British Aerospace (Space Systems) Ltd was a wholly owned subsidiary of British Aerospace PLC. It was formed in 1988 and was responsible of all of the companies space activities, including satellite communications and its launcher programmes. It was based at sites in Bristol and Stevenage, and operated until 1994 when it was sold to Matra Marconi Space.

The Dynamics Group was formed as a separate operating unit within British Aerospace on 1st January 1978 and took over the guided weapons and associated activities of the companies that had been merged to form BAe in 1977. Initially, the new organisation was headed by G.R. Jefferson, previously head of BAC Guided Weapons Ltd, with Tom Kent assisting as General Manager. When it was established the Group consisted of four divisions which were run as separate business units with their own specific responsibilities. These were ground-launched weapons, space and communications, both of which were based at the Stevenage site, ship-launched weapons, based at Bristol, and air-launched weapons, based at Hatfield. In its initial years, the group worked on a number of projects including the Sky Flash and P3T missiles as well as the Sea Dart and Seawolf systems used by the Royal Navy. It also was involved in the European Communications Satellite (ECS) programme and the Marecs satellite. In January 1980 British Aerospace Dynamics Group was joined by Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo, as deputy chairman, and Tom Kent was promoted to Deputy Group Chief Executive. The Group also began a number of international cooperations including the Euromissile Dynamics Group (EMDG) with Aerospatiale and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), which aimed to develop a new anti-tank missile and a programme with BTG in Germany relating to the AIM 9L Sidewinder missile. 1980 also saw the group working on the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile, the production of Sky Flash, Rapier and MILAN, and the development of the Giotto probe for the European Space Agency. In August 1980 G.R. Jefferson became Chairman of British Telecom and he was replaced as Chairman and Chief Executive of the Group by Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo. 1981 would see British Aerospace become a Public Limited Company but operations in the Dynamic Group would continue with the same structure as had already been in place. It would continue to work on various missile contracts, including Sea Skua for the Royal Navy and Sky Flash for Sweeden, and would also establish new facilities at the Stevenage site for circuit development and plastics production. In 1982 Sperry Gyroscopes was acquired by the Group and would become a division within it, known simply as Bracknell. The same year would also seem the sale of the Industrial and Vehicle weighing activities, which had previously been part of the division based at Hatfield. Sir Reymond Largo would also become Managing Director of British Aerospace and was replaced by Hugh Metcalfe. 1983 saw the group work on a Cargo Surveillance System and the Sea Urchin mine as well as cooperation with other organisations. This included Bodenseewerk Geraetetechnik/BAe GmBH, a joint company with Germany for missile development and production, and the Wind Energy group, which produced a prototype for the largest wind turbine generator erected in the UK. During 1985 British Aerospace underwent a restructuring as it prepared for privatisation which had been announced by the British Government in 1984 when it stated that it was prepared to sell its 48.43% in BAe to a successful bidder, and this was to occur in May 1985. As part of this restructuring the management structure of the company underwent a streamlining process and this involved the absorption of the Aircraft and Dynamic Groups into one single structure. As a result the Dynamics Group formally ceased to exist on 1st June 1985.

