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Private company

Vega Aircraft Corporation

American aircraft manufacturer

The Vega Aircraft Corporation was a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Burbank, California, responsible for much of its parent company's production in World War II.2 It is part of Lockheed Corporation.1 It ceased to exist in 1943.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1937Founded1
  • Industryaerospace industry1

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Vega 2 Starliner NX21725 (5941557875)
Photo: Bill Larkins, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Vega Aircraft Corporation was a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Burbank, California, responsible for much of its parent company's production in World War II.2

Corporate structure

Vega Aircraft Corporation is part of a group headed by Lockheed Corporation. 7 entities, 2 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

The company was first formed in August 1937 as the AiRover Company to produce a new light aircraft design. It was renamed in May 1938 to honor Lockheed's first aircraft design, the Vega.

The AiRover Model 1 was a Lockheed Altair fitted with a Menasco Unitwin 2-544 engine, which featured two engines driving a single shaft. The AiRover Model 2 was a new design named the Vega Starliner. One Starliner prototype was built and tested, but the design did not go into production.

In 1940, with World War II already underway in Europe, Vega changed its focus from light aircraft to military aircraft. The company began by producing five North American NA-35 trainers under license with North American Aviation. Production by Vega really got underway with the Hudson, a patrol bomber designed for use by the Royal Air Force.

Vega entered a partnership with Boeing and Douglas, under the abbreviation BVD, to produce the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Of over 12,000 B-17s produced by war's end, 2,750 were built by Vega. The company also built two experimental B-17 variants, the Boeing XB-38 Flying Fortress and the Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress.

By the end of November 1943, Vega had merged back into Lockheed, having far surpassed its original mission of producing light aircraft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Vega Aircraft Corporation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1943Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1937Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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