merged with Mil and Rostvertol to form Oboronprom Corporation in 2006, although the Kamov and Mil brand names are to be retained.
Kawanishi Aircraft Company   Japan 1920 In 1949 it was renamed "Shin Meiwa Industries" (later ShinMaywa).
Kawasaki Aircraft   Japan 1918 Kawasaki's Aircraft Department in 1918 and delivered its first aircraft in 1922; in 1937 it was spun off as Kawasaki Aircraft Co., Ltd. In 1969 it was merged with Kawasaki's Dockyard and Rolling Stock Manufacturing divisions to form Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries   Japan 1969 Formed by the 1969 merger of Kawasaki's Dockyard, Rolling Stock Manufacturing, and Aircraft divisions.
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)   South Korea 1999 Formed by the consolidation of Samsung Aerospace, part of Daewoo Heavy Industries, and Hyundai Space and Aircraft Company.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Latécoère   France 1917 Forges et Ateliers de Construction Latécoère (SNCAO) was established in 1917 by Pierre-Georges Latécoère; it was renamed Société Industrielle d'Aviation Latécoère in 1922 (originally abbreviated SIAL, but soon changed to SILAT). Latécoère was nationalized at the end of 1936, with its main plant going to Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Méditerranée (SNCAM), along with Dewoitine.
Latham   France 1918 A designer of amphibians, Société Latham & Cie. was bought by Avions Amiot in 1929, becoming "Latham-SECM".
Lavochkin   Soviet Union 1942 Originally known as the "Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov (LaGG) Design Bureau" (OKB-301), it was closed in 1960 upon the death of Semyon Lavochkin.
Lavochkin-Gorbunov (LaG)   Soviet Union 1942 After the failure of the LaGG-1 and LaGG-3, Goudkov left the team, and Vladimir Gorbunov's name would be dropped later in 1942, with the "LaG-5" becoming the "La-5".
Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov (LaGG)   Soviet Union 1938 Originally known as the "Sukhoi Design Bureau" (OKB-301), it was closed in 1960 upon the death of Semyon Lavochkin.
Learjet   United States   Canada 1962 Bill Lear's "Swiss American Aircraft Corporation" was moved to Wichita, Kansas in 1962, reoriented toward business jets, and renamed "Lear Jet Corp."; renamed "Lear Jet Industries, Inc." in 1966. Acquired by the Gates Rubber Company in 1967 and renamed "Gates Learjet Corp." Taken over by Integrated Acquisition, Inc. in 1987 and renamed "Learjet Corp." in 1988. Sold to Bombardier Aerospace in 1990.
LET Kunovice   Czechoslovakia   Czech Republic 1950 In 1936 Škoda Works began building a factory in Kunovice to repair aircraft built by Avia; in 1950, it was nationalized as the LET Aeronautical Works and a new factory had been built by 1953. In 2001 it was acquired by Moravan Aeroplanes following a declaration of bankruptcy; however, it went into receivership again in 2004 and while work continues, a new owner is being sought.
Lewis and Vought Corporation   United States 1917 Became Chance Vought in 1922 (and LTV in 1961).
Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV)   United States 1961 Absorbed Chance Vought in 1961 as "LTV Aerospace"; renamed Vought Corporation in 1976; final aircraft design was the A-7 Corsair II.
Lioré et Olivier (LeO)   France 1912 Fernand Lioré and Henri Olivier originally established an aircraft company under the name of "Lioré et Olivier" in January 1911, which developed an experimental twin-propeller monoplane, they reformed under firmer grounds in March 1912 as "Les Ateliers d'Aviation Lioré et Oliver". In the 1936-37 nationalization and reorganization of the French aerospace industry, LeO's factories would be assigned to Sud-Est (SNCASE) and Sud-Ouest (SNCASO).
Lockheed Corporation   United States 1934 Refounding of the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation which traced its roots to 1912. Acquired General Dynamics' military aircraft division in 1993. Merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 to form Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin   United States 1995 Formed by the merger of the Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta.
Luftfahrzeug-Gesellschaft (LFG)   Germany   Germany 1908 LFG began as an airship manufacturer, but was especially noted during WWI for its Roland line of biplane fighter and reconnaissance airplanes. After the war, one plant continued to build non-military aircraft and balloons until it was closed in 1933.
