North American Aviation, Incorporated

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Explore how the X-15, M2-F1 vehicle, and the LLRV at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center contributed to the U.S. space program

North American Aviation, Incorporated

American company

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July 16, 2026

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Explore how the X-15, M2-F1 vehicle, and the LLRV at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center contributed to the U.S. space program — Explore how the X-15, M2-F1 vehicle, and the LLRV at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center contributed to the U.S. space program At NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California, test flights of the X-15 rocket-powered airplane, the M2-F1 “lifting body” reentry vehicle, and the LLRV (Lunar Landing Research Vehicle) during the 1960s contributed vital information to the U.S. space program.

North American Aviation, Incorporated was an American company founded in 1928 by Clement Melville Keys. Initially a holding company, it transitioned to aircraft manufacturing and became a significant producer of military aircraft. Under James Kindelberger's leadership, it produced over 42,000 military planes between 1935 and 1945, including the P-51 Mustang fighter and the T-6 Texan trainer. After World War II, the company developed the F-86 Sabre jet fighter and the F-100 Super Sabre. It also diversified into rockets, guidance systems, and atomic energy, developing the X-15 research aircraft for NASA. In 1967, it merged with Rockwell-Standard Corporation to form North American Rockwell Corporation, later renamed Rockwell International Corporation. Rockwell's aerospace and defense units were sold to Boeing in 1996.12

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Boeing Company
Rockwell International Corporation
…the founding in 1928 of North American Aviation, Incorporated, by the financier and corporate organizer Clement Melville Keys as an elaborate holding company, 70 percent of which was owned by Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation and the remainder by Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), Curtiss Flying Service, and Donald Douglas. In…
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…the founding in 1928 of North American Aviation, Incorporated, by the financier and corporate organizer Clement Melville Keys as an elaborate holding company, 70 percent of which was owned by Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation and the remainder by Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), Curtiss Flying Service, and Donald Douglas. In…
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P-51
… originally designed and produced by North American Aviation for the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and later adopted by the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). The P-51 is widely regarded as the finest all-around piston-engined fighter of World War II to be produced in significant numbers.
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… originally designed and produced by North American Aviation for the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and later adopted by the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). The P-51 is widely regarded as the finest all-around piston-engined fighter of World War II to be produced in significant numbers.
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Samuel Kurtz Hoffman
In 1949 he joined North American Aviation, Inc. (later North American Rockwell Corp.), as chief of the Propulsion Section of the Aerophysics Department, where he helped develop a 75,000-pound-thrust rocket engine for an intercontinental missile.
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In 1949 he joined North American Aviation, Inc. (later North American Rockwell Corp.), as chief of the Propulsion Section of the Aerophysics Department, where he helped develop a 75,000-pound-thrust rocket engine for an intercontinental missile.
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X-15
…built in the 1950s by North American Aviation, Inc., for the U.S. military and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in order to gather information on flight conditions beyond the atmosphere. First flown in 1959, the X-15 set separate unofficial altitude and speed records for aircraft during the 1960s—almost 108…
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…built in the 1950s by North American Aviation, Inc., for the U.S. military and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in order to gather information on flight conditions beyond the atmosphere. First flown in 1959, the X-15 set separate unofficial altitude and speed records for aircraft during the 1960s—almost 108…
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