Vega Aircraft Corporation

Short description: American aircraft manufacturer

Vega Aircraft Corporation

The Vega Starliner at Union Air Terminal, circa 1940

Formerly| AiRover Company
Industry| Aerospace
Fate| Merged with Lockheed Aircraft Company
Successor| Lockheed Aircraft Company
Founded| February 24, 1937; 88 years ago (1937-02-24)
Founders| Robert E. Gross
Defunct| November 30, 1943 (1943-11-30)
Headquarters|

Burbank, California

United States of America

Parent| Lockheed 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.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Aircraft
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 4.1 Notes
* 4.2 Bibliography
* 5 External links

## History

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

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

* Lockheed Vega
* California during World War II

## References

### Notes

1. ↑ "Lockheed Unit Takes New Name". Los Angeles Times: p. 10. 1 June 1938. http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/380750593.
2. ↑ "Chapter V: Peace, Prosperity, Peril". Of Men and Stars: A History of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Burbank, California: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. July 1957. pp. 7–8. http://www.mbmcdaniel.com/burbankia/of_men_and_stars_5.pdf. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
3. ↑ Thisdayinaviation.com Vega Aircraft Corporation
4. ↑ "Vega Wanes". Aviation News (McGraw-Hill Publishing Corporation): 24. 22 November 1943. https://archive.org/details/Aviation_Week_1943-11-22/page/n12. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

### Bibliography

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

## External links

* Menasco 2-544 Unitwin Aircraft Engine – Old Machine Press

* v
* t
* e

Lockheed and Lockheed Martin aircraft and spacecraft

Transports|

| Constellation family|

* Constellation
* L-049
* L-649
* L-749
* L-1049
* L-1249
* l-1649 Starliner
* C-69
* C-121
* EC-121
* R6V
* XB-30

|

Hercules family|

* C-130
* C-130J
* AC-130
* DC-130
* HC-130
* EC-130
* EC-130H
* KC-130
* LC-130
* MC-130
* WC-130
* L-100

Model 10 Electra family|

* Model 10
* Electra Junior
* Lodestar
* Hudson
* Super Electra
* Ventura

L-188 Electra family|

* L-188
* P-3
* EP-3
* CP-140
* P-7

Other types|

* Air Express
* Altair
* C-5
* C-141
* Excalibur
* JetStar
* L-1011
* Orion
* Saturn
* Sirius
* TriStar
* RAF
* Vega
* Vega Starliner

Fighter-bombers|

| Lightning family|

* P-38
* XP-49
* XP-58

|

Shooting Star family|

* F-80
* F-94
* T-33
* T2V

Starfighter family|

* XF-104
* F-104
* NF-104A
* CL-288
* CL-1200

Raptor family|

* YF-22
* F-22
* FB-22
* X-44 MANTA

Other types|

* A-4AR
* A-9
* F-16
* F-21
* F-35
* F-117
* XFM-2
* XF-90
* YP-24

Reconnaissance|

| Blackbird family|

* A-12
* SR-71 Blackbird
* YF-12
* M-21
* D-21

|

Maritime patrol|

* P-2 Neptune
* S-3 Viking

Other manned|

* U-2
* YO-3
* TR-X

Other UAVs|

* Aequare
* AQM-60
* Cormorant (UAV)
* Desert Hawk
* Desert Hawk III
* Fury
* MQM-105
* Polecat
* RQ-3
* RQ-170
* SR-72
* X-44 (UAV)

Trainers|

* T-33
* T2V
* T-50A

Helicopters|

* CL-475
* XH-51
* AH-56 Cheyenne
* VH-71 Kestrel
* VH-92

Experimental|

* Have Blue
* L-133
* L-301
* Senior Peg
* Senior Prom
* Star Clipper
* XC-35
* X-7
* X-17
* X-24C
* X-26B
* X-33
* X-35
* X-55
* X-56
* X-59
* XFV
* XV-4

Light aircraft|

* Big Dipper
* Explorer
* L-402
* Little Dipper

Missiles|

* Agena
* High Virgo
* Perseus
* Ping-Pong
* Polaris
* Poseidon
* Trident I
* Trident II

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