Luft-Verkehrs GmbH (LVG)   Germany 1911 Primarily produced reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft during WWI, along with several fighter designs of its own; LVG was closed in 1919.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Malmö Flygindustri (MFI)   Sweden 1952 AB Malmö Flygindustri Flygmaskinsfabrik (MFI) had its roots in the Halmstad facility of AB Flygindustri (AFI), a subsidiary of Junkers formed in 1925 at Malmö as a front company for skirting the Treaty of Versailles' prohibition of German military aircraft development; it militarized Junkers civil aircraft for sale to various countries, but went out of business in 1935 following the Nazis' overthrowing the ban. AFI was reformed at Halmstad in 1932; from 1945-1953 it became "Kockums Flygindustri". In 1952, AFI became "AB Malmö Flygindustri" (MFI). In 1960, MFI began development of the MFI-9 Junior and later its militarized variant, the MFI-9B Militrainer; the MFI-9 would be further developed by SAAB into the MFI-15 Safari and MFI-17 Supporter following SAAB's acquisition of MFI in 1968.
Martin Marietta   United States 1961 Formed by the merger of the Wright-Martin Aircraft Company with the American-Marietta Corporation; merged with the Lockheed Corporation in 1995 to form Lockheed Martin.
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation   United States 1939 Merged with Douglas Aircraft Company to form the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC) in 1967.
McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC)   United States 1967 Formed by the merger of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and the Douglas Aircraft Company; absorbed by Boeing in 1997.
Messerschmitt   Germany 1926 Established independently the same year as Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW), the Bavarian government forced the two companies to merge in 1927. In 1938, BFW's name was changed to "Messerschmitt AG"; aircraft projects begun before that time had the 'Bf' prefix and those after 'Me' (hence "Bf 109" is correct, not "Me-109"). In 1965, Messerschmitt bought the remnants of Junkers; in 1968 it acquired Bölkow to form Messerschmitt-Bölkow, and in 1969 added Hamburger Flugzeugbau (the aviation subsidiary of Blohm + Voss) to form Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (MBB); MBB would itself be taken over by Daimler-Benz to form Deutsche Aerospace AG (DASA) in 1989.
Messerschmitt-Bölkow   Germany 1968 Soon after Messerschmitt absorbed the civil engineering firm Bölkow GmbH in 1968, work began on designing the multinational Panavia Tornado; a few months after the Panavia consortium was established in March 1969, Messerschmitt-Bölkow acquired Blohm + Voss’ aircraft division, Hamburger Flugzeugbau, and became Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (MBB).
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB)   Germany 1969 A few months after the Panavia consortium was established in March 1969 to develop the Tornado, Messerschmitt-Bölkow acquired Blohm + Voss' aircraft division, Hamburger Flugzeugbau, and became Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (MBB). In 1989 MBB was absorbed into Deutsche Aerospace AG.
Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG)   Soviet Union 1942 Originally established in 1939 as the "Mikoyan Experimental Design Bureau", in 1942 it was redesignated the "Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau" (OKB-155); upon the death of Artem Mikoyanin 1970, the bureau was renamed "Mikoyan", dropping the surname of Mikhail Gurevich.
Mikoyan (MiG)   Soviet Union   Russia 1939 Originally established in 1939 as the "Mikoyan Experimental Design Bureau", in 1942 it became the the "Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau" (OKB-155); upon the death of Artem Mikoyanin 1970, the bureau was renamed "Mikoyan", dropping "Gurevich" but retaining the designator "MiG". In the post-Soviet era it underwent privatization as the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG) (also known by its Russian acronym "RSK-MiG"), and is now intended to be merged into the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC) super-conglomerate (also known by its Russian acronym "OAK") in 2007.
Mil   Soviet Union   Russia 1929 Mil (OKB-329) merged with Kamov and Rostvertol to form Oboronprom Corporation in 2006, although the Kamov and Mil brand names are to be retained.
Mitsubishi Aircraft Company   Japan 1928 Originally established as the "Mitsubishi Aircraft Co., Ltd." in 1928, it was merged it into Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1934.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries   Japan 1934 The Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, formed in 1928, was merged into Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1934.
