Vought is an American aerospace manufacturer that has undergone several reorganizations and buyouts throughout its history. The company has been known by various names, including Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Aircraft Industries.
Chance M. Vought and Birdseye Lewis established the first incarnation of Vought in 1917, which specialized in carrier-based aircraft for the United States Navy, its biggest customer. During World War II, Chance Vought produced thousands of planes, including the F4U Corsair.
Vought became independent again in 1954 and was acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) in 1961. Throughout the Cold War, Vought designed and produced various planes and missiles. The company has been owned by the Carlyle Group and Northrop Grumman in the early 1990s and fully bought by Carlyle, renamed Vought Aircraft Industries, with headquarters in Dallas, Texas. In June 2010, the Carlyle Group sold Vought to the Triumph Group.
The company made history in 1922 when the Vought VE-7 trainer performed the first takeoff from the deck of the USS Langley, the first American aircraft carrier. Vought died in 1930, having seen his company produce a variety of fighters, trainers, flying boats, and surveillance aircraft for the United States Navy and the United States Army Air Service.