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 The prototype XF2A-2 in flight | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1924 (1924) |
| Defunct | 1946 (1946) |
Key people |
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TheBrewster Aeronautical Corporation was an Americandefense contractor that was founded in 1932, with a focus on naval aircraft. Fraught with fraud, mismanagement and inefficient production, the company was eventually taken over by the United States Navy for a period, and folded at the end ofWorld War II.
Originally acarriage builder,Brewster & Co.'s involvement in aviation began in the aftermath ofWorld War I, when it started manufacturing hulls forLoening amphibians. By 1928, it was building floats for theVought O2U Corsair.[1] In 1932, James Work, an aeronautical engineer, bought the division forUS$30,000 (equivalent to $691,000 in 2024) and created the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation. Brewster started out makingseaplane floats and wing panels, but with the hire of chief engineer Dayton Brown it embarked on its own designs. It operated three aircraft plants, at theBrewster Building inLong Island City, New York,Newark, New Jersey, and, in 1941, inWarminster Township, Pennsylvania, which was then known asNAS Johnsville.
Brown's first design, in 1934, was a two-seat scout-bomber, theBrewster SBA, which first flew in 1936; subsequently theNaval Aircraft Factory built them, with the designation SBN-1. TheBrewster SB2A Buccaneer was a follow-on design that first flew in 1941 and was also ordered by theRoyal Air Force, who named it the Bermuda.
A design in 1936 for a carrier-capablemonoplane fighter resulted in theBrewster F2A (named Buffalo by the British), which was chosen over an early version of theGrumman F4F Wildcat. The F2A prototype handled well in 1938 tests, and the Navy ordered 54. However, production was slow, at least partly due to the inefficient factory in the Brewster Building. The Navy ended up ordering Wildcats, which by 1938 had been greatly improved.
Buffalos were exported toFinland starting in 1939, and more were intended forBelgium, but before deliveries could begin,Germany conquered the country. TheUnited Kingdom also received Buffalos, which eventually ended up in the Far East. They suffered badly in combat against JapaneseZeros. The Buffalos were most popular with theFinnish Air Force, which used them successfully against theSoviet air force, and began a program to build an indigenous version named theHumu. The Dutch also purchased 92 Buffalos and assigned most to theMilitaire Luchtvaart KNIL in theDutch East Indies (nowIndonesia) where they fought against the Japanese. Several captured by the Japanese were repainted with JapaneseHinomaru insignia and extensively tested.
During World War II, it became apparent that Brewster was mismanaged. The company had grown from a relatively minor aircraft parts supplier to a full-fledged defense giant in only a few years. Brewster ranked 84th among United States corporations in value of World War II military production contracts.[2] Jimmy Work had hired Alfred and Ignacio Miranda as the company salesmen. They had been involved in frauds, spending two years in prison for selling illicit arms toBolivia, and had over-promised Brewster production capabilities to customers.
As the war swelled the defense industries, the quality of the newly hired work force was inferior in skills and often motivation, and the work was plagued by illicit strikes; even outright sabotage was suspected. The Navy installed George Chapline as president of the company, easing out Jimmy Work, in the hopes of speeding up production. But then in early 1942 Jimmy Work regained control, just in time to be sued for $10 million (equivalent to $192 million in 2024) for financial misdeeds. On April 18, 1942, the Navy simply seized Brewster and put the former head of theNaval Aircraft Factory,George Conrad Westervelt, in charge.[3] In mid-May, a new board of directors was appointed by the Navy, with Brewster making theF3A-1 Corsair under license.[3][4]
When the Navy cancelled Brewster's last contract, for assembly of the Corsair, on July 1, 1944,[3] the company was in serious trouble. In October, after reporting a large loss, the management decided to shut down the company, and on April 5, 1946, the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was dissolved by its shareholders.[5]
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brewster XSBA | 1936 | 1 | Single engine monoplane scout bomber |
| Brewster F2A Buffalo | 1937 | 509 | Single engine monoplane naval fighter |
| Brewster SB2A Buccaneer | 1941 | 771 | Single engine monoplane scout bomber |
| Brewster F3A Corsair | 1943 | 735 | Single engine monoplane naval fighter |
| Brewster XA-32 | 1943 | 2 | Prototype single engine monoplane ground attack aircraft |
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