Morane-Saulnier   France 1909 Building upon Raymond Saulnier's Société des Aéroplanes Saulnier, which he established in 1909, in 1911 the Morane brothers joined him with their firm "Morane-Borel", forming the company initially as "La Société Anonyme des Aéroplanes Morane-Borel-Saulnier", which was changed in November to "Société Anonyme des Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier". Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier would be bought by Potez in 1962, becoming the Société d'Exploitation des Établissements Morane-Saulnier (SEEMS) the following year; SEEMS would oversee completion of production of the MS-760 'Paris II' as well as finish development of the MS-760C 'Paris III', which would fail to win an order. In 1966 SEEMS' civilian aircraft line was spun off to become the Société de Construction d'Avions de Tourisme et d'Affaires (SOCATA), while Potez absorbed the military side.
Moravan Aeroplanes   Czechoslovakia   Czech Republic 1949 Originating in 1924 as the Zlín Air Company, a glider-building firm in the Moravian town of Zlín. In 1933, the factory was moved to Otrokovice (in the Zlín District) where it would it began to build powered Zlín gliders as Masarykova Letecká Liga (Masaryk League of Aviation); in 1934 it was refounded and renamed "Zlinská Letecká Akciová Spolecnost" (Zlin Aviation Co., Ltd.). In 1949, the firm would be renamed "Moravan Národni Podnik" (Moravan National Corporation) (a.k.a. "Moravan Otrokovice"), although it would continue to use the Zlín name for its family of aircraft. In 1961 it was renamed "Moravan Aeroplanes a.s.", and in 2007 the name of the company was again changed to "Moravan Aviation s.r.o." (Moravan Aviation Ltd.). In 2001, Moravan acquired the bankrupt Let Kunovice.
Myasishchev   Soviet Union   Russia 1951 The Myasishchev Design Bureau (OKB-23) was originally dissolved in 1960, but then was reestablished by Vladimir Myasishchev in 1967.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Nakajima   Japan 1917 Japan's first aircraft manufacturer, it was originally called "The Aircraft Research Laboratory", and was renamed the "Nakajima Aircraft Company" in 1931; after WWII, it was reborn in 1946 as Fuji Sangyo Co., Ltd. (a motor scooter company), which in 1953 became part of Fuji Heavy Industries.
New Zealand Aerospace Industries (NZAI)   New Zealand 1973 Formed by the 1973 merger of Aero Engine Services Ltd. (AESL), the developer of the CT/4 Airtrainer, and Air Parts (NZ) Ltd.; it was renamed Pacific Aerospace Corporation (PAC) in 1982.
Nieuport   France 1906 Nieuport grew out of Nieuport-Duplex, an engine components manufacturer established in 1902, which was reformed in 1909 as the Société Générale d'Aéro-locomotion to focus on providing such equipment to the aviation industry. It began developing aircraft, the first of which flew at the end of 1909, and in 1911 the company was reformed again, as "Nieuport et Deplante", this time with the main intent being to build aircraft (and produce parts secondarily). Later that year, the company was changed to "Société Anonyme des Éstablissements Nieuport". In 1918, Nieuport acquired seaplane builder Tellier, and in 1921 absorbed Astra (principally a manufacturer of aerial balloons), briefly becoming "Nieuport-Astra" before being renamed "Nieuport-Delage". In 1932, the name reverted to "Nieuport" briefly, before joining Loire in 1933, becoming "Loire-Nieuport"; in 1937 it was nationalized as part of Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques de l'Ouest (SNCAO), which would itself eventually, after a few more twists and turns, become part of Aérospatiale.
Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC)   Japan 1957 A consortia of Japan's aerospace companies organized to develop an indigenous airliner, the YS-11, which also found its way into military service. NAMC disbanded in 1983.
Nord Aviation   France 1954 Nord Aviation was formed in October 1954 when SNCAN (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord) acquired SFECMAS (Société Française d'Etude et de Construction de Matériel Aéronautiques Spéciaux), a process not completed until the following year. In 1970, Nord Aviation merged with Sud Aviation and Société d'Études et de Réalisation d'Engins Balistiques (SÉREB) to create Société Nationale d'Industrie Aérospatiale (SNIAS), which was later renamed simply "Aérospatiale" after popular usage.
