Hughes Aircraft Company

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Hughes Helicopters.
Hughes Aircraft Company
Founded1934; 90 years ago (1934) in Glendale, California
FounderHoward Hughes
Defunct1997; 27 years ago (1997)
FateSold to Raytheon
Headquarters
Culver City, El Segundo and Westchester
,
United States
Key people
Revenue$11B peak, 1986
OwnerHughes Tool Company (1934)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (1953)
General Motors Corp (1985)
Number of employees
84,000 peak, 1985

The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American

defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of Hughes Tool Company.[1] The company produced the Hughes H-4 Hercules aircraft, the atmospheric entry probe carried by the Galileo spacecraft, and the AIM-4 Falcon guided missile.[2][3]

Hughes Aircraft was founded to build Hughes'

guided missiles, which were new technologies. The company soon became a highly profitable industry leader in these fields.[6][7]

In a 1953 accounting maneuver designed to reduce his income tax liabilities, Howard Hughes donated most of Hughes Aircraft's stock and assets to a charity he created, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and subsequently ceased managing the company directly.[8] Hughes retained a small cadre of engineers under his personal control as the Hughes Tool Company Aircraft Division, which initially operated from the same Culver City complex as Hughes Aircraft, despite being separately owned and managed. This entity subsequently became fully independent from Hughes Aircraft and changed its name to Hughes Helicopters.[9][10] After Hughes' 1976 death, Hughes Aircraft was acquired by General Motors from HHMI in 1985 and was put under the umbrella of Hughes Electronics which became DirecTV, until GM sold its assets to Raytheon in 1997.[11][12]

History

Hughes logo, adopted after the death of its founder
Hughes H-1 Racer
Hughes H-4 Hercules.
Hughes Galileo probe being deployed.
Hughes-built NASA Surveyor lunar lander.
Hughes developed the AIM-120 AMRAAM, one of the world's most advanced air-to-air missiles.

During

branch plant for the construction of other companies' designs. At the start of the war Hughes Aircraft had only four full-time employees—by the end the number was 80,000.[14][15] During the war, the company was awarded contracts to build B-25 struts, centrifugal cannons, and machine gun feed chutes.[16]

Post–World War II

Hughes Aircraft was one of many aerospace and defense companies which flourished in Southern California during and after World War II and was at one time the largest employer in the area.

Yet, employment had dropped to 800 by 1947. By the summer of 1947 certain politicians had become concerned about Hughes' alleged mismanagement of the Spruce Goose and the XF-11 photo reconnaissance plane project. They formed a special committee to investigate Hughes which culminated in a much-followed Senate investigation, one of the first to be televised to the public. Despite a highly critical committee report, Hughes was cleared.[16]: 198–207, 259 

The company then expanded into the booming electronics field, eventually employing 3,300 Ph.D.s. Hughes hired

Ira Eaker, Harold L. George, and Tex Thornton to run the company. By 1953, the company employed 17,000 and had $600,000,000 in government contracts.[16]
: 259–269 

In 1948 Hughes created a new division of the company, the Aerospace Group. Two Hughes engineers,

West Hills (Canoga Park)).[17] The company became TRW
in 1965, another aerospace company and a major competitor to Hughes Aircraft.

In 1951 Hughes Aircraft Co. built a missile plant in

U.S. Air Force had purchased the property and contracted Hughes (and subsequently Raytheon[18]) to operate the site as Air Force Plant 44
.

Howard Hughes donated Hughes Aircraft to the newly formed Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in 1953 allegedly as a way of avoiding taxes on its huge income.[19] The next year, Lawrence A. "Pat" Hyland was hired as vice president and general manager of Hughes Aircraft; he would ultimately become company president and CEO after Howard Hughes' death in 1976.

