Aerojet-General Corp - World War II Origins

World War II Origins

Aerojet-General Corp. began by making jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) rockets in World War II. They were first demonstrated on August 16, 1941, by a group of enthusiasts from the California Institute of Technology led by professor Theodore von Karman. These provided an extra boost for aircraft taking off from short runways and aircraft carriers.

The company was incorporated March 19, 1942, as Aerojet Engineering Corp., and received its first production contract three months later. The first plant was located in Pasadena, California.

General Tire and Rubber Company, forerunner to GenCorp, was an early investor, acquiring the company in 1948. Aerojet produced thousands of JATO units during World War II.

In the spring of 1945, a number of scientists from Germany's V-2 rocket program surrendered to U.S. forces. Some of them, like Rudi Beichel, began working for Aerojet. Beichel is credited with leading the team that designed the Redstone rocket that Alan Shepard, Jr., rode into space in 1961.

Demand, production, and employment were cut back sharply following the war's end. However, some of the propeller-driven civilian airliners of the day could be fitted with JATO units to allow them to take off in the thin air of high elevation airports.

According to company literature, Aerojet became the first major U.S. company to develop expertise in both liquid and solid propellant rockets. The company was also responsible for the first U.S. rocket to probe the edge of space. The Aerobee class (eventually designated the X-8 series by the Air Force), launched in 1947, was used for decades.