North American Aviation (NAA)   United States 1928 Originally formed as an aerospace holding company, it became an aircraft manufacturer in its own right following its 1933 acquisition by the General Motors Corporation. NAA became "North American Rockwell" as the result of its 1967 merger with Rockwell-Standard (then owner of Aero Commander); a merger with Rockwell Manufacturing in 1973 formed Rockwell International.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Oboronprom   Russia 2006 Oboronprom United Industrial Corporation (OPK Oboronprom) is a Russian aerospace holding company formed in 2006 by the merger of Kamov, Mil and Rostvertol.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Pacific Aero Products Co.   United States 1916 Original name for what would be renamed as the Boeing Airplane Company the following year.
Pacific Aerospace Corporation (PAC)   New Zealand 1982 Renaming of "New Zealand Aerospace Industries" (NZAI) in 1982.
Panavia   Germany   United Kingdom   Italy 1969 The multinational Panavia consortium was established in March 1969 by Messerschmitt-Bölkow (shortly thereafter being renamed Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (MBB)), the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), and Societa per Azioni Fiat (shortly thereafter being renamed Aeritalia) to develop and manufacture the Tornado Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA).
Patria   Finland 1996 In 1996, Valmet Aircraft Industries was renamed "Patria Finavitec Oy".
Petlyakov   Soviet Union 1936 The Petlyakov Design Bureau (OKB-51) was dissolved in 1946, following the death of Vladimir Petlyakov in 1942.
Pfalz Flugzeugwerke   Germany 1913 Pfalz was famous for its eponymous line of WWI fighters. It was closed in 1919, but was reopened as the "Saarpfalz Flugwerke" in 1937, although as an aircraft maintenance company. Closed at the war’s end, the factories were purchased by Ernst Heinkel in 1956 for an automobile line which was sold off in 1961. In 1964, the Speyer plants passed to VFW which manufactured aircraft parts and were involved in the production of the Transall C-160. In 1983 Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) bought the factories and turned them into a primary helicopter repair center, and these passed to Deutsche Aerospace (DASA) in the 1989 merger. The facility was spun off in 1997, regaining the "Pfalz Flugzeugwerke" name.
Piasecki Helicopter   United States 1943 Originally formed in 1941 as the "PV Engineering Forum" and incorporated in 1943, it was renamed the "Piasecki Helicopter Corporation" in 1946. In 1956 it was renamed "Vertol Aircraft Corporation", and in 1960 it became Boeing Vertol (and Boeing Helicopters in 1987).
Pilatus Aircraft    Switzerland 1939 A noted Swiss builder of trainers and utility transports, it bought Britten-Norman in 1979, resulting in the latter's popular BN-2 Islander/Defender aircraft being marketed under the "Pilatus Britten-Norman" brand until the Britten-Norman unit was sold once more in 1998.
Polikarpov   Soviet Union   Russia 1923 Following the death of Nikolai Polikarpov in 1944, Polikarpov (OKB-51) was absorbed into the Lavochkin design bureau.
Potez   France 1919 Founded in 1919 as "Aéroplanes Henry Potez", it would acquire Chantiers Aéromaritimes de la Seine (CAMS) in 1933, before being nationalized in 1936, with most of its assets being assigned to the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN) and one factory to Sud-Est Aviation (SNCASE). In 1949 Potez was re-established as the Société des Avions et Moteurs Henry Potez. In 1958 Potez purchased Fouga as a subsidiary, "Potez Air-Fouga", before merging it fully into Potez in 1961. In 1962, Potez would purchase Morane-Saulnier, which it would rename Société d'Exploitation des Établissements Morane-Saulnier (SEEMS) from the start of 1963. In 1966 SEEMS' civilian aircraft line was spun off to become the Société de Construction d'Avions de Tourisme et d'Affaires (SOCATA), while Potez absorbed the military side. However, Potez succumbed to the failure of its Potez 840 airliner project, and the firm closed, with its assets being acquired by Sud Aviation in 1967.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Rockwell International   United States 1973 Renaming of North American Rockwell in 1973 upon its merger with Rockwell Manufacturing; North American Rockwell had been North American Aviation (NAA) until 1967. Rockwell sold its defense divisions to Boeing in 1996.
