Hawker Siddeley

Hawker Siddeley
Company type	Public
Industry	Aerospace, Locomotive manufacturing, Diesel engines
Predecessor	Armstrong Siddeley, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, A.V. Roe & Company, Gloster Aircraft Company, Air Training Services
Founded	1935
Founder	Hawker Aircraft (through acquisition of J. D. Siddeley's businesses)
Defunct	29 April 1977 (aviation divisions nationalised)
Fate	Aviation divisions merged into British Aerospace; remaining business continued as Hawker Siddeley Group Plc until acquisition by BTR plc in 1992
Successor	British Aerospace (aviation divisions)
Headquarters	Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom, Canada, North America, Australia
Key people	Alan Jackson (CEO at acquisition by BTR), Sir Owen Green (Chairman at acquisition by BTR)
Products	Aircraft, Locomotives, Diesel engines, Industrial electronics
Owner	Publicly traded (until acquisition by BTR plc in 1992)
Number of employees	>14,000 (Avro Canada subsidiary at peak) (late 1950s-1960s)
Parent	None until acquisition by BTR plc in 1992

Hawker Siddeley was a prominent British industrial conglomerate specializing in aircraft manufacturing, created through the amalgamation of several leading UK aerospace companies. By the 1960s, it stood as one of only two dominant British aircraft producers. In 1977, it played a foundational role in the formation of the nationalised British Aerospace (BAe). Beyond its aerospace endeavors, Hawker Siddeley was also involved in locomotive production via Brush Traction and diesel engine manufacturing through Lister Petter. The firm was once listed on the FTSE 100 Index.

Origins

The foundation of Hawker Siddeley Aircraft dates back to 1935 when Hawker Aircraft took over businesses owned by J. D. Siddeley, including the automotive and engine manufacturer Armstrong Siddeley and aircraft producer Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. The group also incorporated A.V. Roe & Company, Gloster Aircraft Company, and Air Training Services. While these subsidiaries continued to design their own aircraft, they shared manufacturing capabilities within the group.

During the Second World War, Hawker Siddeley emerged as a vital contributor to British aviation, manufacturing iconic planes such as the Hawker Hurricane. Alongside the Supermarine Spitfire, these aircraft formed the backbone of Britain's air defence during the Battle of Britain. Hurricanes were produced in greater numbers than all other British fighters combined and were responsible for 55% of enemy aircraft destroyed in that campaign.

Avro Canada

In 1945, Hawker Siddeley purchased Victory Aircraft located in Malton, Ontario, rebranding it as A.V. Roe Canada or Avro Canada, initially operating as a fully owned subsidiary. By 1958, Avro Canada had broadened its scope beyond aircraft manufacturing into areas such as aircraft engines, mining, steel production, railway rolling stock, computing, and electronics. It became Canada's third-largest corporation with a workforce exceeding 14,000 and contributing 45% of Hawker Siddeley's total revenues. Significant aircraft developed included the C102 Jetliner, CF-100 Canuck, CF-105 Arrow, and VZ-9 Avrocar, although only the CF-100 reached full-scale production. Other ventures encompassed supersonic transport (SST), a Mach 2 VTOL fighter jet, hovercraft designs, a jet-powered tank, and the hypersonic Space Threshold Vehicle. After the CF-105 Arrow project was cancelled in 1962, Avro Canada was disbanded and its assets were absorbed into the now-defunct Hawker Siddeley Canada.

Postwar

The company adopted the name Hawker Siddeley Group in 1948. Its aviation segment became known as Hawker Siddeley Aviation (HSA), while missile and space-related activities were consolidated under Hawker Siddeley Dynamics (HSD). In 1959, Armstrong Siddeley's aero engine business merged with Bristol Aero Engines to form Bristol Siddeley. Due to declining aircraft orders in the late 1950s and government encouragement for industry consolidation, Hawker Siddeley acquired Folland Aircraft in 1959 and subsequently took over both de Havilland Aircraft Company and Blackburn Aircraft in 1960. By 1963, individual company names were phased out and products were marketed under the unified branding of "Hawker Siddeley" or "HS". During this era, Hawker Siddeley pioneered the first operational and highly effective VTOL jet—the Harrier family—which remained in production through the 1990s and continues to be used today.