The Dynamics Group was formed as a separate operating unit within British Aerospace on 1st January 1978 and took over the guided weapons and associated activities of the companies that had been merged to form BAe in 1977. Initially, the new organisation was headed by G.R. Jefferson, previously head of BAC Guided Weapons Ltd, with Tom Kent assisting as General Manager. When it was established the Group consisted of four divisions which were run as separate business units with their own specific responsibilities. These were ground-launched weapons, space and communications, both of which were based at the Stevenage site, ship-launched weapons, based at Bristol, and air-launched weapons, based at Hatfield. In its initial years, the group worked on a number of projects including the Sky Flash and P3T missiles as well as the Sea Dart and Seawolf systems used by the Royal Navy. It also was involved in the European Communications Satellite (ECS) programme and the Marecs satellite. In January 1980 British Aerospace Dynamics Group was joined by Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo, as deputy chairman, and Tom Kent was promoted to Deputy Group Chief Executive. The Group also began a number of international cooperations including the Euromissile Dynamics Group (EMDG) with Aerospatiale and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), which aimed to develop a new anti-tank missile and a programme with BTG in Germany relating to the AIM 9L Sidewinder missile. 1980 also saw the group working on the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile, the production of Sky Flash, Rapier and MILAN, and the development of the Giotto probe for the European Space Agency. In August 1980 G.R. Jefferson became Chairman of British Telecom and he was replaced as Chairman and Chief Executive of the Group by Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo. 1981 would see British Aerospace become a Public Limited Company but operations in the Dynamic Group would continue with the same structure as had already been in place. It would continue to work on various missile contracts, including Sea Skua for the Royal Navy and Sky Flash for Sweeden, and would also establish new facilities at the Stevenage site for circuit development and plastics production. In 1982 Sperry Gyroscopes was acquired by the Group and would become a division within it, known simply as Bracknell. The same year would also seem the sale of the Industrial and Vehicle weighing activities, which had previously been part of the division based at Hatfield. Sir Reymond Largo would also become Managing Director of British Aerospace and was replaced by Hugh Metcalfe. 1983 saw the group work on a Cargo Surveillance System and the Sea Urchin mine as well as cooperation with other organisations. This included Bodenseewerk Geraetetechnik/BAe GmBH, a joint company with Germany for missile development and production, and the Wind Energy group, which produced a prototype for the largest wind turbine generator erected in the UK. During 1985 British Aerospace underwent a restructuring as it prepared for privatisation which had been announced by the British Government in 1984 when it stated that it was prepared to sell its 48.43% in BAe to a successful bidder, and this was to occur in May 1985. As part of this restructuring the management structure of the company underwent a streamlining process and this involved the absorption of the Aircraft and Dynamic Groups into one single structure. As a result the Dynamics Group formally ceased to exist on 1st June 1985.

The British Aircraft Corporation, often known simply as BAC, was formed on 18th July 1960 with the merger of the aviation interests of English Electric, Vickers-Armstrong and the Bristol Aeroplane Company. This was undertaken due to pressure from the British government, who had warned that it expected a consolidation of the aircraft industry, along with the guided weapons and engine industries, due to a decrease in the number of contracts it was going to offer. There was also some encouragement in the form of the contract for the TSR-2 aircraft, at the time the most advance aircraft design Britain had every produced, as well as the continuance of government research and development spending and a guarantee of aid for promising new types of civil aircraft. The ownership of the new company would split between the original owners of the constituent divisions. As such both Vickers-Armstrong and English Electric received 40% of the shares and the remaining 20% was given to Bristol. Existing designs would be produced under these existing brands and the BAC name would initially only be added to group marketing material. The group also took over the design of the Bristol 223 supersonic airliner, which would be merged with a similar Sud Aviation design to produce Concorde. The head of research and development for the new company would be Sir Barnes Wallis who remained in this position until 1971. During September 1960 the new company would acquire a 70% stake in Hunting Aircraft and at the same time would also be awarded the contract for the TSR-2. In 1961 the first BAC design was produced, the BAC One-Eleven, and the company also established a subsidiary in the United States of America under the name British Aircraft Corporation (U.S.A.) Incorporated, which was aimed at promoting sales of the company’s aircraft and guided weapons. During 1963 the group underwent a great deal of expansion and restructuring. It first acquired the guided weapons divisions of English Electric and Bristol Aircraft which it merged to form a new subsidiary, known as British Aircraft Corporation (Guided Weapons). This not only produced a number of guided missiles but also expanded to include electronics and space systems. In October BAC underwent a major change when it became a holding company and a new subsidiary was formed as British Aircraft Corporation (Operating) Limited. This took over the constituent aircraft manufacturers, Bristol, English Electric Aviation, Hunting Aircraft and Vickers-Armstrong Aircraft, which became divisions of the new company under the following names, BAC (Filton Division), BAC (Preston Division), BAC (Luton Division), and BAC (Weybridge Division). The guided weapons division would also be added into this group. The ownership of the holding company would remain with the three original companies. During 1965 BAC would undergo a major loss when the British Government cancelled the TSR-2 project due to increasing costs. This was a major blow to the company but it was able to survive due to the success of its One-Eleven airliner. In 1966 the group would form a joint company with Breguet under the name SEPECAT. This was established to develop a new strike aircraft for the British and French air forces and would eventually result in the Jaguar. The year would also see Rolls Royce acquire the Bristol Aeroplane Company so that it could amalgamate its engine business with that of Bristol Siddeley Engines. As a result, it would also acquire the 20% Bristol held in BAC. Although Rolls Royce initially stated that they did not wish to take over these shares they did not initially dispose of them and it wouldn’t be until the company went bankrupt in 1971 that Vickers and the General Electric Company, which had acquired English Electric in 1968, were able to purchase the 20% share. As well as this in September 1966 the Minister of Aviation, Tony Benn, announced that he believed that BAC and Hawker Siddeley should be merged into a single company. Despite this BAC’s success with the One-Eleven airliner and large defence contract with Saudi Arabia made it unlikely the parent companies would be willing to sell their shares and the proposal was soon dropped. The British Aircraft Corporation would be a major opponent to the Airbus proposal during 1967, arguing instead in favour of its own design, the Three-Eleven. This design was initially ordered by British European Airways, but government pressure cancelled this and replaced it with the A300 design. As a result, BAC would not be involved in Airbus and it would be Hawker Siddeley that was the British representative, producing the wings for the new aircraft. On 1st August 1968 British Aircraft Corporation Limited, the holding company of the group was renamed British Aircraft Corporation (Holdings) so that the operating subsidiary could be renamed British Aircraft Corporation. The newly named company would enjoy a major success when the first Concorde protype flew on 2nd March 1969, followed by the first British Concorde’s flight on 9th April the same year from BAC Filton. The design would eventually enter service with British Airways and Air France on 24th May 1976. The same year would also see the company forming a joint enterprise with Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, Fiat and Fokker. This was known as Panavia Aircraft GmBH and had been established to produce a multi role combat aircraft, which would become the Tornado. On 29th April 1977, despite opposition from BAC and as a result of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act, the British Aircraft Corporation was nationalised. Along with Hawker Siddeley Aviation, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and Scottish Aviation it would be merged into the newly formed British Aerospace.

The De Havilland Aircraft Company was formed as a result of the of the sale of Airco, where Geoffrey De Havilland had been chief designer, to BSA. Due to the financial difficulty that Airco was in when it became part of BSA the decision was taken to liquidate it and the company’s assets were placed for sale. They were bought by de Havilland, with the help of an investment by George Holt Thomas, who was able to use them to found his own company at the Stag Lane Aerodrome, near Edgware. Initially work was focused on maintaining and providing spares for surplus DH.4 and DH.9 aircraft that had been produced by Airco and were being operated by various civil organisations. Beyond this the company focused on the growing civilian market by continuing with the development of the DH.18 airliner, which had also begun by Airco. During 1924 Alan Samuel Butler became chairman of the De Havilland Aircraft Company Ltd following a large investment that had result from an aircraft the company had built for him. At this time, the company was producing DH.9 and DH.9A aircraft as well as experimental designs for the Air Ministry and the DH.50 four passenger aircraft. It was also work on designs for what would become the DH.54. On 22nd February 1925 the first flight of the DH.60 Cirrus Moth, a small two seater biplane, was undertaken. This design would lead to a series of successful aircraft that were popular with private aviators and the Air Ministry. The success of this design also led to the development by De Havilland of their own engine design, as the war surplus designs they had been making use of were running out. This would become the Gipsy and was used to produce the DH.60 Gipsy Moth. The new engine development also led to the establishment of the company’s engine division in 1926. During March 1928, a new subsidiary was formed known as the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. This was based in Toronto and built Moth aircraft as well trained Canadian aircrew. Soon after the De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd was established in Melbourne. In 1929 the De Havilland Aircraft Company was listed as a public company, with de Havilland himself continued in his role as technical director. At this time, the company was concentrating on the production of single and two seat biplanes, many of which were continuations of the work of Airco but which also included the Gypsy Moth, one of which was flown by Amy Johnson to Australia in 1930. They had already expanded production to include several models of airliner which included the DH84 Dragon, DH84B Dragon Express and DH89 Dragon Rapide. It had also established additional overseas facilities, beyond those in Australia and Canada, in India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States of America. In 1931 the Gipsy Moth was redesigned to meet an RAF specification for a training aircraft. This was the DH.82 Tiger Moth. De Havilland also designed a number of aircraft with enclosed cockpits as both he and his wife were tired of travelling