Romano   France 1919 Founded by Étienne Romano as Société Romano in 1919, it would be renamed Chantiers Aéronavales Étienne Romano (CAER) in the late 1920s. It was nationalized and absorbed into Sud-Est Aviation (SNCASE) in 1936.
Rumpler Werke   Germany 1908 The Austrian-born engineer Dr. Edmund Rumpler founded the Rumpler-Werke AG in 1908 to manufacture Taube monoplanes under license from its designer, fellow Austrian Igo Etrich. In 1915, the name was changed to "Rumpler Flugzeugwerke". In 1919, the company went into liquidation, which would play out the following year; however, Dr. Rumpler managed to convert much of the firm's assets into an airline, Rumpler Luftverkehr AG, which would struggle to survive until 1926, when it went bankrupt and its remaining aircraft were sold to Deutsche Luft Hansa AG.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Saab   Sweden 1937 Saab was established in 1937 as "Svenska Aeroplan AB," whence the acronym 'SAAB'. (This is the same incorporation name used earlier by Svenska Aero until it was bought out by ASJA in 1932.) SAAB acquired Sparmann in 1938, and in 1939 it also absorbed the ASJA. In 1965, the company’s name was changed to "Saab Aktiebolag" (Saab AB), and then in 1969 to "Saab-Scania" (until that merger was undone in 1995). Malmö Flygindustri (MFI), a builder of trainers, was picked up in 1968. In 1997, SAAB Aircraft and SAAB Military Aircraft were merged as the Aeronautics division of Saab AB.
SFECMAS   France 1952 The Société Française d'Étude et de Construction de Matériel Aéronautiques Spéciaux (SFECMAS) was formed by the nationalization of the Arsenal de l'Aeronautique at the end of 1952, but was absorbed by the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN) at the start of 1955. Although in existence for only two years, it managed to produce two prototype jet fighters.
ShinMaywa   Japan 1960 Shin Meiwa Industry Co., Ltd. was renamed "Shin Meiwa Industry Co., Ltd." in 1960.
Shin Meiwa   Japan 1949 The Kawanishi Aircraft Company was changed to "Shin Meiwa Industry Co., Ltd." in 1949, and would be renamed again in 1960 to "ShinMaywa Industries, Ltd."
Short Brothers   United Kingdom 1908 In 1943 the British government forced a merger of the Short Brothers with Short and Harland to form "Short Brothers and Harland Ltd."; the name reverted to "Short Brothers Ltd." in 1977, and then was changed in 1987 to "Short Bros. plc." "Shorts" was acquired by Bombardier of Canada in 1989.
Siebel Flugzeugwerke   Germany   Germany 1937 Originally known as Flugzeugbau Halle; ending up in the Soviet occupation zone after WWII, the factory was dismantled and moved to Podberesje, north of Moscow, to further develop the DFS 346. Siebel was reestablished in West Germany in 1948, and in 1952 merged with Allgemeine-Transport-Anlagen (ATG) to form Siebelwerke-ATG GmbH (SIAT). In 1956 Siebel formed Flugzeugbau Nord GmbH as a partnership with Hamburger Flugzeugbau and Weserflug Flugzeugbau and to license-build the Nord Noratlas. In 1972 SIAT was acquired by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB).
Siebelwerke-ATG (SIAT)   Germany 1952 In 1952 Siebel was merged with Allgemeine-Transport-Anlagen (ATG) to form Siebelwerke-ATG GmbH (SIAT). In 1956 Siebel formed Flugzeugbau Nord GmbH as a partnership with Hamburger Flugzeugbau and Weserflug Flugzeugbau and to license-build the Nord Noratlas. In 1972 SIAT was acquired by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB).
Sikorsky Aircraft   United States 1923 The company became part of the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC) in 1929, and upon UATC's dissolution in 1934, became a division of the United Aircraft Corporation, which itself was renamed the United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in 1975. It continues to be one of the world's leading helicopter design companies.
