World's Top 40 Airliners and Aircraft Manufacturers

An AIRLINER is an airplane, usually large, used for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service.

Airliner & Aircraft Manufacturer News, Reviews & Resources

• 1st Chinese-built passenger jet completes maiden flight - The Guardian.
• 5 coolest buttons in a 747 cockpit - The Telegraph.
• 5 Most Produced Commercial Aircraft In History - "In the last century, thousands of commercial aircraft have been built and delivered to customers all over the world. But which are the most produced aircraft? We take a look at the most produced commercial aircraft in history with our top-five rundown."
• 5 ways Boeing's 747 jumbo jet changed travel - "The Boeing 747 has been in operation all over the world for the past 50 years."
• 10 of the world's largest aircraft - CNN travel.
• 12 hidden aircraft features you didn't know about - The Telegraph.
• 15 years after Concorde, supersonic jets are booming back into style - "New laws in the US are breathing fresh life into supersonic air travel."
• 18 most important aircraft of all time - The Telegraph.
• 40th anniversary of Concorde - 40 fascinating facts.
• 737 MAX: Boeing 'inappropriately coached' test pilots, say senators - "Planemaker and US regulator may have tried to cover up important information relating to deadly crashes - official report."
• 747 might be having her finest time - "Queen of the skies: The Boeing 747 is playing a hero's role during Covid-19 crisis."
• A personal ode to the Boeing 747 - "The aviation icon of the louche, nihilistic 1970s."
• A380 superjumbo pulled apart for souvenirs - "Own a piece of the first Airbus A380 to be retired."
• A380's seats pulled out for Covid-19 missions - "Portuguese charter operator Hi Fly has removed most of the seats from its sole A380 in order to make way for more cargo, making it the world's first A380 to be converted for freight."
• Air transports of heads of state and government - Wikipedia.
• Airbus A330-900 Neo Takes Off for the First Time - Wired.
• Airbus Beluga XL spreads its wings at long last - CNN travel.
• Airbus offers a sneak peek at its newest A330-900neo wide-body long-haul airliner - CNN travel.
• Airbus unveils Beluga XL transport airplane - CNN travel.
• Airbus unveils new 'bird of prey' concept plane - CNN travel.
• AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION - Wikipedia.
• Airliner - Wikipedia.
• airlines that have never had a single plane crash - The Telegraph.
• Airplane interiors of the future revealed in 2019 Crystal Cabin Awards - "Would you sleep in windowless cargo hold?"
• An Air Force One that flies at five times the speed of sound? - "There could be a supersonic Air Force One prototype airplane as early as 2025, with the US Air Force getting busy awarding development contracts."
• Antonov An-225: World's biggest unfinished airplane lies hidden in warehouse - CNN travel.
• Are windowless planes the future of travel? - CNN Travel.
• As the 747 Begins Its Final Approach, a Pilot Takes a Flight Down Memory Lane - New York Times.
• Boeing 737: How world's most successful airplane became its most troubled - "Over the course of its long history, the Boeing 737 has acquired more nicknames than any other commercial aircraft. Among them are Baby Boeing, Tin Mouse, Light Twin, Guppy, Bobby, Rudder Rotor, as well as a few less flattering ones, such as Fat Freddy and Dung Beetle."
• Boeing 737 Max given approval to fly again by US regulators - "FAA’s move comes after plane was grounded in March 2019 following two fatal crashes."
• Boeing 747: The plane that shrank the world - "It became an icon of long-haul travel and exotic holidays; Boeing’s 747 could fly more people further than any plane before. Stephen Dowling looks back at an aviation classic 50 years after it was first unveiled."
• Boeing 777X: World’s largest twin-engine jet completes first flight - "Boeing has successfully completed the first test flight of the world's largest twin-engined plane, the 777X."
• Boeing publicises new name for 737 Max planes after crashes - "Statement unveiling new order from Polish airline calls it a 737-8 aircraft first, before noting it is a Max jet."
• Boeing says it will make planes able to fly on 100% biofuel by 2030 - "Aviation giant already staged the world’s first commercial flight using 100% biofuel in 2018."
• Boeing shows its vision for a hypersonic spy aircraft - engadget.
• Boeing's new wing will make jets faster - "Boeing's radical 'transonic' wing design could mean higher, faster airplanes."
• BOEING’S PROPOSED HYPERSONIC PLANE IS REALLY, REALLY FAST - Wired.
• Boom's supersonic jets will pick up where the Concorde left off - engadget.
• Branson reveals prototype for supersonic aircraft - The Guardian.
• British Airways could serve passengers 'digital pill' to monitor in-flight happiness - The Telegraph.
• British Airways retires Boeing 747 fleet as Covid-19 hits travel - "‘Queen of the skies’ unlikely to ever operate commercial services for airline again."
