de Havilland Australia

In March 1927 the de Havilland established DHA in Melbourne, its first overseas subsidiary. Its founder was Hereward de Havilland. DHA was set up to sell de Havilland products in Australia, to assemble aircraft that had been sold, and to provide repair and spare parts services. In 1930 DHA relocated to Mascot aerodrome in Sydney.

Prior to World War II DHA did not undertake any production of aircraft (although de Havilland designs were licence-built by other Australian organisations, most notably Qantas, the Larkin Aircraft Supply Company and the Cockatoo Island Naval Dockyard under Lawrence Wackett). In the late 1930s DHA began production of propellers both for the local market and for delivery to the parent company. In 1939 DHA delivered 20 DH.82 Tiger Moths assembled from imported fuselages and locally-built wings to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Another order for 50 DH.94 Moth Minors was also received - in October that year - from the Australian Department of Supply and Development, at least four of these having been built at Mascot using locally manufactured components. After the outbreak of war, the RAAF selected the Tiger Moth as its primary trainer and in 1940 DHA commenced licensed manufacture at a new facility at Bankstown; when production ended in February 1945 over one thousand had been built. DHA also licence-built 87 DH.84 Dragons from 1942 and 212 DH.98 Mosquitos from 1943 for the RAAF.

In 1942 DHA produced its first indigenous design. In March that year the RAAF issued a specification for a small transport glider. DHA responded with the DHA-G1 a high-wing design incorporating the nose section of the Dragon then being built. The first of two DHA-G1s was flown in June 1942. The RAAF ordered the improved seven-seat DHA-G2 in 1943: these differed from the DHA-G1 in having a larger fuselage and wing. By this time the threat of invasion of Australia by Japan and the rationale for the type had passed and only six were produced.

Building aircraft again

Following the cancellation of the Wamira, HdH resumed production of complete aircraft in 1987 after it was selected to build a version of the Pilatus PC-9 under licence for the RAAF. HdH was responsible for final assembly of 65 aircraft (known as the 'PC-9/A'), initially from kits supplied by Pilatus (17 aircraft), but with the components for the final 48 examples produced by HdHV and GAF (which by this time had been privatised and renamed Aerospace Technologies of Australia) (ASTA). Two Swiss-built PC-9s were already delivered in 1987. The last Australian-made PC-9/A was delivered in May 1992.

In May 1988 HdH delivered the first Bankstown-assembled Sikorsky Black Hawk to the RAAF. After eight had been built the RAAF's helicopters were transferred to the Australian Army; HdH deliveries continued to the Army until the last of 38 locally assembled aircraft was delivered in January 1991. In March the following year the last PC-9/A was delivered. In 1992 HdH was de-listed from the Australian Securities Exchange when it was sold to BTR Nylex.

The PC-9/A was the last complete aircraft type to be built by HdH, although RAAF Caribous could still be seen at Bankstown until 1994. During the same time period HdH was involved in the McDonnell Douglas Helicopters MDX project, HdH being responsible the design and development of the fuselage in Sydney with manufacture and final assembly at the Bankstown(Sydney) and Fishermen's Bend ( Melbourne) plants. In 1998 the company was bought by Tenix and Hawker Pacific was sold to Swedish company Celsius. In 2000 Tenix sold HdH to Boeing which merged the company with ASTA to form Hawker de Havilland Aerospace within Boeing Australia. Today HdH is in the forefront of composite structures technology and manufactures composite and alloy components for the Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A380, Bombardier Challenger 300, Boeing 737, Boeing 747 and Boeing 777 as well as for several military aerospace programmes.

Aircraft

AAC Wamira, 1 prototype built 1984