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BAESystemsHeritage

Theinformationshownisbasedonthatavailableatthetimeofthecontentcreation.Ifyouhaveany

Britain'soldestremainingaircraftfactory.

Brough,EastYorkshire

Whilsttheaircraftmanufacturingsideofthefactoryon

thebanksoftheHumbermayhavereduced,theBAE

SystemsfacilityatBroughinEastYorkshirestill

maintainsavitalroleinthecompany’smilitaryaircraft

businessastheengineeringcentrefortheHawktrainer,

manyhundredsofwhichremaininservicewithair

forcesthroughouttheworldandastheUKcentrefor

MilitaryAircraftStructuralTesting.

Havingsetuphisbusinessin1910,aviationpioneer

RobertBlackburnincorporatedtheBlackburnAeroplane

andMotorCompanyin1914andestablishedanew

factoryatBroughintheEastRidingsofYorkshirein

1916.

TheFirstWorldWarwasraginginEuropeandBlackburn

wasrapidlyproducingseaplanesforthealliedforcesand

additionsorcorrectionsthenpleasecontactusviaemail-AllimagesBAESystems/RonSmithcopyrightunlessotherwiseshown.

TheBlackburnTBwouldhavebeenoneofthefirstaicrafttobe

builtatBroughin1915

Contact

theHumberRiverwouldprovetobeaconvenienttest

facility.WhilsttheBlackburnfamilyrelatethatRobert

identifiedthesitehimself,somehowever,havelaid

claimsthatitwaschosenbyMarkSwann,anaideto

Blackburn,duetoitsproximityto2pubs!

Duringthemid-waryears,Broughconcentratedonthe

continuedproductionoftorpedobombers,seaplanes

andpatrolaircraft,creatingmanydesignsfor

considerationandusebytheFleetAirArm.Aircraft

suchastheBlackburnDart,Ripon,Baffin,Sharkand

Skuawerebeingproducedintheirhundredsaswerea

seriesofmightythree-engineflyingboatsculminatingin

theBlackburnPertharmedwitha37mmanti-shipping

cannon.

Civilaircraftwerenotignoredwiththeintroductionof

thetwo-seaterside-by-sideBluebirdclubaircraftwhich

subsequentlydevelopedintotheB2trainer.Itwasa

BluebirdthatwontheprestigiousKing’sCupAirRacein

1931andanotherBluebirdIVwasusedbyMrsVictor

Bruceinherfamousroundtheworldflightin1930-

1931.

Throughoutmostoftheinter-waryearsBroughwasa

centreofReserveFlyingTrainingfortheRoyalAirForce,

becomingNo.4ElementaryandReserveFlyingTraining

Schoolin1935andthenasNo.4EFTS,providing

wartimetrainingforarangeofpupils.

In1934,BlackburnacquiredCirrusHermesEngineering

andmovedthecompanyintoanewbuildingonthe

BroughSitewhereitwassubsequentlyrenameditas

BlackburnEnginesLtd.TheBlackburnEngineCompany

remainedinbusinessuntilrationalisationoftheaircraft

industryinthe1960swherethenamewassubsumed

intoHawkerSiddeleyAviation.

WiththeoutbreakofWorldWarII,Broughintensifiedits

productionoftheBothalightbomber/trainerand

latterly,theFaireyBarracudanavaltorpedobomber.

NewBlackburnsisterfactorieswerebuilt,oneat

DumbartonforproductionoftheShortsSunderland

flyingboatandtheBroughdesignedBlackburnBotha

withanotheratSherburninElmetbuildingtheFairey

FlyingtrainingledtotheconstructionoftheFlyingSchoolin

1937,designedbytheHullArchitect’sWilliams&Jopling

Swordfish.DuringthesameperiodBroughwasalso

involvedinconsiderableamountsofworkadapting

nearly4000Americanaircraftandrepairingdamaged

aircraft.

AnamalgamationwithGeneralAircraftLimited(GAL)in

1949resultedinthearrivaloftheGALFreighter

prototypeatBrough,anaircraftlatermodifiedto

becometheBlackburnBeverleywithproduction

reachingitspeakin1953.

Between1949and1957theRunwayandairfield

PerimeterRoadbecamearacetrackatoccasional

weekendsandcanlayclaimtobethevenuewhereSir

StirlingMossrecordedhisfirsteverracevictory.

BroughreceivedanumberofVIPvisitorsduringthese

busyperiodsincludingEarlMountbattenwhoopened

FittingthemainplanetothefuselageofaGALFreighter1949

thenewhighspeedwindtunnelduringthelate1950s.

WiththeexceptionofasingleYB2/HP88research

aircraft,BroughandBlackburn’sfirstventureintothejet

agewaswiththeintroductionoftheBuccaneer,a

carrier-borneattackaircraft.DesignedbyBarryPLaight

inthe1950’s,theBuccaneerremainedinservicewith

theRAFuntil1994andprovedtobeoneoftheirmost

successfulproductshavingenteredservicewiththe

RoyalNavyin1962.

EarlMountbattenofBurmaopensthenewhighspeedwind

tunnelinMarch1958

Withtherationalisationoftheaircraftindustryin1963,

BlackburnBroughbecamepartofHawkerSiddeley

AviationandconcentratedontheBuccaneeralthoughit

becameincreasinglyengagedincomponent

manufactureandtestingworkforotherpartsofthe

organisation.

Afewyearslater,Broughwasselectedasthe‘Sister

DesignOrganisation’forthe170Rolls-Roycepowered,

McDonnellF4Phantomaircraftwhichenteredservicein

1969withtheRoyalAirForceandRoyalNavy.Duringits

UKservicecareer,fiftyPhantomsquadronswere

supportedbytheBroughengineeringteamsandthere

were296returnstoBroughformodificationsandrepair.

ThecombinationofresponsibilityforBuccaneerand

Phantommeantthatfrom1972until1978theBrough

factorywasresponsibleforbothoftheFleetAirArm’s

BuccaneerProduction1962

formidablefrontlineaircraft.Otherprojectscontinued

alongsideandtheseincludedworkontheTrident

airlinerfuselage,structuralcomponentmachiningfor

whatisnowAirbusaswellasBAe146airlinerparts.

ExtensiveworkwascarriedoutontheHarrierJumpJet

andtheHawktrainerprojectswiththelatter

subsequentlybeingproducedasacompleteaircraft.

Duringthe1970s,HawkerSiddeleywasamalgamated

furtherwithBritishAircraftCorporationtobecome

BritishAerospaceandtheproductionofcomponentsfor

theHarrieratBroughceasedin2003.

Theairfieldwasclosedduringthe1990sbutflying

resumedwhenthecompanydecidedthatHawkaircraft

wouldbeflowndirectfromBroughtoWartonandthis

resultedinatemporaryresumptionofflyingfromthe

Broughrunwayin2008.

Broughsiteisnowdownsizedtoproducinganumberof

Hawkcomponentparts,effectivelybringingtoanend

anillustrioushistoryofcompleteaircraftproductionat

theUK’soldestremainingaircraftfactory.

SiteTimeline

1916 BlackburnAircraftCompany

1939 BlackburnAircraftLimited

1949 BlackburnandGeneralAircraftLimited

1958 BlackburnAircraftLimited

1963 HawkerSiddeleyAviation

1977 BritishAerospace

1999 BAESystems

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Hawk100(ZJ951)departingBrough

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