• British Airways retires iconic Boeing 747 fleet - in pictures - "BA has announced it will immediately retire its Boeing 747 planes after a slump in travel caused by the coronavirus crisis."
• Can this airplane seat keep you safe from Covid-19? - "As conversations continue about if, when and how it's safe to be flying, airplane seat designers continue to sketch out concepts for what the future of aviation might look like."
• Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first trans-Atlantic jetliner flight - CNN travel.
• China to take on Boeing, Airbus with homegrown C919 passenger jet - CNN.
• Club Concorde - "The only Concorde Captains' website." Concorde memorabilia & signed photos.
• Colorado startup dreaming up a return to supersonic flight - "Boom Supersonic hopes to test-fly its supersonic plane in 2021."
• Concorde Will Fly Again, Says Group With Massive War Chest - Flight Club.
• Dead zeppelins: Brazilian gravesite is airships' stairway to heaven - "The huge gas-filled aircraft were once a symbol of modernity used to burnish the image of the Nazis. Now a vast hangar near Rio de Janeiro is all that’s left."
• Electric aircraft near take-off - The Telegraph.
• End of the superjumbo: Airbus is giving up on the A380 - "The largest passenger plane ever built promised to revolutionize air travel but failed to deliver on outsized expectations."
• Ferry flying - the flying of aircraft for the purpose of returning to base, delivery to customer when new, moving from one base of operations to another or moving to or from a maintenance facility for maintenance, repair, and operations.
• First look at Boeing's 777X jetliner - "The world's biggest twin-engine jetliner is almost here."
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• Flyer by Kitty Hawk - "Personal Flying Experience."
• Four Seasons ditches Boeing for Airbus for new private jet - "'Four Seasons Jet 2.0' to take flight in 2021."
• Futuristic airplane promises greener travel - "Futuristic Her0 Zero airplane concept promises greener travel."
• Futuristic 'Flying-V' airplane makes successful maiden flight - "Researchers have conducted a successful maiden flight of the Flying-V, a futuristic and fuel efficient airplane that could one day carry passengers in its wings."
• Here's why it costs $100,000 to paint an airplane - "Painting an airplane: Why every layer counts."
• How Airbus Went From Boeing Wannabe to High-Flying Legend - Wired.
• How an airplane engine gets made - "Behind closed doors at the UK headquarters of Rolls-Royce Aerospace, machinery whirs, fans hum and blades screech as some 1,000 people go about the complex task of getting an airplane engine off the ground."
• How it’s possible for a person to be sucked from an airplane mid-flight - The Verge.
• How Many Seats Can You Squeeze On A Plane? 460 Is What This Airline Plans - "Flying long-haul in economy class is rarely an enjoyable experience for most of us. Thinner seats, less legroom, and more middle seats as airlines attempt to generate revenue from every nook and cranny possible on an aircraft."
• How pod planes could change travel forever - "Hypersonics, electric propulsion, triple deckers - think you've seen everything when it comes to new aircraft concepts?"
• How supersonic jets are set to transform travel - The Telegraph.
• How the Airbus A300 changed the world - "Airbus A300: Plane that launched an empire."
• How the A380 superjumbo dream fell apart - "Airbus A380: The wondrous giant that never quite took off."
• How this plane changed the way we travel - "Five ways Boeing's 747 jumbo jet changed travel."
• Huge spelling mistake on Cathay Pacific plane - "Sometimes, a massive typo is right in front of your eyes and you can't see it."
• Hypersonic jet aims to fly London-New York in 90 mins - "Hermeus hypersonic jet aims to fly New York to London in 90 minutes."
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• Inside the superyacht of the skies! £400 Million personalized Boeing 747-8 aircraft - completed by Greenpoint Technologies of Kirkland, Washington. Its incredible 4,786 sq. ft. of space features a stateroom, lounges, an office, and a massive dining room.
• Is Boeing about to call time on the 747? - The Telegraph.
• Is this double-decker seat the future of airplane travel? - "A design that reconfigures airplane cabins with double-decker lie-flat seats in premium economy is being touted as a possible solution for fliers looking for more protection from the spread of Covid-19."
• Japanese Air Force One is up for sale for $28 million - "It's not every day you go shopping for a VIP jumbo jet, but one unique offering is attracting attention online. A Boeing 747-400 which has flown 14 Japanese prime ministers and the country's emperor around the world is up for sale, according to a listing on aviation trade publication Controller."
• Kim Kardashian shows off private 747 - "Kim Kardashian West and husband Kanye West were criticized on social media after posting Instagram videos of their private 747 flight."
• Kitty Hawk Flyer is your own personal electric aircraft - The Verge.