in open designs. In 1932 the De Havilland Aircraft Company moved to Hatfield, although the Stag Lane site was retained for the production of aircraft engines, and in 1935 De Havilland Propellers was established as a subsidiary. This was established to construct Hamilton Standard variable pitch propellers under licence. The production of these would be undertaken at a newly established facility in Lostock. Also, during the late 1930s the company would work on the development and production of the Albatross and Flamingo airliners. Production of these designs would be interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War, although the limited number produced would find use in the Royal Air Force and BAOC. During the war, de Havilland undertook a great deal of work in repairing battle damaged Hurricanes and also produced 150 Airspeed Oxfords. In additions to this October 1939 saw the beginning of design work on an unarmed bomber that would subcontract work to furniture and coachbuilding companies, which would otherwise have a limited role in the war effort. On 3rd October 1940, the Hatfield site suffered its only direct damage of the war when four bombs hit one of the workshops killing 21 and injuring a further 70. In response the work undertaken here was later dispersed. Later in 1940 the Mosquito undertook its first flight and would later enter service with the RAF in July 1941. Also at this time, the company developed both the Goblin jet engine and the Vampire which it was used in. This would undertake its first flight on 20th September 1943 and achieved a speed of 500mph in 1944, but production would not begin until after the end of the conflict. In addition to this it would be the first jet powered aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier in December 1945 when Lt Cdr Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown landed one on HMS Ocean. De Havilland’s development of civilian airliners would also continue during this period. In late 1944 it would begin design work on a small aircraft to meet the type 5B specification that had resulted from the Brabazon Committee. This would become the Dove, which would first fly on 25th September 1945, on the 25th anniversary of the company, and would be later developed into the larger Heron. Both of these would be constructed at a new site, acquired in 1948, at Hawarden Airport also known as Broughton. During 1946 the company also undertook work aimed at breaking the sound barrier. In order to do this a new design, the tailless DH.108 Swallow, was produced and this was first flown on 15th May 1946. Although it would be the first aircraft outside North America to fly supersonic, achieving this on 7th September 1948, it only achieved this after one of the aircraft broke up in flight on 26th September 1946 killing the company’s chief test pilot, Geoffrey De Havilland Junior. On 27th July 1949 the first flight of the jet powered Comet airliner was undertaken. This had been initially developed to meet the type IV specification from the Brabazon Committee, for a high speed transatlantic mail plane, but had been changed to a passenger aircraft. The design entered service on 2nd May 1952 as the world first commercial jet airliner. 1949 also saw the first flight of the Venom fighter, which was based on the previous Vampire design but with a more powerful engine. In 1951 the De Havilland Aircraft Company the first prototype DH.110 Vixen was completed. This was a larger RADAR equipped fighter design that was developed for use by both the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Airforce. On 6th September 1952 it would be demonstrated at the Farnborough Air Show. After breaking the sound barrier it turned towards the crowd but broke up during the maneuverer killing both the aircrew aboard and 29 members of the public on the ground. 60 more would be injured and following the accident stricter regulations relating to aerial displays were introduced. The company would also suffer further losses during the early 1950s when three Comets would break up during flight. This would lead to a series of inquiries into these losses, as well as the grounding of all the Comets then in service. Although the design would be improved to produce the Comet 4, by the time this was introduced other designs had been introduced and orders were severely limited. During 1955 the company underwent a major reorganisation. The De Havilland Aircraft Company, De Havilland Engine Company and De Havilland Propellers Ltd all became subsidiaries of De Havilland Holdings Ltd. In the late 1950s the company would be involved in the development of the Blue Streak rocket and also formed a joint venture with Hunting Aircraft and Fairey Aviation in order to produce the DH.121 Trident, under the name Airco. This would be the last airliner developed independently by the De Havilland Company as in 1960 it would be acquired by Hawker Siddeley to form part of their aviation division. Although it would continue to operate under its own name for a short period, during which it acquired S.G. Brown from the Admiralty, this would only last until 1963 when Hawker Siddeley took the decision to discontinue the use of the various names it was using in favour of a single Hawker Siddeley brand.

Matra Marconi Space was an aerospace company that was a jointly owned by the British General Electric Company (GEC) Group and the French Lagardere Group. Both of these larger companies merged their space and communications divisions, Marconi Space Systems and Matra Espace respectively, to form the new company in 1990. Claude Goumy of Matra was made the first Managing Director with Richard Wignall of Marconi as his deputy. In 1994 the company would acquire British Aerospace Space Systems and Ferranti Satcomms. 1997 would see the company’s Filton site close with some of the personnel being transferred to their Stevenage site and in 1999 British Aerospace would acquire Marconi Electronic Systems from GEC. This would create BAe Systems which replaced GEC as a joint owner of Matra Marconi Space. In 2000 the company merged with the space division of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) to form Astrium.