McDonnell Douglas Corporation
Fate	Merged with Boeing
Successor	The Boeing Company
Founded	April 28, 1967
Defunct	August 1, 1997
Location	St. Louis, Missouri

McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts A defense contractor (or defence contractor, also sometimes called a military contractor) is a Business organization or individual that provides products It merged with Boeing in 1997 to form The Boeing Company. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar

Background

The company was founded from the firms of James Smith McDonnell and Donald Wills Douglas. James Smith McDonnell ( April 9, 1899 - August 22, 1980) was an Aviation pioneer and founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation Donald Wills Douglas Sr (6 April 1892 &ndash 1 February 1981 was a United States Aircraft industrialist and founder of the Douglas Aircraft Company Both men were of Scottish ancestry, graduates of MIT and had worked for the aircraft manufacturer Glenn L. Martin Company. The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. The Glenn L Martin Company was an early US Aircraft company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn Luther Martin. Douglas had been chief engineer at Martin before leaving to establish Davis-Douglas Company in early 1920 in Los Angeles. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West He bought out his backer and renamed the firm the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1921. The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American Aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach California. Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar

McDonnell founded J. S. McDonnell & Associates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1928. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. His idea was to produce a personal aircraft for family use. The economic depression from 1929 ruined his ideas and the company collapsed. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He went to work for Glenn L. Martin. He left in 1938 to try again with his own firm, McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, this time based near St. Louis, Missouri. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American Aerospace manufacturer based in St

World War II was a major earner for Douglas. The company produced almost 30,000 aircraft from 1942 to 1945 and the workforce swelled to 160,000. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Both companies suffered at the end of hostilities, facing an end of government orders and a surplus of aircraft. Both heavily cut their work forces.

After the war, Douglas continued to develop new aircraft, including the DC-6 (1946) and the DC-7 (1953). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The company moved into jet propulsion, producing their first for the military - the conventional F3D Skyknight in 1948 and then the more 'jet age' F4D Skyray in 1951. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Douglas also made commercial jets, producing the DC-8 in 1958 to compete with the Boeing 707. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout McDonnell was also developing jets, but being smaller they were prepared to be more radical, building on their successful FH-1 Phantom to become a major supplier to the Navy with the F2H Banshee, F3H Demon, and the F-101 Voodoo. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The advent of the Korean War helped push McDonnell into a major military fighter supply role, especially with the noted F-4 Phantom II (1958). The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II or Fighting Phantom fighter-bomber

Both companies were eager to enter the new missile business, Douglas moving from producing air-to-air rockets and missiles to entire missile systems under the 1956 Nike program and becoming the main contractor of the Skybolt ALBM program and the Thor ballistic missile program. A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a self-propelled explosive Projectile used as a weapon towards a target Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Project Nike was a US Army project proposed in May 1945 by Bell Labs, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system The Douglas GAM-87A Skybolt was an air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM developed during the late 1950s Thor was a space Launch vehicle derived from the PGM-17 Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile. A ballistic missile is a Missile that follows a Sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering a warhead to a predetermined target McDonnell made a number of missiles, including the unusual ADM-20 Quail, as well as experimenting with hypersonic flight, research that enabled them to gain a substantial share of the NASA projects Mercury and Gemini. The McDonnell ADM-20 Quail was a subsonic, jet powered air-launched Decoy Cruise missile built by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Team The Gemini program was managed by the Manned Spacecraft Center Houston Texas under direction of the Office of Manned Space Flight NASA Headquarters Washington Douglas also gained contracts from NASA, notably for part of the enormous Saturn V rocket. The Saturn V (pronounced 'Saturn Five' popularly known as the Moon Rocket was a multistage liquid-fuel expendable Rocket used by NASA 's Both companies were now major employers, but both were having problems.

The DC-8 was Douglas' first commercial jet and was the Boeing 707's fierce competitor.

McDonnell Douglas DC-9.