Hawker Siddeley Nuclear Power Company

Between 1959 and 1962, the Hawker Siddeley Nuclear Power Company managed the 10 kW JASON reactor located in Langley, Berkshire. During this period, it produced 1.4 MWh before being decommissioned and transferred to the Royal Naval College in London.

Kingston headquarters and factory

In 1948, Hawker Siddeley purchased a manufacturing facility in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, situated on Richmond Road near Ham. This site became the company’s primary aircraft production plant as well as its central headquarters.

Expansion into railways

Hawker Siddeley entered the railway sector in 1957 by acquiring the Brush group, which included Brush Electrical Machines and Brush Traction, producers of electromotive components and railway locomotives. Among their notable innovations were the Brush prototype locomotive Falcon (British Rail Class 53) and the technologically advanced but heavy HS4000 model known as Kestrel. Further acquisitions extended to Westinghouse Brake & Signal and engine manufacturer Mirrlees Blackstone.

During the early 1970s, Hawker Siddeley's Canadian branch, Canada Car and Foundry, made inroads into North America's rapid transit market. Initial contracts involved supplying 46 PA-3 cars for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson, which were based on earlier designs by the St. Louis Car Company. The company later delivered similar rolling stock to Boston's MBTA for its Blue and Orange Lines, providing 70 cars between 1978 and 1980 and an additional 120 cars from 1980 to 1981. It also manufactured much of Toronto’s older subway fleet, including the H5 and H6 models. The heavy rail production facilities located in Mississauga and Thunder Bay, Ontario, have since become part of Alstom.

The MBTA’s acquisition of commuter rail coaches from German manufacturer Messerschmitt brought together former wartime competitors under a shared corporate umbrella with Hawker Siddeley.

Nationalisation of aircraft production

On 29 April 1977, pursuant to the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977, Hawker Siddeley Aviation and Dynamics were nationalised and merged with British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Scottish Aviation to create British Aerospace. By this time, aviation-related operations accounted for only a quarter of Hawker Siddeley’s overall business; non-aviation activities and overseas interests remained under a holding entity named Hawker Siddeley Group Plc after 1980.

Rationalisation and sale to BTR

Throughout the 1980s, the group refocused its business by streamlining into railway engineering, signalling systems, industrial electronics, and instrumentation sectors.

Orenda Aerospace, the final original enterprise from Avro Canada / Hawker Siddeley Canada, was integrated into Magellan Aerospace Corporation.

In the late 1980s, Hawker Siddeley divested most of its North American heavy manufacturing operations. Its heavy equipment division based in Talladega, Alabama—known as TreeFarmer—was sold to Franklin Equipment in 1990. Meanwhile, Canadian railcar manufacturing plants were divided between SNC-Lavalin and Bombardier Transportation in 1992.

The acquisition of Hawker Siddeley Group Plc by BTR plc occurred in 1992 for £1.5 billion under CEO Alan Jackson and Chairman Sir Owen Green. Following further mergers, these business units became part of Schneider Electric by 2014.

Current use of the Hawker Siddeley name

In 1973, Hawker Siddeley expanded by acquiring the industrial electronics company South Wales Switchgear, which was rebranded as Hawker Siddeley Switchgear (HSS) in 1992. HSS operates an Australian branch known as Hawker Siddeley Switchgear Australia. Another affiliated entity is Hawker Siddeley Power Transformers.

The corporate jet division was divested by British Aerospace in 1993, sold to the American corporation Raytheon Company. This segment was later transferred in 2006 to form Hawker Beechcraft, under the ownership of Onex Partners and Goldman Sachs.