SIPA   France 1938 Société Industrielle Pour l'Aéronautique (SIPA) was established in 1938 by Émile Dewoitine after his previous company, Avions Dewoitine, was nationalized the year before. From 1938-1940, SIPA principally manufactured parts for other French aircraft companies. After WWII, it began developing a series of trainers for the French Air Force; its S-200 'Minijet', first flown in 1952, was world's first all-metal two-seat light jet. SIPA was taken over by Société Nationale Industrielle AéroSpatiale (SNIAS) – more commonly known as "Aérospatiale" – in 1975.
Slingsby   United Kingdom 1931 Originally founded as "Slingsby Sailplanes" in 1931, it went bankrupt in 1969, but was bought by Vickers as its "Vickers-Slingsby" division. In 1980 it was acquired by Cobham plc and became "Slingsby Aviation Ltd." Cobham sold Slingsby Aviation to the latter's management in 2006 as "Slingsby Aviation PLC".
SNCAC   France 1937 As part of the French aviation nationalization and restructuring of 1936-37, the Farman Aviation Works was consolidated with Hanriot and part of Avions Amiot as "Farman & Hanriot"; however, in early 1937 it was reformed as SNCAC (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre) in accordance with a policy to remove the former private firms' heritage names. SNCAC – or the "Aérocentre", as it was also known – was liquidated in 1949 and its assets were taken over principally by Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN).
SNCAM   France 1937 At the beginning of 1937, Dewoitine and part of Latécoère were consolidated into Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Méditerranée (SNCAM) as part of the French aerospace industry nationalization and consolidation of 1936-37. SNCAM was closed in 1941 and its assets would be received by Sud-Est (SNCASE) in 1942.
SNCAN   France 1936 The Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (SNCAN) was formed, as part of the French aviation nationalization and restructuring of 1936-37, by the nationalization of Potez, supplemented by part of Bloch; in 1937 it received Ateliers de Construction du Nord de la France (ANF Les Mureaux), followed by Caudron and parts of Avions Amiot in 1945. In 1949 it absorbed the "Aérocentre" (SNCAC), and in 1955 the Société Française d'Etude et de Construction de Matériel Aéronautiques Spéciaux (SFECMAS). In anticipation of this last merger, SNCAN was renamed Nord Aviation in October 1954, with the merger becoming final at the start of 1955.
SNCAO   France 1937 Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques de l'Ouest (SNCAO) was formed by the 1937 merger of Loire-Nieuport and parts of Breguet, Latécoère, and Morane-Saulnier. It produced only a few designs before being merged into Sud-Ouest (SNCASO) in 1941.
SOKO   Yugoslavia 1950 Founded as Vazduhoplovna Industrija SOKO DD, one of its most noted products was the SOKO J-22 Orao, designed jointly with Romania's CNIAR (as the IAR-93). SOKO's main factory at Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was destroyed during the civil war in 1991, and the following year its remaining assets were merged into UTVA.
SPAD   France 1910 Originally founded as the Société pour les Appareils Deperdussin in 1910, it was renamed "Société Provisoire des Aéroplanes Deperdussin" in 1911, followed by "Société Parisienne des Avions Deperdussin" and in 1912 "Société des Productions Aéroplanes Deperdussin", before going bankrupt in 1913. SPAD was then taken over by a consortium led by Louis Blériot which renamed it "Société (anonyme) Pour l'Aviation et ses Dérivés" to retain the acronym "SPAD"; post-war it was renamed "Blériot-SPAD", and in 1921 SPAD was fully absorbed into Blériot Aéronautique.
Sparmann   Sweden 1932 Sparmann Flygmaskinsfabrik, established by Edmund Sparmann, developed the Swedish Air Force's first indigenous "trainer fighter" monoplane (what would now be called a "lead-in fighter trainer"); the company would be absorbed by SAAB in 1938.
Stearman Aircraft   United States 1927 Founded by Lloyd Stearman, the company produced several biplanes for the commercial market before being sold in 1929 to United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC), a large holding company. UATC was broken up in 1934 as the result of antitrust legislation, following which Stearman became a division of Boeing, at which time it ceased to operate as an independent brand. Its final product was the Model 75 Kaydet, which served as the main primary trainer aircraft for the U.S. and Canadian military during World War II.
