North American Aviation
On the 6th of December 1928, Clement Melville Keys established North American Aviation as a holding company. It bought and sold interests in various airlines and aviation-related companies. The Air Mail Act of 1934 forced the breakup of such holding companies. This legal change transformed North American into a manufacturing entity. James H. Dutch Kindelberger took charge after being recruited from Douglas Aircraft Company. He moved operations from Dundalk, Maryland to Los Angeles, California. Flying year-round became possible with the new location. Kindelberger decided to focus on training aircraft. He believed it would be easier than competing with established companies on larger projects. NAA's first planes included the GA-15 observation plane and the GA-16 trainer. They followed with the O-47 and BT-9 models. In 1933, General Motors Corporation purchased a controlling interest in NAA. They merged it with the General Aviation Manufacturing Corporation but kept the name North American Aviation.
North American ranked eleventh among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. Factories opened in Columbus, Ohio, Dallas, Texas, and Kansas City, Kansas during 1940. The T-6 Texan trainer saw 17,000 units built. It remains the most widely used trainer ever. The twin-engine B-25 Mitchell bomber achieved fame in the Doolittle Raid. It was used in all combat theaters of operation. The P-51 Mustang was initially produced for Britain as an alternative to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. An RAF suggestion to switch the powerplant from Allison to Rolls-Royce Merlin engines transformed the fighter. This change made many consider it the best American fighter of the war. Labor troubles became a grave issue in 1941. A wildcat strike by local union officials closed the plant on June 5. That facility produced a fourth of the fighters. President Franklin Roosevelt sent in the California national guard on June 8 to reopen the plant. Strikers were told to return immediately or be drafted into the US Army. They sullenly complied when Germany invaded the USSR on June 22.
North American's employment dropped from a high of 91,000 to 5,000 in 1946. Orders from the U.S. government fell from 8,000 aircraft to just 24 within months. General Motors divested NAA as a public company in 1948. New designs included the T-28 Trojan trainer and attack aircraft. The F-82 Twin Mustang fighter followed. The B-45 Tornado jet bomber entered service. Revolutionary work began on the XB-70 Valkyrie Mach-3 strategic bomber. The Columbus, Ohio division developed the A-5 Vigilante. It saw significant use as a naval reconnaissance aircraft during the Vietnam War. The OV-10 Bronco was the first aircraft specifically designed for forward air control duties. The T-2 Buckeye Naval trainer served from the late 1950s until 2008. Virtually every Naval Aviator flew it for four decades. The North American F-86 Sabre started out as a redesigned Fury. It achieved fame shooting down MiGs in the Korean War. Over 9,000 F-86s were produced globally. Its successor, the North American F-100 Super Sabre, was also popular. Sales topped $315 million by the end of 1952.
Atomics International began as the Atomic Energy Research Department at the Downey plant in 1948. In 1955, the department was renamed Atomics International. It engaged principally in early development of nuclear technology and reactors. The division built the first nuclear reactor in California. This small aqueous homogeneous reactor sat at the NAA Downey plant. They created the first nuclear reactor to produce power for a commercial grid. The Sodium Reactor Experiment operated at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The SNAP-10A became the first nuclear reactor launched into outer space by the United States. As overall interest in nuclear power declined, Atomics International transitioned to non-nuclear energy projects. Coal gasification efforts followed before they ceased designing and testing nuclear reactors. Autonetics began in 1945 at North American's Technical Research Laboratory. It evolved from a small unit in the Los Angeles Division engineering department. The Navaho missile program resulted in Autonetics becoming a separate division in 1955. It moved to Anaheim, California in 1963. The division developed guidance systems for the Minuteman ballistic missile system.
Rocket engine operations spun off into Rocketdyne in 1955. This division furnished engines for Redstone, Jupiter, Thor, Delta, and Atlas missiles. NASA Saturn family launch vehicles also used their power. North American designed and built the airframe for the X-15 rocket plane. It first flew in 1959. In 1959, North American built the first Little Joe boosters. These tested the launch escape system for Project Mercury spacecraft. New CEO Lee Atwood decided to focus on the space program in 1960. The company became prime contractor for the Apollo command and service module. They built a larger Little Joe II rocket to test Apollo's launch escape system. The S-II second stage of the Saturn V followed. A fatal fire occurred during the Apollo 1 mission in January 1967. Congress later ruled against blaming the company initially. In September, it merged with Rockwell-Standard to become North American Rockwell. The new company studied concepts for the Space Shuttle within two years. They won the orbiter contract in 1972. The company changed its name again to Rockwell International in 1973.
Rockwell International sold its defense and space divisions to Boeing in December 1996. These groups were initially called Boeing North American. They integrated with Boeing's Defense division. Rocketdyne was eventually sold by Boeing to UTC Pratt Whitney in 2005. UTC later sold Rocketdyne to Aerojet GenCorp in 2013. The cancellation of the F-107 and F-108 programs in the late 1950s hurt the company. The Navaho intercontinental cruise missile program cancellation also caused damage. North American never fully recovered from these blows. The company had built aircraft like the Shrike Commander and T-39 Sabreliner business jet. Employment at the Columbus plant grew from 1,600 in 1950 to 18,000 in 1952. Facilities opened in a former Curtiss-Wright plant in Columbus, Ohio. Downey, California housed a former Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft plant. A new plant at Downey was built in 1948. The legacy continues through Boeing's current aerospace operations.
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Common questions
When was North American Aviation established?
Clement Melville Keys established North American Aviation on the 6th of December 1928. It began as a holding company that bought and sold interests in various airlines and aviation-related companies.
What aircraft did North American Aviation produce during World War II?
North American Aviation produced the T-6 Texan trainer, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, and the P-51 Mustang fighter during World War II. The T-6 Texan saw 17,000 units built and remains the most widely used trainer ever.
Why did North American Aviation close its plant in June 1941?
Labor troubles became a grave issue when local union officials organized a wildcat strike that closed the plant on June 5. President Franklin Roosevelt sent in the California national guard on June 8 to reopen the facility after strikers sullenly complied following the German invasion of the USSR on June 22.
How did Atomics International originate within North American Aviation?
Atomics International began as the Atomic Energy Research Department at the Downey plant in 1948. In 1955, the department was renamed Atomics International and engaged principally in early development of nuclear technology and reactors.
When did North American Aviation become part of Boeing?
Rockwell International sold its defense and space divisions to Boeing in December 1996. These groups were initially called Boeing North American before integrating with Boeing's Defense division.