Aviation of World War II

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Lockheed Martin

Company history Glenn L. Martin and the Loughead brothers, Allan and Malcolm, take to the skies for the first time in their own aircraft in 1909 and 1913, respectively.

1912 Allan and Malcolm Loughead found Alco Hydro-Airplane Company.

1916 The Loughead brothers found Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara, California. The Glenn L. Martin Company merges with the Wright Company to form the Wright-Martin Aircraft Company.

1920 Loughead becomes Lockheed and temporarily merges with Detroit Aircraft. Martin, and Wright Brothers' company.

1926 Following the demise of the original company, Allan Loughead formally forms Lockheed Airlines, this time in Hollywood, California. The company name is spelled phonetically to facilitate pronunciation.

July 4, 1927 a streamlined five-seater Vega aircraft, designed by John C. Northrop with the participation of J. F. Valti, took off. In 1928-32, a number of long-distance flights, including round-the-world flights, were made on it.

In 1931 a 5-seater Orion with retractable landing gear takes off. Due to its good aerodynamics, it overtook many fighters of that time.

1932 Martin YB-10 becomes the world's fastest bomber. Martin wins Collier Trophy and sets 33 records.

1934 Lockheed Model 10 Electra makes its maiden flight. This all-metal transport aircraft with a fully pressurized cockpit was the forerunner of today's passenger aircraft.

Robert Gross , with a group of investors saved Lockheed Airlines from a property dispute in 1932, named chairman of the reborn company.

1937 Lockheed P-38 twin-engine fighter - dubbed "Lightning" - Lightning, has been recognized as one of the best fighters of the Second World War. In total, almost 10,000 P-38s were produced.

1938 Lockheed Model 14 Electra orbits Earth in 3 days, 19 hours and 14 minutes. This time, the pilot is eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes.

1940 Martin introduces the first B-26 bomber of the Marauder family, which achieves a higher speed for a WWII bomber. In total, more than 5,200 aircraft were produced.

1941 Lockheed Aircraft Co. acquired by Vega Aircraft Corporation (founded 1937).

In March 1995 Lockheed Co. and Martin Marietta Co. merged into Lockheed Martin with a total staff of 190,000 people.