Goodyear Aircraft Corporation

Lockheed Martin Tactical Defense Systems in Akron, Ohio, became the successor of the aircraft division of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The division's name under went several name changes throughout its history including: the Goodyear Aeronautics Department (1910-1923), Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation (1923-1941), Goodyear Aircraft Corp. (1940-1963), and Goodyear Aerospace Corp. (1963-1987). Goodyear sold the assets of its aerospace division to defense contractor Loral Systems Group in 1986. Loral, in turn, sold the former Goodyear Aerospace Corporation assets to aerospace conglomerate Lockheed Martin in 1996.

From the description of Lockheed Martin Tactical Defense Systems records, 1908-1959. (University of Akron). WorldCat record id: 677868405

Lockheed Martin Tactical Defense Systems - Akron was a part of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company's previous titles include: the Goodyear Aeronautics Department (1910-1923), Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation (1923-1941), Goodyear Aircraft Corp. (1940-1963), Goodyear Aerospace Corp. (1963-1987) and Loral Systems Group (1987-1996).

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company's Aeronautics Department built manned observation and spherical balloons, non-rigid blimps and semi-rigid airships in Akron, Ohio, from prior to World War I until the formation of Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation in 1923.

Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation was formed as a partnership of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the German firm Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin to build rigid airships in the United States. They designed and manufactured two large dirigibles for the U.S. Navy, the ZRS-4 (U.S.S. Akron ) and ZRS-5 (U.S.S. Macon ). The government contract was awarded in 1928 and the airships were constructed shortly thereafter, from 1929-1933.

By the late 1930s, the company's emphasis moved away from rigid airship design to include specifications and design data on non-rigid airships for pilot training and patrol. The U.S. Navy would eventually acquire more than 150 of these Akron-built blimps during World War II (1939-1945).

The Goodyear Aircraft Corporation was formed in December 1939 as a separate operating unit of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. after the Nazi invasion of Poland. The invasion in September 1939 combined with the war in Europe made it impossible for Goodyear-Zeppelin Corp. (with it ties to Germany) to bid on U.S. government contracts. The Zeppelin-Goodyear partnership was dissolved completely in February 1941. By this time, Goodyear Aircraft Corporation (GAC) was on its way to becoming a major defense contractor. During World War II, GAC built Corsair airplanes under license and airplane sub-assemblies for more than twenty different aircraft types used by the Allies, as well as building blimps for the U.S. Navy.

GAC continued to build non-rigid airships for the U.S. Navy during the early part of the Cold War; however, the company's interest in building large rigid airships did not disappear entirely during this time. Some of the aerospace products made by the corporation during this era include missile components, guidance systems, and radar antennas, but most products pertain to lighter-than-air.

Goodyear Aircraft Corporation was renamed the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation in 1963 to better reflect the diversity of products it was supplying to the aerospace industry. Goodyear sold the assets of its aerospace division to defense contractor Loral Systems Group in the wake of a hostile corporate take-over attempt by Sir James Goldsmith in 1986. Loral, in turn, sold the former Goodyear Aerospace Corporation assets to aerospace conglomerate Lockheed Martin in 1996. At the dawn of the 21st Century, Lockheed Martin continued the corporate lighter-than-air heritage by producing tethered aerostats for communications and surveillance applications, and by developing designs for unmanned high-altitude airships.

From the guide to the Lockheed Martin Tactical Defense Systems Records, 1908-1959, (Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron)