- British Aerospace plc
Farnborough, Hampshire
British Aerospace was formed as a statutory corporation in 1977 when British Aircraft Corporation, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and Scottish Aviation Ltd were nationalised and merged under the provisions of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977. A change of government in 1979 led to denationalisation and in 1981 the government sold 51.57% of British Aerospace shares, returning the company to private ownership. The remaining shares were sold in 1985, although the government retained a single share to allow it to veto future foreign ownership. In 1986 British Aerospace became a lead partner in Eurofighter GmbH, along with Alenia Aeronautica, Construcciones Aeronauticas SA and Daimler-Benz AG, for the development and production of the Eurofighter Typhoon. A year later it acquired Royal Ordnance, the government-owned British armaments manufacturer, now BAE Systems Global Combat Systems Munitions. British Aerospace acquired The Rover Group in 1988 after the troubled car maker was privatised by the government, but within three years British Aerospace faced troubled times with difficult ventures into telecommunications (Hutchinson Telecommunications-Orange plc) and naval systems (SEMA). A major restructuring of the board and a rationalisation of many of the historic manufacturing sites followed, including the closure of the Vickers factory at Brooklands and the sale of non-core business interests such as Rover in 1994 and various property management and development companies. The company continued to invest in new technologies as well as in its existing range of products and services, such as the Harrie and Hawk military jets and 146 civil airliners. The 1990s saw the introduction of a number of mutually beneficial joint ventures such as the development and marketing agreement for the Saab JAS39 Gripen aircraft and the initial program with Lockheed Martin for the F35 Joint Strike Fighter. In 1999 British Aerospace merged with Marconi Electronic Systems to form BAE Systems plc.
Panavia Tornado (1979); BAe 146 (1981); BAe ATP / Jetstream 61 (1986); EAP (1986); Eurofighter Typhoon (1994).
C Whitehead and P Coulson, Proud heritage: pictorial history of British Aerospace aircraft (1998)
Various records 1977-99.
General arrangement plans 1979-88; brochures and marketing materials 1977-95; promotional magazines: Touchdown 1979-85, Aerospace Dynamics 1979-89, British Aerospace Quarterly 1979-95, Orbit 1985-92, Eurofighter Review 1989-92, Defence Briefing 1991-93; investor magazine, Business Review 1989-91; staff magazine, Arrow 1995-99; operator update newsletters: British Aerospace 146 1984-86, British Aerospace 748 1990-94.
Staff and client magazines: Enterprise 1950-84, BAe Dynamics News 1979-85, Airwaves 1985-89, British Aerospace Business Review n.d., Focus on Hatfield 1987-92, Corporate Distinction 1990-92, Market Leader 1992-93; promotional products 1980s-90s; staff passes, letters and reports 1980s-90s; staff club tickets 1989-91; photographs: aircraft at open days, factory aerial views, staff, celebrity visits and 100th Bae 146 under construction 1950s-90s.
Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
Papers of J S Paterson, commercial director, re Trident and the relationship with China c.1960-93 [ACC5567].
Photograph, Jetstream 31 aircraft n.d.; published history brochures/books c.1981-92 [PA1716/18/3/8, PA1915/1/4/28, PA1716/20/1/2].
Marketing brochures, specification sheets, advertisements, newsletter, poster and catalogues 1980s-90s [Trade Literature Collection].
Various records 1977-89 [CC/BAe series].
Drawings for the conversion of the Vulcan bomber to a tanker c.1982 [MAC035976-036056].
Various records 1970s-1980s [BAE/ET3]
Flight test records re BAe 146 aircraft c.1982 [A2006.54].