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Ford Aerospace was the aerospace and military division of Ford Motor Company. It was based in Dearborn, Michigan and was active from 1956 (originally as Philco and then Philco Ford) through 1990, when it was sold to the Loral Corporation. Major divisions were located in Palo Alto CA (Space Systems Division), San Jose CA (Western Development Laboratories) and Newport Beach (Aeronutronic Division). Other operations were located in a number of other states around the United States.
The Engineering and Research Center campus was located on Jamboree Road at Ford Road, overlooking the Santa Catalina Strait of the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach. Los Angeles Times.com: "Ford Aerospace Treated for Years Like a Stepchild : Defense: The auto maker has announced plans to sell its Newport Beach-based unit. But critics say the firm was abandoned long ago."; 14 January 1990. Newport Beach.gov: Aeronutronic Ford (Planned Community) District ;by Planning Division Staff, Community Development Department; 18 December 2013. The facility's master plan and main buildings were designed by Modernist architect William Pereira in 1958. Google Books.com: The Architecture of Industry: Changing Paradigms in Industrial Building and Planning; by Mathew Aitchison; pg. 69; Routledge Press 2014. Operation was moved to Newport Beach in 1960.
In the 1960s and 1970s, business enjoyed rapid growth because of the success of the Sidewinder air-to-air missile and Chaparral surface-to-air missile programs. In the 1970s, the Pave Tack bomb-targeting system became a significant contributor to revenue.
The company included: Space Systems Division (later Space Systems/Loral) and the Western Development Labs (WDL) (later Loral WDL, and presently Lockheed Martin WDL) in Palo Alto, California with Aeronutronic (later Space Systems/Loral) at the Newport Beach site. Los Angeles Times.com: "Newport Plant Put in Limbo by Ford Sale : Defense industry: With the aerospace subsidiary under new ownership, the future of its Aeronutronic division in Orange County is up in the air." (July 24, 1990).
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Categories: Ford Motor Company, Aerospace Companies Of The United States, Former Defense Companies Of The United States, Technology Companies Based In Greater Los Angeles, Companies Based In Newport Beach, California, Loral Space & Communications, Manufacturing Companies Established In 1956, Technology Companies Established In 1956, Manufacturing Companies Disestablished In 1990, Technology Companies Disestablished In 1990, 1956 Establishments In California, 1990 Disestablishments In California, Defunct Manufacturing Companies Based In Greater Los Angeles, Buildings And Structures In Newport Beach, California, Buildings And Structures Completed In 1958, Demolished Buildings And Structures In California, William Pereira Buildings
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