• largest electric plane ever to fly - "As electric planes pass another milestone, Future Planet asks how long will it be before they are ready for everyday aviation? And just how far can they go?"
• Larry Page is quietly amassing a ‘flying car’ empire - "Google co-founder revealed to be owner of Opener, a Canadian startup that just came out of stealth."
• Last ever Airbus A380 superjumbo assembled in France - "A magnificent beast made of four million parts from 30 different countries, the Airbus A380 is the world's largest passenger airliner, and its era is almost at an end."
• List of aircraft manufacturers - Wikipedia.
• List of regional airliners - Wikipedia.
• Lockheed Martin unveils plans for quiet supersonic passenger airplane - "Supersonic successor: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' new design for a quiet supersonic passenger airplane draws on its work with NASA on the X-59."
• Lockheed Martin's hypersonic aircraft plans are taking shape - Its Mach 5-plus tech is becoming seamless and relatively affordable.
• London to New York in 3 hours, 15 minutes? - "How soon will supersonic jets return to our skies?"
• London to New York in an hour by hypersonic jet? Yes - but not quite yet - The Telegraph.
• London to NYC in three hours? - The Telegraph.
• Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 chopped up and recycled into coffee tables - "The afterlife of a decommissioned airplane can take many forms nowadays. Some are dismantled and used as parts, others simply end up in aircraft graveyards, while a select few are reinvented as modern restaurants or hotels."
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• Meet the new Concorde: The supersonic jet that could fly London to New York in under two hours - "Transatlantic flights have never been the same since Concorde flights came to a halt in 2003. Spike Aerospace’s Spike S-512 Supersonic Jet might just be our next greatest opportunity to travel from London to the US in record time."
• Mexico's new government prepares sale of former president's $218m plane - "The big, luxurious airplane used to ferry Mexico’s former president around the globe is about to fly away permanently in one of the first moves by the new president to rid the country of what he has derided as a towering symbol of excess."
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• most popular plane ever built - Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
• Museum of Flight - since 1965. The largest private air and space museum in the world. King County International Airport (Boeing Field), 9404 E. Marginal Way, Tukwila, Washington, U.S.A.
• NASA begins work to build new supersonic jet - "NASA's mission to revolutionize air travel has taken a significant step forward as the space agency starts building its X-59 QueSST supersonic jet."
• NASA explores ‘quiet’ supersonic flight over land - engadget.
• NASA to test 'quiet' supersonic flights - CNN travel.
• New airplane doesn't need an airport - "First ever civilian helicopter-plane hybrid is coming next year."
• 'New Concorde' could be in skies as early as next year - The Telegraph.
• new Concorde? NASA approves plans for quieter supersonic passenger jets - The Telegraph.
• New York to London in three hours? Supersonic jet set for 2021 take off - "Boom supersonic jet set for 2021 take off."
• No passengers, no cargo: This airline has never been busier - "The team at Jet Test and Transport runs a global airline -- but the planes fly on a one-way trip without passengers or cargo. They are experts in ferry flights, moving empty aircraft around the world."
• Opener is the latest startup to reveal plans for a personal aircraft - engadget.
• Pan Am Boeing 377: The luxury airplane with beds in overhead compartments - "The airplane speeds through the sky on its way to London as you dine on tender beef and caviar. Afterward, you make your way to the lower lounge to socialize with other passengers aboard the plane while sipping on a refreshing drink. As the evening winds down, you head up to the main cabin, climb into your overhead compartment bed, and travel across the Atlantic Ocean safely tucked away under soft sheets."
• Parking in a pandemic: Grounded planes scramble for storage space - "At any given time -- pre-coronavirus era -- there were usually as many as 20,000 planes swirling around the planet at altitude. The system isn't designed for that amount of planes to be anywhere else apart from in the air -- the only place they generate revenue. Parking at airports is also pricey. Major European hubs can charge in the region of $285 an hour."
• Qantas Dreamliner completes longest ever commercial flight - "Airline hails achievement after 19-hour New York-to-Sydney flight carrying 50 passengers and crew."
• qatari royal family selling boeing 747-8 private jet - "The Qatari royals have quite a fleet of private jets, known as 'Qatar Amiri Flight.' This fleet of over a dozen jets is owned by the government of Qatar, and is managed by Qatar Airways. These plans are exclusively used by the royal family, and other VIP government staff. One of the Qatar Amiri 747-8s, with the registration code A7-HBJ, is for sale. The 'HBJ' in the registration code has some significance, as that’s commonly how people refer to Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani."
• Regional airliner - Wikipedia.
• Revisiting the luxury & glamour of Concorde - CNN style.
• Richard Branson: ‘Aviation can be carbon neutral sooner than we realise’ - "The relentlessly upbeat entrepreneur believes efficiency and electricity could stop airlines worsening the climate crisis."
