Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke

The United flight Technische Werke ( VFW ) was a Bremer air and space company. In 1961, created by the merger of Focke -Wulf and Weserflug company was founded in 1981 part of the aviation company Messerschmitt -Bolkow -Blohm.

History

1961 merged the two Bremer aircraft manufacturer Focke -Wulf Flugzeugbau GmbH and Weser Flugzeugbau GmbH ( " Weserflug " ) to the United flight Technische Werke ( VFW ), headquartered in Bremen. Goal was to include the joint development of a small transport aircraft, which for use was suitable on unpaved airfields. in December 1963, this project was integrated into the company as a VFW 614 VFW.

In 1961 the company divided the space activities of the newly founded Entwicklungsring North ( ERNO ). This was promised a better efficiency on the new space market. In contrast, the aircraft division of Ernst Heinkel vehicle in 1964 integrated into the Group.

In May 1969, saw the establishment of the Central Society VFW - Fokker, were involved in the VFW and the Dutch company Fokker with 50 %. The following year, the Airbus Industries was established in the legal form of an economic community of interest. The founding members were the French public Aérospatiale and the German Airbus GmbH, (60 %), Dornier (20 %) and VFW - Fokker was again a consortium of Messerschmitt -Bolkow -Blohm (20 %). At the end of the 1970s was imminent production of the VFW -614, Messerschmitt -Bolkow -Blohm and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen involved in VFW - Fokker. In 1980, the Central Society VFW - Fokker was dissolved.

1981 VFW merged with Messerschmitt -Bolkow -Blohm MBB. After the merger, with the aerospace company ERNO originated in 1982 from the MBB - ERNO. In 1988, the company employed 40,000 people at 18 locations, and took under the European aeronautics and space company in third place. The end of 1989 MBB - ERNO was acquired by Deutsche Aerospace AG ( DASA) (part of the then Daimler- Benz Konzernes ).

Products

In 1968, the company's VFW H -2, a slight autogiro ago. The following year it presented the VFW helicopter H- third It was an attempt helicopters, should be tested with the new drive concepts. As a cross between Giro and helicopter main rotor was driven only for hovering. Propulsion two turbofan engines were available. This guy did not go to series.

In 1970, the VFW - Fokker VAK 191 B. The aircraft was initially developed as a successor to the Fiat G.91 light bomber jointly with Fiat. The VAK 191 was designed as a VTOL -capable aircraft with a cruise engine and two Hubtriebwerken. Fiat rose in 1967, out of this project so that the aircraft was fully developed only as an experimental object. Later it served as a test vehicle for the Panavia Tornado. The VAK 191 program was finally closed in 1972.

In 1974, the VFW - Fokker 614 on the market. The VFW 614 was the first in the Federal Republic of Germany developed twin-engine short- haul jet. The most striking feature of the aircraft are arranged over wing engines, which should be better protected in this position against stone chips and dirt. Three copies were delivered to the Air Force in 1977, which used them until 1998 at the flight readiness. The last copy in use is the VFW 614 was used until 27 June 2012 by the German Centre for Aerospace in Braunschweig as a flying simulator ( ATTAS project, Advanced Technologies Testing Aircraft System ).

In the 1970s, even caravans and later hydraulically operated tail lifts for commercial vehicles were produced at the plant Hoykenkamp Delmenhorst under the name VFW.