Showa Aircraft Industry
| File:Showa Aircraft Industries logo.png | |
Native name | 昭和飛行機工業株式会社 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Shōwa Hikōki Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Company type | KK |
| Template:Tyo | |
| Industry | Aircraft manufacturing |
| Founded | June 5, 1937 |
| Website | www |
Showa Aircraft Industry is a Tokyo-based Japanese firm located in Akishima, specializing in aircraft production. Established in 1937 originally as a military aircraft manufacturer, it was one of the two enterprises responsible for constructing the Showa/Nakajima L2D, a licensed adaptation of the Douglas DC-3 during World War II. The company’s portfolio also included manufacturing other types of military planes.
Beginning in the 1950s, the firm expanded its operations to include the manufacture of niche freight transport vehicles, such as tank trucks and grain hopper trailers.
Its state-of-the-art honeycomb composite panels have been utilized in significant aerospace endeavors, including the Hayabusa asteroid exploration mission, the collaborative NASA-JAXA GPM Core Observatory satellite, and the H-II Transfer Vehicle.