McDonnell Aircraft was an American aircraft and spacecraft manufacturer founded by James S. McDonnell in St. Louis in 1939. It became a major supplier of naval jet fighters and built NASA's Mercury and Gemini spacecraft. In 1967 it merged with Douglas Aircraft to create McDonnell Douglas.[1][2]
Naval jet development
McDonnell's early jet programme produced the FH-1 Phantom. After consideration of a multi-engine arrangement using several small engines, the company adopted a twin-engine configuration and began prototype construction in 1944. The aircraft flew the following year. In July 1946 a prototype completed the first carrier qualification by a pure jet in United States naval aviation, aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. Production Phantoms entered the fleet in 1947, establishing McDonnell in a new market even though rapid technical development soon overtook the type.[3]
Successive fighter families
The company followed with the Banshee, Demon, Voodoo and Phantom II. The swept-wing Demon encountered serious difficulties with its original Westinghouse J40 engine, while later versions used a different powerplant and carried guided missiles. Experience with the Demon contributed to development of the F-4 Phantom II, which became a substantially different aircraft. This sequence shows the company's progression from early carrier jets towards more complex, all-weather combat aircraft. Its military business expanded across naval and air-force requirements rather than depending on a single aircraft programme.[4][5]
Human spaceflight and combination
NASA selected McDonnell to supply Mercury spacecraft for the first American astronaut missions. The company subsequently built the two-person Gemini spacecraft, supporting longer flights, orbital rendezvous and American spacewalks. These contracts extended its engineering activity from atmospheric aircraft to crewed spacecraft. The 1967 merger added Douglas's transport, missile and space businesses to McDonnell's fighter and capsule work. Programmes developed by the combined enterprise included the F-15 and DC-10, while the original McDonnell company ceased to operate as an independent corporation.[2]