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The advent of World War II was a major boost to the new company, from fifteen employees in 1939 the firm ended the war with over 5,000, a significant producer of aircraft parts. McDonnell products include:
Phantom Origins In 1952, McDonnell 's Chief of Aerodynamics, Dave Lewis , was appointed by CEO, J.S. McDonnell , to be the company's Preliminary Design Manager. The first of its kind in the aerospace industry, the group had no specific target other than to learn and understand all of the rapid technical advances being made in aeronautics, structures and engines. It became clear that if the company wanted to be the best designer of combat airplanes, it would have to develop a real understanding of these new technologies, or before long, the company would find itself a fighter subcontractor. There being no new aircraft competitions on the horizon, internal studies concluded that the Navy had the greatest need for a new and different aircraft type, an Attack Fighter. At the time, the Navy had a separate Fighter Branch and an Attack Branch, each having little contact or interest in the other. They lived in different worlds when it came to system or operational requirements. After many iterations and various "enemy capability" assumptions, an "unwanted" Attack Fighter was presented to the Navy. The McDonnell design called for two engines; with the primary air-to air armament being provided by the very new Sparrow III Missiles , semi-submerged in the fuselage. The air-to-ground armament was to be as many bombs as could be carried on stations that would be mounted under the wings and aft of the Sparrow stations on the fuselage. No guns were provided. It took two long years of hard work with the Bureau of Aeronautics and the Naval Air Warfare Division in the Pentagon. But the F-4 was sold with pretty much the same configuration as was originally proposed. Lewis was made program manager on the F-4 and took it all the way through development and sale to the Navy and Air Force. He ultimtately became President and Chief Operating Officer in 1962. 1. REFERENCES |
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