COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 334511

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

32companies1922–2000founding years32still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedRaytheon Company
1922
FoundedSAGEM S.A.
1924
FoundedSequa Corporation
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedCAE USA Inc.
1935
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedHéroux-Devtek Inc.
1942
FoundedTech-Sym Corporation
1944
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedAndrew CorporationFoundedPioneer Electronic Corporation
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedSANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
1950
FoundedW.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedHerley Industries, Inc.
1965
FoundedAerosonic Corporation
1968
FoundedOceaneering International, Inc.
1969
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedFLIR Systems, Inc.FoundedTrimble Navigation Limited
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedEngineered Support Systems, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedUnited Defense Industries, Inc.
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedTeledyne Technologies Inc.
1999
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Raytheon Company →
Active · founded 1922
Raytheon Company is the third largest defense contractor in the United States, trailing only the Boeing Company and…
SAGEM S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · France
French high-tech company SAGEM S.A.
Honeywell Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Honeywell Inc.
Sequa Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
Sequa Corporation is a diversified industrial company that produces a broad range of aerospace products, printing and…
The Boeing Company →
Active · founded 1934
The Boeing Company is the largest aerospace company in the world, thanks to its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas…
CAE USA Inc. →
Active · founded 1935
CAE USA Inc., formerly known as Reflectone, is one of the few remaining producers of full-fledged flight simulators for…
Northrop Grumman Corporation →
Active · founded 1939
Northrop Grumman Corporation is the number three defense firm in the United States, behind The Boeing Company and…
Héroux-Devtek Inc. →
Active · founded 1942 · Canada
Héroux-Devtek Inc.
Tech-Sym Corporation →
Active · founded 1944
When Tech-Sym Corporation was purchased by Veritas Capital Fund L.P.'s Integrated Defense Technologies (IDT) unit in…
Safe Flight Instrument Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
Safe Flight Instrument Corporation produces a wide array of devices to make flying safer and more manageable.
Andrew Corporation →
Active · founded 1947
Andrew Corporation is an international supplier of communications equipment, systems, and services.
Meggitt PLC →
Active · founded 1947 · United Kingdom
From obscure origins, Meggitt PLC has grown into a global aerospace supplier.
Pioneer Electronic Corporation →
Active · founded 1947 · Japan
Pioneer Electronic Corporation is one of the leading electronics firms in the world.
Omron Corporation →
Active · founded 1948 · Japan
Omron Corporation is a world leader in the field of automation.
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1950 · Japan
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
CompuDyne Corporation →
Active · founded 1952
CompuDyne Corporation is the leading U.S.
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
W.L.
Herley Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
Herley Industries, Inc.
Anaren Microwave, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Anaren Microwave, Inc.
Aerosonic Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Aerosonic Corporation is a producer of aircraft instruments and precision machined components.
Astronics Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing; 335122 Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting…
Oceaneering International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Oceaneering International, Inc.
Campbell Scientific, Inc. →
Active · founded 1974
Campbell Scientific, Inc., headquartered in Logan, Utah, designs and manufactures dataloggers, data acquisition…
FLIR Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
FLIR Systems, Inc.
Trimble Navigation Limited →
Active · founded 1978
Trimble Navigation Limited develops satellite-based position data products using the Global Positioning System (GPS), a…
The Titan Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Historically, The Titan Corporation was a defense department contractor involved in areas such as wireless…
Engineered Support Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Engineered Support Systems, Inc.
Laserscope →
Active · founded 1984
Laserscope is a San Jose, California-based company that makes medical laser systems for a variety of uses.
United Defense Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
United Defense Industries, Inc., designs, develops, and produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile…
Integrated Defense Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1998
Integrated Defense Technologies, Inc.
Teledyne Technologies Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
Teledyne Technologies Inc.
Garmin Ltd. →
Active · founded 2000 · Cayman Islands
Aviation products accounted for 20 percent of revenues.
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