Folland Aircraft
| Folland Aircraft Ltd | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1936 (as British Marine Aircraft) |
| resolution | 1959 |
| Seat | Hamble-le-Rice , UK |
| Branch | Aviation industry |
Folland Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer . He became famous for the Folland Gnat fighter plane . Founded in 1936, the company became part of the Hawker-Siddeley Group in 1959 .
history
In 1936 , the British Marine Aircraft was founded in Hamble-le-Rice ( Hampshire ), at that time one of the centers of the British aircraft industry. The original intention was the manufacture under license of the Sikorsky S-42 -Flugbootes. Ultimately, the license agreement with Sikorsky did not materialize.
In 1937 Henry Folland , former chief designer of the Gloster Aircraft Company , took over the manufacturer, and on December 24, 1937 the name was changed to Folland Aircraft Ltd. The company then acted as a supplier and initially manufactured components for the Bristol Blenheim and Bristol Beaufort , and later for the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito and Vickers Wellington .
The first in-house development at Folland that went beyond the planning stage was the Fo.108 from 1940, better known as Folland 43/37 , which served as a test vehicle for aircraft engines . In 1950, the developer WEW Petter , who had already made a name for himself through the successful designs of British aircraft in World War II , became chief designer and managing director at Folland.
Petter was of the opinion that the fighter planes developed at that time were too big and too expensive. So he pursued the goal of developing a jet-powered hunting machine that was as small and inexpensive as possible. After the prototype, the Folland Midge , the Folland Gnat was created in 1955 . The aircraft did not become the standard fighter of the British Air Force as hoped, but it was a relatively successful export aircraft. Along with other nations, India bought some Gnat, built this machine under license and developed it further into the HAL Ajeet .
The name Folland disappeared after the company was incorporated into the Hawker Siddeley Group in 1959 and has since been run as the Hamble Division . The Gnat was renamed the Hawker Siddeley Gnat T.Mk1 and was the standard machine of the well-known aerobatic team Red Arrows for many years .
In 1977 Hawker Siddeley became part of British Aerospace . The airfield in Hamble was closed in 1986, in the remaining production facilities, assemblies for the models BAE Hawk and Hawker Siddeley Harrier were finally assembled.