Aircraft

The Hawker Siddeley brand came into use for aircraft starting in 1963; prior to this, aircraft were marketed under subsidiary names such as the Hawker Hurricane and Gloster Meteor. The following list includes first flight years in parentheses:

HS.121 Trident (1962) – developed from the de Havilland DH.121 airliner.
HS.125 & Dominie (1962) – based on the de Havilland DH.125; military version called Dominie.
P.1017 (1962) – concept for a VTOL strike fighter.
HS.138 (1969) – project focused on a VTOL strike aircraft.
HS.141 (1978/1979) – proposed V/STOL airliner.
HS.146 (1981) – entered production and subsequently renamed BAe 146.
HS.748 (1960) – turboprop airliner evolved from the Avro 748 design.
HS.780 Andover (1965) – military adaptation of the HS748.
P.139B – airborne early warning and COD aircraft concept.
P.1121 – project by Hawker.
P.1127 Kestrel (1964) – another Hawker initiative.
Harrier (1966) – V/STOL jump jet fighter.
P.1154 (1960s) – V/STOL combat aircraft proposal.
HS.801 Nimrod (1967) – naval patrol plane derived from the de Havilland Comet airframe.
- Nimrod R.1 (1973) – signals intelligence variant of the Nimrod.
HS.1182 Hawk (1974) – advanced jet trainer aircraft.
HS.1200
HS.1201
Airbus A300 – responsible for designing and manufacturing wings for this airliner model.
Argosy (1959) – produced initially by Armstrong Whitworth until brand consolidation in 1963; production ceased in 1965.
Buccaneer (1958) – manufactured for the Royal Navy, South African Air Force, and RAF throughout the 1960s.
Comet 4 – originally a de Havilland product; production continued by Hawker Siddeley into the early 1960s, concluding in 1964.
Dove – manufactured through the 1960s with production ending in 1967.
Gnat – supplied to Finnish, Indian, and UK air forces during the early 1960s.
Heron – produced until manufacturing stopped in 1963.
Hunter – production extended into the mid-1960s; final unit completed in 1966.
Sea Vixen – delivered to Royal Navy until production ended in 1965.
Vulcan – supplied to RAF through the mid-1960s; last delivery occurred in 1965.
Armstrong Whitworth AW.681 – transport aircraft project later renamed HS.681.
Hawker Siddeley Helicrane – cancelled helicopter project featuring three variants inherited from Blackburn's SP.62 design, incorporating Bristol Siddeley turbojets at each rotor tip.
Hawker Siddeley P.1184-16 Dash 18 – prototype V/STOL aircraft equipped with a tail gunner cockpit designed for Taildog missile targeting purposes.

Missiles and Rockets

Blue Steel – Avro-produced stand-off nuclear missile
Blue Streak – medium-range nuclear missile developed by de Havilland
de Havilland Firestreak – missile designed for air-to-air engagement
Europa – rocket with a first stage constructed by Hawker Siddeley, originating from Blue Streak technology
Martel – missile created in collaboration with Matra
Red Top – missile system by Hawker Siddeley
Sea Dart – surface-to-air missile system
Sea Slug – Armstrong Whitworth-developed surface-to-air missile
Taildog/SRAAM – experimental missile that led to the development of BAE's ASRAAM

Space Hardware

Miranda (X-4) – British satellite designed for low Earth orbit missions

Heavy Equipment

TreeFarmer – machinery specialized in heavy-duty logging operations

Hawker Siddeley Canada

The Canadian branch was responsible for producing rail vehicles, transit systems, and engines for both aircraft and ships.

Aircraft Designers and Engineers

Test Pilots

Managing Directors and Chairmen

Sir Roy Dobson
Sir Arnold Alexander Hall
Sir John Lidbury
Eric Rubython CBE
R.R Kenderdine
C.D. MacQuaide
Alan Watkins
Sir Peter Baxendell (Chairman)

Founder President

Sir Thomas Sopwith

External Links