Lockheed Timeline

1912: The Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company established

1916: Company renamed Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company​

1926: Lockheed Aircraft Company formed

1927: Lockheed Vega was introduced

1928Air Express and revamped Vega flew the first time

1929: Lockheed becomes a division of Detroit Aircraft, Sirius flew the first time

1930: Lockheed Altair took to the air

1931Model 9 Orion, the first aircraft with retractable landing gear, took off the first time

1932: Robert and Courtland Gross take control of company after the bankruptcy of Detroit Aircraft. Company renamed Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, recognizing the company's reorganization under a board of directors

1934: The Model 10 Electra was launched

1936: Lockheed launched the Model 12 Electra Junior

1938: Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar made its maiden flight

1939P-38 Lightning flew the first time

1941PV-1 Ventura made its first flight

1943: Lockheed Constellation took to the air 1943: Lockheed's Skunk Works founded in Burbank, California

1944: The Model 33 Little Dipper, offered to the Army as a "flying motorcycle"

1944: Lockheed's first jet fighter, the XP-80 Shotting Star flew the first time

1945P-2 Neptune flew for the first time

1945: Research into the civil lightplane and military light utility aircraft market with the Model 35 Big Dipper 

1946: At that time the world's biggest, the RV6 Constitution, airplane took to the air

1946: The twin engined Lockheed Model 75 Saturn flew the first time

1948T-33 Shooting Star started to its maiden flight and remained in production for 10 years

1949F-94 Starfire started for the first time

1954: First flight of the C-130 Hercules

1954F-104 Starfighter was launched

1955XFV "Salmon" experimental tailsitter prototype (VTOL) fighter aircraft had its first flight

1955: Maiden flight of the U-2

1957: First flight of C-140 Jetstar

1957L-188 Electra made its maiden flight

1958P-3 Orion was born 

​1962H-51 (Model 186) a single-engine experimental helicopter had its first flight

1963C-141 Starlifter started its career

1963: First flight of the legendary YF-12

1964: Followed by the SR-71 Blackbird

1967AH-56 Cheyenne attack helicopter developed for the U.S. Army took to the air

1968C-5A Galaxy flew the first time

1970L-1011 Tristar started to its first flight

1972S-3 Viking started its career

1976: The Lockheed bribery scandals

1977: Company renamed Lockheed Corporation, to reflect non-aviation activities of the company​

1978: The company's Hollywood-Burbank Airport is sold to its nearby cities and becomes Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena airport (later renamed Bob Hope Airport in 2003)

1981F-117 Nighthawk flew first time until presented to the public in 1988

1985: Acquires Metier Management Systems

1986: Acquires Sanders Associates electronics. 

1991: Lockheed, General Dynamics and Boeing begin development of the F-22 

1992: All aerospace related activities end at the Burbank facility

1993: Acquires General Dynamics Fort Worth aircraft division, builder of the F-16 Fighting Falcon​

1995: Lockheed Corporation merges with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin

1996F-35 Lightning II joint Strike Fighter development contract was signed

1997F-22 Raptor made its first flight

2000X-35A took to the air the first time

2000: Lockheed sold Sanders to BAE Systems for $ 1.67 billion.

2015: Lockheed Martin purchased Sikorsky from UTC for $9.0 billion