Under Hyland's guidance, the Aerospace Group continued to diversify and become massively profitable, and became a primary focus of the company. The company developed radar systems, electro-optical systems, the first working laser, aircraft computer systems, missile systems, ion-propulsion engines (for space travel), and many other advanced technologies. The 'Electronic Properties Information Center' (EPIC) of the United States was hosted at the Hughes Culver City library in the 1970s. EPIC published the multi-volume Handbook of Electronic Materials as public documents.[20]

Greg Jarvis and Ronald McNair, two of the astronauts on the last flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger
, were Hughes alumni.

Ground Systems Group

Hughes Aircraft Ground Systems Group was located in Fullerton, California. The facility was 3 million square feet and included manufacturing, laboratories, offices, and a Munson road test course. It designed developed and produced the Air Defense Systems that replaced the Semi Automatic Defense Ground Environment (SAGE) in the United States with the Joint Surveillance System (JSS) AN/FYQ-93 including NORAD with Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) and provided defense systems and air traffic control systems around the world. These systems are massive and at its peak Ground Systems Group employed 15,000 people and generated revenue in excess of $1 billion per year.

These systems included the following Ground Systems Group subsystems: Computer H5118, Consoles HMD-22 and HMD-44, Liquid Crystal Large Screen Displays, and Software that set the standard for software development[21] based on science and engineering starting with the Combat Grande System. Ground Systems Group was known to push technology envelopes in the computers, displays, local area networks, human interfaces, and software in their systems. They also blazed the path to very highly distributed human intensive systems.

Hughes Space and Communications Group

See also: Boeing Satellite Development Center

Hughes Space and Communications Group and the Hughes Space Systems Division built the world's first geosynchronous

Galileo probe that flew to Jupiter in the 1990s.[14] The company built nearly 40 percent of commercial satellites in service worldwide in 2000.[22]

Hughes helicopter business

Main article: Hughes Helicopters

In 1947, Howard Hughes redirected Hughes Aircraft's efforts from airplanes to

OH-6 Cayuse/Hughes 500
.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute sells Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes left no will and following his death in 1976 there were

Charles M. Oberly continued the action when he became attorney general in 1983. Oberly stated he wished to see an independent board of trustees to ensure both that the institute fulfilled its charitable mission and that it did not continue to operate as a tax shelter.[24]

In January 1984 Judge Grover C. Brown ruled that the Chancery Court should appoint the trustees because Hughes had not left a succession plan. Brown asked for both the executive committee and the attorney general's office to submit a list of recommendations that he could approve. Brown approved a list in April 1984.[24] In January 1985 the new board of trustees of the HHMI announced they would sell Hughes Aircraft either by private sale or public stock offering.[25]

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Hughes logo, adopted after its new owner General Motors
Mock-up of a Hughes satellite kickmotor inside the Space Shuttle Independence (similar to the one carried on STS-49)

On June 5, 1985, General Motors was announced as the winner of a secretive five-month sealed-bid auction. Other bidders included Ford Motor Company and Boeing.[26] The purchase was completed on December 20, 1985, for an estimated $5.2 billion, $2.7 billion in cash and the rest in 50 million shares of GM Class H stock.[27]

On December 31, 1985, General Motors merged Hughes Aircraft with its Delco Electronics unit to form Hughes Electronics Corporation, an independent subsidiary. The group then consisted of: Delco Electronics Corporation and Hughes Aircraft Company.

In August

Stinger missile, Phalanx Close-in weapon system, and Rolling Airframe Missile
into Hughes' portfolio.

In

Carlyle Group. In 1996 Hughes Electronics and PanAmSat
agree to merge their fixed satellite services into a new publicly held company, also called PanAmSat with Hughes Electronics as majority shareholder.

In 1995, Hughes Aircraft sold its Technology Products Division (automated wire and die bonder) to an investor group led by

Citicorp and incorporated the division as Palomar Technologies.[29] In 2008, Citicorp sold the bonder division to the current management team at Palomar Technologies.[30]

In

Delphi Automotive Systems business. Later that year the assets of Hughes Aircraft were sold to Raytheon for $9.5 billion.[31]
The remaining companies remained under the Hughes Electronics name and within GM.