Douglas was strained by the cost of the DC-8 and DC-9, and the companies began to sound each other out about a merger. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Inquiries began in 1963; Douglas offered bid invitations from December 1966 and accepted that of McDonnell. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The two firms were officially merged on April 28, 1967 as the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC). Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar.

History

In 1967, with the merger of McDonnell and Douglas Aircraft, Dave Lewis, then president of McDonnell, was named chairman of what was called the Long Beach, Douglas Aircraft Division. David Sloan Lewis Jr, ( July 6, 1917 - December 15, 2003) was a major force in the aerospace and defense industry for four decades The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American Aerospace manufacturer based in St The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American Aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach California. At the time of the merger, Douglas Aircraft was estimated to be less than a year from bankruptcy. Flush with orders, the DC-8 and DC-9 aircraft were 9 to 18 months behind schedule, incurring stiff penalties from the airlines. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Mr. Lewis was active in DC-10 sales in an intense competition with the Lockheed L-1011. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In two years, Mr. Lewis had the operation back on track and in positive cash flow. He returned to the company's St. Louis headquarters where he continued sales efforts on the DC-10 and managed the company as a whole as President and Chief Operating Officer through 1971.

DC-10 Prototype in flight, 1970

The DC-10 began production in 1968 with the first deliveries in 1971. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. In 1977, the next generation of DC-9 variants, dubbed the "Super 80" (later renamed the MD-80) Series, was launched. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays This proved to be a very successful program. The next aircraft to be launched was the MD-11, an improved, upgraded version of DC-10. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout To date, the MD-11 remains the only modern trijet. After its launch in 1986, the MD-11 sold 200 units, but was discontinued in 2001 after the merger with Boeing as it competed with the Boeing 777. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout McDonnell Douglas's final commercial aircraft was launched in 1988. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The MD-90 was a stretched version of the MD-80, equipped with International Aero Engines V2500 turbofans, the largest rear-mounted engines ever on a commercial jet. IAE International Aero Engines AG is a Zürich -registered Joint venture manufacturing company formed in 1983 The MD-95, a modern regional aircraft closely resembling the DC-9-30, was the last McDonnell Douglas designed commercial jet produced.

Several artists impressions exist of an aircraft named the "DC-10 Twin" or DC-X which McDonnell Douglas considered in the early 1970s but never built. This would have been an early twinjet with a striking likeness to the Airbus A300 and similar performance characteristics, which was never progressed to a prototype. A twinjet is a Jet aircraft powered by two engines There are two common configurations of the engines one sees either engine slung under a wing and the other sees WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout It could be argued that this was a major mistake on the part of McDonnell Douglas as it would have given them an early lead in the huge twinjet market that subsequently developed, as well as commonality with much of the DC-10's systems and engineering. A twinjet is a Jet aircraft powered by two engines There are two common configurations of the engines one sees either engine slung under a wing and the other sees Poor airline acceptance was cited at the time for not proceeding.

The KC-10 was the second consecutive McDonnell Douglas transport aircraft to be selected by the US Air Force in 1976. The first was the C-9 Nightingale. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However, the buy of both aircraft was curtailed by the end of the Cold War. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the This curtailment combined with the loss of both the Advanced Tactical Fighter and Joint Strike Fighter contracts hurt McDonnell Douglas. The Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF contract was a demonstration and validation program undertaken by the United States Air Force to develop a next-generation The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF became synonymous with the later F-35 Lightning II, however until 2001 the term was applied to the competition between the Boeing X-32

Through the years, McDonnell Douglas also produced many successful military aircraft, including the F-15 Eagle (1974) and the F/A-18 Hornet (1975) as well as the Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Harpoon is an all-weather over-the-horizon, Anti-ship missile system developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Integrated The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM is a long-range all-weather subsonic cruise missile The oil crisis of the 1970s was a serious shock to the commercial aviation industry and McDonnell Douglas was forced to contract heavily and also began to diversify to reduce the impact of potential future downturns. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970.

