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Vega Aircraft Corporation

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Vega Aircraft Corporation
FormerlyAiRover Company
IndustryAerospace
FoundedFebruary 24, 1937; 87 years ago (1937-02-24)
FoundersRobert E. Gross
DefunctNovember 30, 1943 (1943-11-30)
FateMerged with Lockheed Aircraft Company
SuccessorLockheed Aircraft Company
Headquarters
Burbank, California
,
United States of America
ParentLockheed Aircraft Company
A worker at the Vega Aircraft Corporation during World War II
A Vega 35 operated by the Civil Air Patrol

The Vega Aircraft Corporation was a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Burbank, California responsible for much of its parent company's production in World War II.

History

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The company was first formed in August 1937 as the AiRover Company to produce a new light aircraft design. It was renamed in May 1938 to honor Lockheed's first aircraft design, the Vega.[1]

The AiRover Model 1 was a Lockheed Altair fitted with a Menasco Unitwin 2-544 engine, which featured two engines driving a single shaft. The AiRover Model 2 was a new design named the Vega Starliner. One Starliner prototype was built and tested, but the design did not go into production.[2]

In 1940, with World War II already underway in Europe, Vega changed its focus from light aircraft to military aircraft. The company began by producing five North American NA-35 trainers under license with North American Aviation. Production by Vega really got underway with the Hudson, a patrol bomber designed for use by the Royal Air Force.

Vega entered a partnership between three companies (the other two being Boeing and Douglas) (abbreviated BVD) to produce the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Of over 12,000 B-17s produced by war's end, 2,750 were built by Vega. The company also built two experimental B-17 variants, the Boeing XB-38 Flying Fortress and the Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress.

By the end of November 1943, Vega had merged back into Lockheed, having far surpassed its original mission of producing light aircraft.[3][4]

Aircraft

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Model name First flight Number built Type
Vega Model 1 1938 1 Modified version of the Lockheed Altair
Vega Model 2 Starliner 1939 1 Prototype lightplane
Vega Model 40 5 Target drone
Vega 35 4 Development of the North American NA-35
Vega Hudson License built version of Lockheed Hudson
Vega Ventura 1941 3,028 Twin engine medium/patrol bomber
Vega B-17 Flying Fortress 1942 2,750 License built version of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Vega XB-38 Flying Fortress 1943 1 Modified version of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress with inline engines
Vega YB-40 Flying Fortress 1942 1 Modified version of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress to gunship configuration

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Lockheed Unit Takes New Name". Los Angeles Times. 1 June 1938. p. 10. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Chapter V: Peace, Prosperity, Peril" (PDF). Of Men and Stars: A History of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. July 1957. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. ^ Thisdayinaviation.com Vega Aircraft Corporation
  4. ^ "Vega Wanes". Aviation News. McGraw-Hill Publishing Corporation. 22 November 1943. p. 24. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

Bibliography

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  • Francillon, René J, Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, 1987.
  • Yenne, Bill, Lockheed. Crescent Books, 1987.
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