In 2000, the Boeing Company purchased three units within Hughes Electronics Corp.: Hughes Space and Communications Co.,

Hughes Electron Dynamics, and Spectrolab Inc., in addition to Hughes Electronics' interest in HRL, the company's primary research laboratory. The four joined Boeing Satellite Systems, a company subsidiary, later becoming the Satellite Development Center, part of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.[32]

In 2003 the remaining parts of Hughes Electronics (DirecTV, DirecTV Latin America, PanAmSat, Hughes Network Systems) were purchased by

News Corporation from GM and renamed The DirecTV Group
.

Corporate legacy

The wide range of science and technology developed by Hughes Aircraft never included medical applications because the company was owned by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). This restriction was imposed to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.[33]

The money provided to HHMI by Hughes Aircraft led to major improvements in genetics and cancer research.

The city of Fullerton, California, named Hughes Drive after the site that the company formerly occupied before 1997. After Hughes closed, the city developed Amerige Heights, a residential community.

Timeline

Hughes logo, adopted during the period (1997-2000) between the sales of portions of the company to Raytheon and Boeing. Each subsidiary of Hughes Space and Communications Company placed their name at the bottom of the logo.
  • 1932: Howard Hughes formed Hughes Aircraft Company as a division of Hughes Tool Company.
  • 1948: Hughes formed the Aerospace Group within the company, divided into:
    • Hughes Space and Communications Group
    • Hughes Space Systems Division
  • 1951: Hughes Aircraft opened missile plant in Tucson, Arizona.
  • 1953: The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) was formed, and Hughes Aircraft reformed as a subsidiary of the foundation. The Internal Revenue Service unsuccessfully challenged its "charitable" status which made it tax-exempt.
  • 1955: Hughes formed its helicopter division, Aircraft Division.
  • 1960: The first
    Theodore Maiman
    .
  • Hughes Research Laboratories
    completed their move to Malibu, California.
  • 1972: Hughes sold the tool division of Hughes Tool Company. His remaining interests were transferred to the newly formed holding company, the Summa Corporation. This included Toolco Aircraft and Hughes' property and other businesses.
  • 1976: Toolco Aircraft became Hughes Helicopters.
  • 1976: Howard Hughes died at the age of 70, leaving no will.
  • 1984: The Summa Corporation sold Hughes Helicopters to McDonnell Douglas for $500 million; it was soon renamed McDonnell Douglas Helicopters.
  • 1984: The Delaware Court of Chancery appointed eight trustees to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; they decided to sell Hughes Aircraft.
  • General Motors for $5.2 billion. This was merged with GM's Delco Electronics
    to form Hughes Electronics Corporation. This group then consisted of:
    • Delco Electronics Corporation
    • Hughes Aircraft Company
  • 1987: Hughes Aircraft Company acquired M/A-COM Telecommunications, to form Hughes Network Systems.
  • 1994: Hughes Electronics introduced DirecTV.
  • 1995: Hughes Space and Communications Company became the world's biggest supplier of commercial satellites.
  • 1995: Hughes Electronics acquired
    Carlyle Group
    .
  • 1995: Hughes Aircraft acquired CAE-Link; CAE-Link was part of the original company founded by
    Edwin Link
    , inventor of the flight simulator.
  • 1996: Hughes Electronics and PanAmSat agreed to merge their fixed satellite services into a new publicly held company, also called PanAmSat with Hughes Electronics as majority shareholder.
  • Delphi Automotive Systems
    . Delphi became independent in 1999.
  • 1997: The aerospace and defense operations of Hughes Electronics (Hughes Aircraft) merged with
    Hughes Research Laboratories
    .
  • HRL Laboratories, LLC
    which was then co-owned by Boeing, GM and Raytheon.
  • 2003: The remaining parts of Hughes Electronics: DirecTV, DirecTV Latin America, PanAmSat and
    NewsCorp and renamed The DirecTV Group
    .
  • 2003: Newscorp sold PanAmSat to
    Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
    (KKR) in August 2004.
  • 2004: Director Martin Scorsese used the Hughes Aircraft stage in Playa Vista to film the motion-capture sequences in the film The Aviator.
  • 2004: SkyTerra Communications, Inc. completed its purchase of 100% controlling interest in Hughes Network Systems from the DirecTV Group in January 2006.

