COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 336415

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

18companies1915–2000founding years14still active4no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedGenCorp Inc.
1915
FoundedSundstrand Corporation
1926
FoundedRockwell International Corporation
1928
FoundedSequa CorporationFoundedThiokol Corporation
1929
FoundedThe Boeing Company
1934
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedRohr Incorporated
1940
FoundedAerojet-General Corp.
1942
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedMoog Inc.
1951
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedTalley Industries, Inc.
1960
FoundedLockheed Martin Corporation
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedBritish Aerospace plcFoundedSwales & Associates, Inc.
1978
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedDaimler-Benz Aerospace AG
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedAlliant Techsystems Inc.FoundedOrbital Sciences Corporation
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedMagellan Aerospace Corporation
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedEuropean Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
2000
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

GenCorp Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
As the parent corporation for three principal segments--Aerojet, GenCorp Automotive and GenCorp Polymer…
Sundstrand Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
Known as a premier supplier of parts for the aircraft industry since the 1940s, Sundstrand Corporation is also a…
Rockwell International Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
One of five companies in the United States supplying the federal government with military aircraft fighters and bombers…
Sequa Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
Sequa Corporation is a diversified industrial company that produces a broad range of aerospace products, printing and…
Thiokol Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1929
Thiokol Corporation is the world's largest producer of solid rocket motors and other parts for the aerospace and…
The Boeing Company →
Active · founded 1934
The Boeing Company is the largest aerospace company in the world, thanks to its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas…
Rohr Incorporated →
Active · founded 1940
Rohr Incorporated is the world's leading manufacturer of aircraft engine parts, including nacelles, cowlings, pylons,…
Aerojet-General Corp. →
Active · founded 1942
Aerojet-General Corp.
Moog Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Moog Inc.
Talley Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Talley Industries Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corporation →
Active · founded 1961
Formed in 1995 via the union of the nation's second- and third-ranking defense contractors, Lockheed Corporation and…
British Aerospace plc →
Defunct · founded 1978 · United Kingdom
British Aerospace plc (BAe) is the largest defense contractor in Europe, as well as being a leading aerospace company.
Swales & Associates, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Swales & Associates, Inc., doing business as Swales Aerospace, is an aerospace engineering firm based in Maryland.
Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…
Alliant Techsystems Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1990
In 1990 Honeywell Inc.
Orbital Sciences Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1990
Orbital Sciences Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, is an unrivaled, leading-edge space technology company…
Magellan Aerospace Corporation →
Active · founded 1995 · Canada
Magellan Aerospace Corporation is Canada's largest dedicated manufacturer of aerospace components.
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. →
Active · founded 2000 · The Netherlands
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
Build It Today

Starting a guided missile and space vehicle propulsion unit and propulsion unit parts company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.