Vega Aircraft Corporation

American aircraft manufacturer

Vega Aircraft Corporation

The Vega Starliner at Union Air Terminal, circa 1940

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

## History

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Lockheed Vega
* California during World War II

## References

[edit]

### Notes

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vega Aircraft Corporation.

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

* v
* t
* e

Lockheed and Lockheed Martin aircraft and spacecraft

Transports|

| Vega family|

* 1 & 2 Vega
* 3 Air Express
* 4 Explorer
* 5 Vega
* 61
* 7 Explorer
* 8 Sirius
* 8-D, E & G Altair
* 9 Orion
* DL.1 Vega

|

Electra family|

* 10 Electra
* 12 Electra Junior
* 14 Super Electra
* 414 Hudson
* 18 Lodestar
* 37 Ventura
* 43 Harpoon

Constellation family|

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

C-130 Hercules family|

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

L-188 Electra family|

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

Other types|

* C-5
* C-141
* Excalibur
* JetStar
* L-1011 Tristar
* RAF
* L-2000
* Saturn
* Vega Starliner
* R6V

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|

* Hudson
* PV-1 Ventura
* PV-2 Harpoon
* P2V/P-2 Neptune
* S-3 Viking
* P-3 Orion
* CP-140 Aurora
* P-7 LRAACA

Other crewed|

* CL-400
* U-2
* YO-3 Quiet Star
* TR-1
* TR-X

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 Patriot

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

Engines|

* J37/T35

Model
numbers|

* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 61
* 7
* 8
* A/D
* 9
* 10
* 11
* 12
* 131
* 14
* 15
* 16
* 171
* 18
* 19
* 20
* 21
* 22
* 23
* 24
* 251
* 26
* 27
* 281
* 29
* 30
* 31
* 32
* 33
* 34
* 35
* 361
* 37
* 381
* 391
* 40
* 41
* 42
* 44
* 45
* 49
* 50
* 51
* 52
* 60
* 61
* 62
* 75
* 80
* 81
* 82
* 83
* 84
* 85
* 86
* 87
* 88
* 89
* 90
* 91
* 92
* 93
* 94
* 99
* 100
* 104
* 105
* 122
* 129
* 133
* 136
* 137
* 140
* 141
* 144
* 149
* 170
* 171
* 182
* 185
* 186
* 188
* 189
* 193
* 199
* 200
* 204
* 206
* 207
* 210
* 212
* 222
* 244
* 245
* 246
* 249
* 282 (I)
* 282 (II)
* 285
* 286
* 288
* 293
* 295
* 296
* 298
* 300
* 301
* 320
* 322
* 325
* 329
* 330
* 331
* 346
* 349
* 351
* 379
* 380
* 382
* 389
* 400 (I)
* 400 (II)
* 402
* 407
* 414
* 422
* 437
* 449
* 475
* 480
* 489
* 500
* 520
* 522
* 549
* 580
* 595
* 622
* 645
* 649
* 680
* 685
* 704
* 749
* 760
* 780
* 785
* 822
* 823
* 840
* 849
* 880
* 901
* 915
* 934
* 949
* 977
* 980
* 981
* 984
* 985
* 995
* 1000
* 1010
* 1011
* 1020
* 1026
* 1049
* A
* 1060
* 1080
* 1090
* 1132
* 1149
* 1195
* 1200
* 1201
* 1235
* 1236
* 1237
* 1249
* 1329
* 1400
* 1449
* 1549
* 1600
* 1649
* 1700
* 1800
* 1980
* 2000
* 2329

| Vega|

* 1
* 2
* 31
* 41
* 5
* 6
* 7–101
* 11
* 12–141
* 15
* 161
* 17
* 18
* 191
* 201
* 21
* 22
* 23
* 24
* 251
* 26
* 27–321
* 33
* 34
* 35
* 361
* 37
* 381
* 391
* 40
* 41
* 42
* 43

|

1 Not assigned

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template