Grumman
Leroy Grumman and three former Loening Aircraft employees opened a small factory in Baldwin, New York on the 2nd of January 1930. They had purchased an old Cox-Klemin Aircraft Co. facility to begin their new venture just months after registering their business on the 6th of December 1929. The group included Jordan, Corey C., Edmund Ward Poor, William Schwendler, and Jake Swirbul who pooled their skills from the previous company. While welding aluminum tubing for truck frames to keep the lights on, they pursued contracts with the US Navy. Their first design was the FF-1, a biplane featuring retractable landing gear developed at Curtiss Field in 1931. This practical innovation launched them into the aviation market as the Navy began ordering these aircraft.
Grumman became known for its "Cats" during World War II including the F4F Wildcat and the F6F Hellcat fighter planes. Production of the majority of Wildcats and Avengers was subcontracted to a division of General Motors called Eastern Aircraft Division. The company ranked 22nd among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts according to economic analyses from the early 1960s. The F6F Hellcat alone saw 12,275 units built between 1942 and the end of the war. Other notable designs included the F7F Tigercat and the F8F Bearcat which followed the earlier models. The TBF Avenger torpedo bomber also played a critical role in naval operations across the Pacific theater.
The company's big postwar successes came in the 1960s with the A-6 Intruder and E-2 Hawkeye. In the 1970s they delivered the EA-6B Prowler and the iconic F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. Grumman's first jet aircraft was the F9F Panther which appeared in 1947 before being followed by the upgraded Cougar model. The U.S. Navy still employs the Hawkeye as part of Carrier Air Wings on board aircraft carriers today. The U.S. Marine Corps retired the last Prowler on the 8th of March 2019 after decades of service. These products were prominent in feature movies including The Final Countdown released in 1980 and Top Gun from 1986.
Grumman received the contract to build the Apollo Lunar Module on the 7th of November 1962. They built 13 lunar modules that served as the first spacecraft to land humans on the Moon. Six of them successfully landed on the Moon while one served as a lifeboat on Apollo 13 after an explosion crippled the main spacecraft. LM-2 is a test article which never flew in space and is displayed permanently in the Smithsonian Institution. As the Apollo program neared its end, Grumman competed for the Space Shuttle contract but lost to Rockwell International. The firm changed its name to Grumman Aerospace Corporation in 1969 to reflect this new focus.
In 1958 Grumman began production of Gulfstream business aircraft starting with the Gulfstream I turboprop model G-159. The Gulfstream II jet model G-1159 followed and was operated by many companies private individuals and government agencies including NASA. In 1978 they acquired the bus manufacturer Flxible and built the LLV Long Life Vehicle for the United States Postal Service. The LLV was produced from 1987 until 1994 with an intended service life of 24 years. Some of these mail trucks were still in service in 2020 despite their age. Grumman sold Gulfstream to American Jet Industries in 1978 before it became a subsidiary of General Dynamics in 1999.
For much of the Cold War period Grumman was the largest corporate employer on Long Island. At its peak in 1986 it employed 23,000 people across facilities in Valley Stream Farmingdale and Bethpage. The company moved operations to Bethpage where testing and final assembly took place at the Naval Weapons Station in Calverton. Northrop bought Grumman for $2.1 billion in 1994 after topping a $1.9 billion offer from Martin Marietta. The new company closed almost all of its facilities on Long Island and converted the Bethpage plant into a residential and office complex. Former aircraft hangars have become Grumman Studios a film and television production center while part of the airport property is now Grumman Memorial Park.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did Leroy Grumman open the factory in Baldwin New York?
Leroy Grumman opened a small factory in Baldwin, New York on the 2nd of January 1930. The group had purchased an old Cox-Klemin Aircraft Co. facility to begin their new venture just months after registering their business on the 6th of December 1929.
How many F6F Hellcat fighter planes were built by Grumman during World War II?
The F6F Hellcat alone saw 12,275 units built between 1942 and the end of the war. Production of the majority of Wildcats and Avengers was subcontracted to a division of General Motors called Eastern Aircraft Division.
What year did Grumman receive the contract to build the Apollo Lunar Module?
Grumman received the contract to build the Apollo Lunar Module on the 7th of November 1962. They built 13 lunar modules that served as the first spacecraft to land humans on the Moon with six of them successfully landing on the Moon.
Which aircraft model did the U.S. Marine Corps retire on the 8th of March 2019?
The U.S. Marine Corps retired the last EA-6B Prowler on the 8th of March 2019 after decades of service. This aircraft was one of the notable designs delivered in the 1970s alongside the iconic F-14 Tomcat fighter jet.
When did Grumman stop producing LLV Long Life Vehicles for the United States Postal Service?
The LLV was produced from 1987 until 1994 with an intended service life of 24 years. Some of these mail trucks were still in service in 2020 despite their age.