National Aircraft Factory

During World War I, the importance of military control of the air became evident. The United Kingdom government therefore sought to significantly increase aircraft manufacturing capacity. In 1917 the Ministry of Munitions, then headed by Winston Churchill, commissioned the construction of National Aircraft Factories to significantly boost the rate and scale of production.

Four factories were commissioned

National Aircraft Factory No. 1 at Waddon in Croydon, producing de Havilland DH.9^[1]
National Aircraft Factory No. 2 at Heaton Chapel, Stockport, managed by Crossley Motors and producing de Havilland DH.9
National Aircraft Factory No. 3 at Aintree, Liverpool, operated by Cunard to produce Bristol F.2 Fighters^[2]
Ham near Kingston upon Thames, Surrey – leased and operated by Sopwith Aviation and producing Snipe, Dolphin and Salamander fighter planes. This, confusingly, was also referred to as National Aircraft Factory No. 2^[3]

References

^ "1st De Havilland 9 produced at National Aircraft Factory No. 1". Flickr. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
^ "Images of National Aircraft Factory No. 3, Aintree". Retrieved 7 June 2013.
^ "National Aircraft Factory No.2 Freehold hereditaments [no ref. or date]". The National Archives. Retrieved 7 June 2013.

Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom

Companies

Current	AD Aerospace AgustaWestland Airbus UK Astrium Satellites Surrey Satellite Technology BAE Systems Military Air Solutions Eurofighter GmbH (33%) MBDA (37.5% as MBDA UK) BBA Aviation Boeing Defence UK British Airways Engineering Britten-Norman Chemring Group Cobham Technical Services Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Euravia General Dynamics UK GE Aviation Systems GFS Projects GKN Hants and Sussex Aviation Hybrid Air Vehicles IRVIN-GQ Lockheed Martin UK Marshall Aerospace Martin-Baker Meggitt Messier-Bugatti-Dowty Skyrora Qinetiq Reaction Engines Rolls-Royce Selex ES Short Brothers Telespazio VEGA Thales Air Defence Thales Optronics Ultra Electronics
Defunct	ADC Aircraft Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes ABC Motors Air Navigation and Engineering Company Airco The Airscrew Company Airship Industries Airspeed Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Arrow Aircraft Auster Austin Motor Company Aviation Traders Avro Beagle Aircraft William Beardmore and Company Blackburn Aircraft Boulton & Paul Boulton Paul Aircraft Bristol Aeroplane Company British Aerial Transport British Aerospace British Aircraft Company British Aircraft Corporation British Aircraft Manufacturing BTR Aerospace Central Aircraft Company Chilton Aircraft Chrislea Aircraft Clayton & Shuttleworth Comper Aircraft Company Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft Dart Aircraft de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School Propellers Desoutter Aircraft Company Dowty Group Rotol Dunlop Standard Aerospace ED Abbott Edgar Percival Aircraft Elliotts of Newbury English Electric Fairey Aviation Company Fane Aircraft Company Ferranti Folland Aircraft Foster, Wikner Aircraft Garland Aircraft Company General Aircraft General Electric Company Gloster Aircraft Company Grahame-White Handley Page Hawker Aircraft Hawker Siddeley Heston Aircraft Company Hewlett & Blondeau Hordern-Richmond Hunting Aircraft Kingsbury Aviation Lakes Flying Company Lindstrand Technologies Luton Aircraft M. B. Arpin & Co. Marconi Company Electronic Systems Martinsyde Matra Marconi Space Miles Aircraft Moss Brothers Aircraft D. Napier & Son Nash & Thompson National Aircraft Factory No. 2 Nieuport & General Aircraft Norman Thompson Flight Company Parnall Parnall & Sons Port Victoria Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot Lang Propellers Reid and Sigrist Rollason Aircraft and Engines Royal Aircraft Establishment Saunders-Roe Scottish Aviation Seaplane Experimental Station SELEX Galileo SELEX Sistemi Integrati Siddeley-Deasy Sopwith Aviation Company Spartan Aircraft Supermarine Vickers Vickers-Armstrongs Westland Aircraft Westland Helicopters J. Samuel White

Current