WW2 US Fighter Plane Manufacturers
Milestones in their history
By Stephen Sherman, Oct. 2000. Updated January 23, 2012.
Check out the
page on Aircraft Factories in
1944, very much a work in progress, but still quite interesting.
1900
. 1903 - Wright Brothers
. first flight at Kitty Hawk
. |
. 1908 - Glen Curtiss |
. flies the 'June Bug' |
. | |
. | 1912 - Wright Company
. | focuses on engines
. | |
WORLD WAR I Curtiss Aeroplane | Alexander P. de Seversky,
. & Motor Company, | Russian ace, downs 13
. the world's biggest | German aircraft
. aircraft company | |
1918 | | 1918 - Seversky emigrates 1918 - Lewis & Vought
. | | to United States Corp. founded
. | | | |
. 1920's - Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, | | |
. Barnstorming Era | | |
. | | | 1924 - Leroy Grumman and Jake |
. | | | Swirbul meet, working for |
. | | | Loening Aircraft in NYC |
. | | | | |
. 1926 - Lockheed | | | | |
. Aircraft founded | | | | |
. | | | | | |
. | | | | | |
. 1928 - moved to | | | | 1928 - North American |
. Burbank, Calif | | | | Aviation founded |
. | | | | | | |
1929 | Curtiss-Wright merger | Grumman and | 1929 - joined United
. | | | Swirbul found | Aircraft Corp.
. | | | Grumman on L.I. | |
. | | | | | |
. | | | | | |
. | | 1931 - Seversky Aircraft | | |
. | | Corp. founded, | | |
. | | Alexander Kartveli | | |
. | | joined design team. | | |
1933 Clarence 'Kelly' | | | | |
. Johnson joined | | | | |
. | | | | | |
1935 | Lawrence Bell | | | | |
. | founded Bell | | | | |
. | Aircraft in | | | | |
. | Buffalo, NY | | | 1936 - Dutch Kindelberger |
. | | | | | moved operations to |
. | | | | | Southern California |
. | | | | | | |
. | | | 1937 - First P-35 produced | | |
. | | | | | | |
. | | | | | | |
. | | | 1939 - Re-organized as | | 1939 - became
. | | | Republic Aviation | | Vought-Sikorsky, until 1943
. | | | | | | |
. | | | | | | |
. | | Curtiss | | North Chance
WWII Lockheed Bell Wright Republic Grumman American Vought
. P-38 P-39 P-40 P-47 F4F, F6F P-51 F4U
. | | | | | | |
. | | | | | | |
. | 1947 - Bell X-1 | | | | |
. | supersonic flight | | | | |
. | | | | | | |
. | | | | | 1948 - F-86 Sabre jet |
. | | | | | | |
. | 1949 - Curtiss-Wright | | | 1949 - moved to Dallas
. | Airplane Div. liquidated | | | |
1950 | | | | |
. | 1954 - F84F | | 1954 - Chance-Vought Aircraft
. | Thunderstreak | | F8U Crusader
. 1956 - U-2 spy plane | | | |
. | | | | |
. | | | | |
1960 Francis Gary | | | |
. Powers shot down | | | 1963 - merged into
. | | | | Ling-Temco-Vought
. | | | |
1966 | | | 1966 - merged into
. | | | North American Rockwell
. | | | |
. | | 1969 - Grumman LEM |
. | | landed on Moon |
. | | | |
1972 | acquired, as | |
. | Fairchild Republic | |
. | | | |
. | | | 1973 - renamed Rockwell Int'l
. | | | |
. | | | |
1990 | Grumman acquired |
. | Fairchild Republic |
. | | |
. | | |
1994 Lockheed-Martin acquired by Northrup, |
. merger as Northrup-Grumman |
. |
. 1996 - merged with Boeing
.
2000
Links:
Aerofiles - excellent aviation reference siteWright Brothers National Memorial - National Park Service
Boeing - bombers
Douglas Aircraft - bombers and DC-3
Northrop - P-61 night fighter
Brewster - F2A Buffalo