When it comes to arms manufacturers, you might think of Kalashnikov, the father of AK47, or you might think of air shipping giant Boeing. However, today the top weapons equipped in the United States and the world come from this world’s largest arms dealer named Lockheed _ Martin. In 1995, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation merged with Martin Marietta, and the two airlines that were forced to withdraw from the civil aircraft business joined hands and became the world's largest defense industry contractor.
In 1912, 23-year-old Allen Lockheed and his brother Malcolm Lockheed used the raised $1,200 to establish Alco Seaplane Company in Santa Barbara, California, and later the company changed its name to Lockheed Aircraft manufacturing company.
In the same year, 26-year-old Glenn Martin founded the aircraft company of the same name. People who have worked in his company include Douglas, Kindleberger and MacDonald. Earlier in 1910, in the aviation school he opened, there was a student named William Edward Boeing.
In 1926, the Lockheed Aircraft Manufacturing Company closed down. The two brothers re-opened the Lockheed Aircraft Company, but the good news did not last long. In 1929, the two brothers sold it to the Detroit Aircraft Company. During the Great Depression in the United States, the Detroit Aircraft Company had no choice but to go bankrupt. The Gross Brothers (Robert and Kurt) acquired the original Lockheed Aircraft Company part and continued to use this name, leading Lockheed to start a second venture.
At the beginning of World War II, the P-38 Lightning fighter, which was once drawn to the streets for equipment work due to insufficient production facilities, completely overshadowed the Japanese "Zero" fighters and became the best weapon for the US military to deter the enemy. At the same time, in front of Martin’s administrative building, there are also a number of B-26 "predator" bombers waiting for the military to take over. In the anti-fascist battlefield, these two companies have indeed provided the US military with indispensable Armed forces.
In 1943, Lockheed launched the XP-80, the first combat-worthy jet fighter in the United States. When mentioning this aircraft, we have to mention the built by Lockheed in the same year. Ferret Factory . Under the leadership of the first president and legendary designer Kelly Johnson, the Skunk Factory developed the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117 Nighthawk, three classic aircraft that are still difficult to surpass. type. Among them, SR-71 has the most legendary talks, and its speed of 3,529.56 kilometers per hour has not been broken so far. The speed of Mach 3.3 allows the heat generated by the friction between the fuselage and the air to be seen by the radar every time, but there is no way to use it. However, due to its high maintenance costs and there are now more satellites in space for reconnaissance work, SR-71 was decommissioned in 1990. The stories it passed down were also widely acclaimed by military fans.
In 1975, designer Kelly, who was awarded multiple medals, left the skunk factory, but it still won an order from the US Air Force in 1991 with the YF-22 at the 1985 exhibition. In 2005, the YF-22 was officially delivered to the US Air Force. It is the current F-22 Raptor. This order also directly brought more than 50 billion US dollars in revenue for Lockheed Martin.
On the other side, Martin Aircraft Company launched the 404 civil airliner in 1950, but it was completely unable to compete with the younger Douglas, Boeing and other companies for the market. As a result, it decisively gave up the civil aircraft business and turned to the space field, and was also the pioneer of the aviation industry that was forced out of the atmosphere.
In 1959, Martin launched the United States’ first multi-stage intercontinental ballistic missile, the Titan 1. In 1961, it merged with Marietta and was renamed Martin Marietta. In 1968, it acquired Harvey Aluminum, which is famous for its aircraft manufacturing, and in 1992 it acquired GE Aerospace, a subsidiary of GE.
In 1989, the "Magellan" produced by Martin Marietta went into space. Two years later, it and TRW jointly contracted a $659 million project to develop an airborne missile interceptor code-named "Bright Crystal".
As early as 1950, it seemed that there was providence in it. Lockheed President Robert Gross and Martin Aircraft Company President Glen Martin appeared in the same photo. Would the onlookers at the time think, In 45 years, will they join hands to dominate the global military industry?
In 1995, Martin Marietta Chairman Norman Augustin and Lockheed Chairman Daniel Taylor took a group photo outside the New York Stock Exchange, announcing the formal completion of the merger of the two military enterprises. In 1996, Lockheed after the merger After De Martin acquired the defense electronics and systems division of Laura, it became the world's largest defense contractor without any suspense. The following year, Lockheed Martin, who was strong and powerful, issued new shares on the New York Stock Exchange. The company's theme slogan was on the stock: "We will never forget who we work for."
In the 20 years from 1997 to the present, Lockheed Martin has been in the forefront of the world in the fields of aviation, aerospace and electronics, and is the world's largest fighter jet manufacturer. In aerospace, it controls the production and launch of all US military satellites; in missiles, it is the main manufacturer of US intercontinental missiles. At the same time, it has absolute advantages in strategic missile systems, strategic missile defense systems, tactical missile systems, anti-tank missiles, and airborne electronic equipment. With the exception of the three times won by BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, and EADS, Lockheed Martin has been at the top of the global top 100 military industry rankings for the remaining 17 years, establishing an unparalleled competitive advantage.
After F22, the US Department of Defense gave Lockheed Martin a larger order, which is the current F35 fighter. Although its performance is not as good as the F22, because the United States allows this fighter to be exported abroad, there are still many countries waiting to buy it.
After entering the new century, Lockheed Martin vigorously strengthened the development and market promotion of "network-centric warfare" products in order to better meet the US military's demand for weapons and equipment for "network-centric warfare". The Armed Combat Rotor UAV Group led by Lockheed Martin completed the airborne and ground demonstration tests that can be used for UCAR sensors in September 2005, aiming to demonstrate the ability to independently cooperate with manned or unmanned aerial systems and ground systems. The feasibility of the rotary-wing UAV system, once this project enters the practical stage, its military use and use value will far exceed the various types of UAVs currently in use, becoming a more excellent battlefield "node" for "network-centric warfare".