AH-64 Apache attack helicopter in Iraq, 2004

In 1984, McDonnell Douglas expanded into helicopters by purchasing Hughes Helicopters from the Summa Corporation. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1984: Events February February 21 - 14 hours and 2 minutes after taking Hughes Helicopters was a major manufacturer of military and civil Helicopters from the 1950s to the 1980s Summa Corporation was the name adopted for the business interests of Howard Hughes after he sold the tool division of Hughes Tool Company in 1972 McDonnell-Douglas paid $500 million for the company, which renamed the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company. This became McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems in 1985. McDonnell Douglas Helicopters most successful product was the Hughes' designed AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. MD Helicopters is an aerospace company that produces helicopters primarily for commercial use WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Built from 1990-2001, the MD-11 was the last McDonnell Douglas widebody.

On January 13, 1988, McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics won the US Navy Advanced Tactical Aircraft (ATA) contract. General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor The 4. 83 billion US dollar contract was to develop the A-12 Avenger II, a stealthy, carrier based, long range flying wing attack aircraft that would replace the A-6 Intruder. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Technical issues, over 2 billion dollars in development cost overruns, growing unit costs, and continuous delays led to the termination of the program on January 13, 1991 by then Defense Secretary Dick Cheney. Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. A decade of litigation would proceed over the contract termination: the government claimed that the contractors had defaulted on the contract and were not entitled to a final 1. 3 billion dollars in progress payments while McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics believed that the contract was terminated out of convenience and thus the money was owed. As of 2007, the case continues to sit in litigation. ^[1] The chaos and financial stress created by the collapse of the A-12 program led to the layoff of 5,600 employees. ^[2] The advanced tactical aircraft role vacated by the A-12 debacle would be filled by another McDonnell Douglas program, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

McDonnell Douglas MD-12 aircraft design

In 1992, McDonnell Douglas bravely unveiled a study of a double deck jumbo-sized aircraft designated MD-12 that is similar to the present day Airbus A380. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Despite briefly exciting the market, the study was perceived as merely a public relations exercise to disguise the fact that MDC was struggling under intense pressure from Boeing and Airbus. It was clear to most in the industry that MDC had neither the resources nor the money to develop such a monstrous aircraft, and the study quickly sank without trace. A similar double deck concept was used in Boeing's later Ultra-Large Aircraft study intended to replace the 747, but ultimately the double deck concept would not see the light of day until the Airbus A380. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Following Boeing's 1996 acquisition of Rockwell's North American division, McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997 in a US$13 billion stock-swap to create The Boeing Company. Rockwell International was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Willard Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and North American Aviation was a major US Aircraft manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft including the T-6 Texan trainer the The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E

Products

Military airplanes

• F-4 Phantom II (started under McDonnell Aircraft)
• F-15 Eagle
• AV-8 Harrier II (in partnership with British Aerospace)
• F/A-18 Hornet
• T-45 Goshawk jet trainer (in partnership with British Aerospace)
• C-17 Globemaster III (Design and early production)

Commercial airplanes

McDonnell Douglas DC-10. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

• DC-9 (started under Douglas Aircraft)
• DC-10 (with cockpit upgrade designated MD-10)
• MD-11 (stretched and modernized version of the DC-10)
• MD-80 Series (stretched and modernized version of the DC-9)
• MD-90 (stretched and modernized version of the MD-80)
• MD-95 (latest evolution of the DC-9, sold as Boeing 717)

Helicopters

• AH-64 Apache (started under Hughes Helicopters)
• MD 500 series (started under Hughes Helicopters)
• MD 600
• MD Explorer

Other

• Tomahawk missile
• Harpoon missile
• Skylab space station

References

• Greider, William (1997). One World, Ready or Not. Penguin Press. ISBN 0-7139-9211-5.

External links

• McDonnell Douglas history on Boeing.com