Sud Aviation   France 1957 Sud Aviation was formed by the 1957 merger of Sud-Est Aviation and Sud-Ouest Aviation. In 1970, Sud Aviation merged with Nord Aviation and Société d'Études et de Réalisation d'Engins Balistiques (SÉREB) to create Société Nationale d'Industrie Aérospatiale (SNIAS), which was later renamed simply "Aérospatiale" after popular usage.
Sud-Est Aviation (SNCASE)   France 1937 Sud-Est Aviation, more formally known as Société Nationale des Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Est (SNCASE), was established as a result of the 1936-37 nationalization and reorganization of the French aerospace industry. Sud-Est was formed from elements of a variety of famous French aircraft companies, including Lioré et Olivier (LeO), Potez, and, in 1941, the former Dewoitine. In 1957, Sud-Est was merged with Sud-Ouest Aviation to form Sud Aviation.
Sud-Ouest Aviation (SNCASO)   France 1936 Sud-Ouest Aviation, more formally known as Société Nationale des Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Ouest (SNCASO), was established as a result of the 1936-37 nationalization and reorganization of the French aerospace industry. Sud-Ouest was formed from elements of a variety of famous French aircraft companies, including Blériot, Bloch, Lioré et Olivier (LeO), and, in 1941, the short-lived Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques de l'Ouest (SNCAO). The Farman brothers' second firm, Société Anonyme des Usines Farman (SAUF), was absorbed in 1944 after only three years of existence. In 1957, Sud-Ouest was merged with Sud-Est Aviation to form Sud Aviation.
Sukhoi   Soviet Union   Russia 1939 Originally known as the "Sukhoi Design Bureau" (OKB-51), it underwent privatization as the Sukhoi Corporation in the post-Soviet era, and is now intended to be merged into the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC) super-conglomerate (also known by its Russian acronym "OAK") in 2007.
Supermarine Aviation Works   United Kingdom 1913 Originally founded as Pemberton-Billing, Ltd., with the intent to develop seaplanes, the company was renamed Supermarine Aviation Works, Ltd., in 1916. In 1928, Supermarine was acquired by Vickers-Armstrongs, under which it was designated Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers), Ltd. Vickers-Armstrongs combined and reorganized its aviation interests in 1938 as Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), Ltd., although Supermarine continued to design, develop and produce aircraft under its own name, including its most famous aircraft, the Supermarine Spitfire. In 1960 the British government combined its major aircraft manufacturers into the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), and in 1963 the Supermarine operation was closed.
Svenska Aero (SvA)   Sweden 1921 Formally "Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget" (the same name that would later be used for the original Saab company), but popularly known as "Svenska Aero", produced several fighters and trainers before being bought by ASJA in 1932.
Swiss American Aircraft Corporation (SAAC)   United States 1960 Established by Bill Lear in 1960 build a new ground-attack fighter based on FFA's P-16; renamed Lear Jet Corporation division in 1962.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
TEMCO Aircraft   United States 1945 Originally known as the "Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Corporation"; merged with Ling-Altec in 1960 (which would become LTV the following year).
Tupolev   Soviet Union   Russia 1922 Originally known as the "Tupolev Design Bureau" (OKB-156), it became a public stock company in the post-Soviet era, and is now intended to be merged into the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC) super-conglomerate (also known by its Russian acronym "OAK") in 2007.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC)   Russia 2007 Being formed by the merger of Beriev, Ilyushin, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, Yakovlev, and other Russian aerospace companies. (Also known by its Russian acronym "OAK".)
UTVA   Yugoslavia   Serbia 1937 Founded in 1937 as the Jadralno društvo Utva-Zemun glider club, it began manufacturing aircraft as the Fabrika Aviona UTVA-Beograd in 1939, and the next year established a larger factory at Pančevo which became known as "Fabrika Aviona UTVA-Pančevo". Its aircraft-building operations became defunct during WWII, but it was reestablished as Fabrika Aviona UTVA in 1952; it was further renamed "UTVA-Sour Metalne Industrije ro Fabrika Aviona" in 1983. In 1992, UTVA absorbed those assets of SOKO that survived the civil war, and in 1996 UTVA was merged with the Lola factory to become "Lola-Utva". The factory was severely damaged during the NATO airstrikes in 1999, but it has since returned to operation as "Utva Aircraft Industry".