Technologies Systems and Products

Air Defense and Air Traffic Control Systems

Hughes Research Laboratories

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Aircraft

Missiles

Spacecraft

Torpedo

References

  1. ^ Francillon 1990, p. 18.
  2. ^ "Hughes Aircraft". www.centennialofflight.net. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  3. ^ Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, pp. 49–58, Cypress, CA, 2013.
  4. ^ Francillon 1990, pp. 18–19.
  5. ^ Bartlett & Steele 1979, pp. 158–159.
  6. ^ Bartlett & Steele 1979, pp. 170–172.
  7. ^ Francillon 1990, pp. 21–22.
  8. ^ Bartlett & Steele 1979, pp. 199–201.
  9. ^ Bartlett & Steele 1979, pp. 349–350.
  10. ^ Francillon 1990, pp. 25–26.
  11. ^ "Hughes Electronics Corporation - American corporation". britannica.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  12. ^ Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, p. 49, Cypress, CA, 2013.
  13. ^ "American airplanes: Ha - Hu". aerofiles.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  14. ^ a b Judy, Rumerman. "The Hughes Companies". U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  15. ^ Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, pp. 49-58, Cypress, CA, 2013.
  16. ^ a b c Dietrich, Noah; Thomas, Bob (1972). Howard, The Amazing Mr. Hughes. Greenwich: Fawcett Publications, Inc. pp. 163–164.
  17. ^ "ACME". Archived from the original on 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2016-08-31. TRW Canoga Park
  18. ^ Leighton, David (2015-05-05). "Street Smarts: Tucson's biggest manufacturing plant was almost built in Phoenix". Arizona Daily Star. pp. A2, A5. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  19. ^ Winslow, Ron (2006-09-22). "Virginia lab putting big money into pure research". The Wall Street Journal. Associated Press Financial Wire. Archived from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  20. ^ "The Electronic Properties Information Center (EPIC)". dtic.mil. Retrieved 29 April 2018.[dead link]
  21. ^ TECHNICAL REPORT CMU/SEI-98-TR-006 ESC-TR-98-006 Hughes Aircraft’s Widespread Deployment of a Continuously Improving Software Process "Continuously Improving Software Process" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  22. ^ Boeing: Integrated Defense Systems – Space and Intelligence Systems – About Space and Intelligence Systems Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ "Attorney Richard R Wier Jr | Lawyer in Wilmington DE". www.lawyercentral.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03.
  24. ^ a b Griffith, Ted (2005-02-12). "Delaware shaped legacy of 'Aviator'; Court helped Howard Hughes tax shelter become leading charity". The News Journal. p. 1.
  25. ^ Gillot, Roger (1985-01-10). "Medical Institute to Sell Hughes Aircraft". The Associated Press.
  26. ^ Potts, Mark (1985-06-06). "GM to Buy Hughes Aircraft; Offer Provides Windfall for Medical Institute". Washington Post.
  27. ^ "G.M. Purchase Of Hughes". The New York Times. Reuters. 1985-12-23. Archived from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  28. ^ "Missile completion". Flight International. 1992-09-02.
  29. ^ "Hughes-Palomar History".
  30. ^ "Palomar Technologies Achieves Management Buy-out". photonics.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  31. ^ Chuter, Andy (1998-01-07). "Raytheon Completes Hughes Merger". Flight International. p. 15. Archived from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  32. ^ "Boeing: History -- Higher, Faster, Farther - Hughes Companies ... Joining the Boeing Family". Archived from the original on 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2010-06-02. Hughes Companies... Joining the Boeing Family
  33. ^ HughesNews (the company's weekly newspaper)

Bibliography

External links

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