BAC

The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) was an aircraft manufacturer that was formed through the merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft), the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and Hunting Aircraft in 1960, in response to a British government directive that aimed to consolidate the aerospace and defense industries. As such, BAC was created as a jointly-owned corporation by Vickers, English Electric, and Bristol. BAC had two divisions, the Aircraft Division under Sir George Edwards and the Guided Weapons Division under Viscount Caldecote. The aircraft operations of the three parents became subsidiaries of BAC. BAC also had controlling interests in Napier & Son aero-engines and Hunting Aircraft. The head office of BAC was located in the City of Westminster, London. BAC’s early projects included the BAC TSR-2, a large supersonic strike aircraft, and the development of the Concorde aircraft in partnership with France’s Aérospatiale. BAC merged with Hawker Siddeley and Scottish Aviation in 1977 to form British Aerospace.