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Valmet   Finland 1951 In 1951, the former Valtion Metallitehtaat Lentokonetehdas (VMT) (State Metal Factories) was renamed "Valmet OY Lentokonetehdas" (Valmet Aircraft Factory); in 1974 the Valmet Aircraft Factory would be officially renamed "Valmet Lentokonetehtaan" (Valmet Aviation Industries). The name would again be changed in 1989 to "Valmet Lentokoneteollisuus" (Valmet Aircraft Industries), and in 1996 to "Patria Finavitec Oy".
Valtion Lentokonetehdas (VL)   Finland 1928 Finland's Ilmailuvoimien Lentokonetehdas (Air Force Aircraft Factory) was renamed "Valtion Lentokonetehdas" (VL) (State Aircraft Factory) in 1928. In 1945, at the end of WWII, Valtion and other state-owned enterprises were merged into Valtion Metallitehtaat Lentokonetehdas (VMT) (State Metal Factories), but no new aircraft designs would be produced until 1951, when VMT would be renamed "Valmet OY Lentokonetehdas" (Valmet Aircraft Factory).
Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW)   Germany 1964 Formed by the merger of Focke-Wulf and Weserflug. It was acquired by Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (MBB) in 1981.
Vickers   United Kingdom 1908 In 1908, Vickers Sons & Maxim, Ltd. (whose roots go back to 1828) began building airships, and in 1911 established Vickers Ltd. (Aviation Department) to begin producing airplanes. In 1928, the department was renamed Vickers (Aviation) Ltd. three months before the acquisition of Supermarine by its parent company, Vickers-Armstrongs. During WWII, Vickers was the leading builder of British bombers. Vickers-Armstrongs combined and reorganized its two aviation operations in 1938 as Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), Ltd., although Supermarine continued to design, develop and produce aircraft under its own name. In 1960, Vickers-Armstrongs' aircraft interests were merged with Bristol Aeroplane Company, English Electric Company and Hunting Aircraft to form the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). In 1963 the Supermarine operation was closed and the Vickers name was dropped from use in 1965.
Voisin   France 1906 Appareils d'Aviation Les Frères Voisin was the world's first successful aviation company, established by Gabriel and Charles Voisin in 1906. After Charles' death in a car accident in 1912, Les Frères Voisin became Aéroplanes Voisin. The firm's Canard Voisin was not only the French Navy's first seaplane, in March 1912 an example was the first to fly from the world's first seaplane tender La Foudre. Although Voisin was famous for its bombers, after WWI Gabriel Voisin gave up producing airplanes in favor of making cars (one of which would have an "aviation" name – the Avions Voisin).
Vultee Aircraft   United States 1939 Vultee became an independent company in 1939, having been a division of AVCO from 1936. Merged with Consolidated Aircraft in 1943 to form Consolidated Vultee Aircraft (more popularly known as "Convair").
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Wright Company   United States 1909 The Wright Brothers' original airplane company; merged with the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1916 to form Wright-Martin.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Yakovlev   Soviet Union   Russia 1934 Originally known as the "Tupolev Design Bureau" (OKB-115), it underwent privatization as the Yak Aircraft Corporation in the post-Soviet era, and is now intended to be merged into the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC) super-conglomerate (also known by its Russian acronym "OAK") in 2007.
Company Nationality Founded Status / Notes
Zlín Aviation   Czechoslovakia   Czech Republic 1934 In 1924, Tomáš Baťa established the Zlín Air Company, a glider-building subsidiary of his shoe-manufacturing business, in the Moravian town of Zlín; following his death in an air crash in 1932, the factory was moved to Otrokovice (in the Zlín District) in 1933 where it would be permitted to build powered gliders; there it began building Zlín gliders as Masarykova Letecká Liga (Masaryk League of Aviation), but it was refounded and renamed Zlinská Letecká Akciová Spolecnost (Zlin Aviation Co., Ltd.) in 1934. Although Zlín aircraft were popular for training, it is unclear whether the interwar Czechoslovak air force ever purchased any. In 1949, the firm would be renamed Moravan Narodni Podnik (Moravan National Corporation) (a.k.a. "Moravan Otrokovice"), although it would continue to use the Zlín name for its family of aircraft, and deliveries of Zlín trainers to a number of air forces began at this time.