• rival to Boeing & Airbus you've probably never heard of - "Beijing hopes it can challenge the bulging order books of the aerospace giants of Seattle and Toulouse."
• Scientists turn CO2 into jet fuel - "It could lead to net zero emissions for air travel."
• 'Space plane' to fly UK to Australia in 4 hours - "Hypersonic 'space plane' promises four-hour London to Sydney flights by 2030s."
• SR-71 Blackbird: The Cold War spy plane that's still the world's fastest aircraft - "During the Cold War, this plane could fly higher and faster than any other -- and 55 years after its first flight, it still does."
• STRATOLAUNCH, THE WORLD'S BIGGEST AIRPLANE, TAKES FLIGHT - "Airplane with world's longest wingspan take flight, beating Spruce Goose record. Stratolaunch jet, brainchild of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, may be used to launch small satellites into space."
• Supersonic flight: will it ever rise out of the ashes of Concorde? - The Guardian.
• Supersonic, nuclear, with lasers: the future of flight - CNN travel.
• Terrifying photoshoot of Concorde's last trip - "Concorde's last flight: Is this the greatest aviation photograph of all time?"
• The aircraft interiors of the future - "Crystal Cabin Awards shortlist spotlights aircraft interiors of the future."
• THE ANCIENT COMPUTERS IN THE BOEING 737 MAX ARE HOLDING UP A FIX - "The perils of fixing a hardware problem with software."
• The birth & death of the A380 superjumbo - "Airbus A380: The wondrous giant that never quite took off."
• The era of big passenger jets is over - CNN Business.
• The hydrogen revolution in the skies - "A record-breaking commercial-scale hydrogen plane has taken off in the UK, with more set to join it soon. How far can such planes go in cutting the aviation industry's emissions?"
• The most dangerous part of every Flight - Travel + Leisure.
• The plane that's become a Covid-19 hero - "Queen of the skies: The Boeing 747 is playing a hero's role during Covid-19 crisis."
• The plane too ahead of its time - "The record-breaking jet which still haunts a country. A decade after the end of World War Two, Canada built a jet which pushed technology to its limits. But its demise showed why smaller nations found it difficult to compete in the Jet Age."
• The slow death of the jumbo jet - The Telegraph.
• This was once the most glamorous way to fly - "Revisiting the luxury and glamour of Concorde."
• Totally new jetliner unveiled for US fliers - "For some folks, flying on a brand new airliner is almost as exciting as riding in a spanking new car."
• Virgin Galactic has its eye on supersonic flights - and there's a difficult road ahead - "Taking a meeting in London at noon and returning to New York in time for dinner? Even before coronavirus, that was just a dream - but a dream business travelers and companies that serve them have clung to for decades."
• Virus could be final call for A380 superjumbo - "Popular with air travelers but expensive to operate at the best of times, the gigantic Airbus A380 passenger plane could be one of the first major airplane casualties of the coronavirus."
• What it was really like to fly on Concorde - CNN travel.
• What You Need to Know About Boeing’s 737 Max - "This popular passenger jet was recently involved in the Lion Air fatal crash. If you’re worried about flying one on your next trip, here is a quick guide to the plane and the airlines that fly it."
• We took an exclusive ride in a flying car - CNN tech.
• What it was really like to go Mach 2 on Concorde - The Verge.
• Where planes go to die: extraordinary aircraft graveyards - The Telegraph.
• Why passenger jets could soon be flying in formation - "Birds are the undisputed masters of aerodynamics. No matter how many supercomputers and wind tunnels scientists throw at solving flight's thorny calculations, they'll never match the perfection of airborne avians."
• Why tomorrow's aircraft will be hybrid - Forbes.
• Wide-body aircraft - Wikipedia.
• World's biggest aircraft nears production - "World's biggest aircraft moves toward commercial model."
• World's largest aircraft floats in giant hangar - The Telegraph.
• World's Largest Passenger Airliner Is in Danger of Being Canceled - TIME Magazine.
• World's longest nonstop flight - "Airbus A350-900ULR set to enter service."
• world's most expensive aircraft - "B-2 Spirit: The $2 billion flying wing."

Top 40 Airliners & Aircraft Manufacturers

• AIR FORCE ONE - (call signs SAM 28000 & 29.000) is the air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States.
• AIRBUS - produces around half of the world's jet airliners.
• Virus could be final call for A380 superjumbo - "Popular with air travelers but expensive to operate at the best of times, the gigantic Airbus A380 passenger plane could be one of the first major airplane casualties of the coronavirus."
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• Airbus A321 - "The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step from the A321LR which responds to market needs for even more range and payload, creating more value for the airlines. From 2023, it will deliver an unprecedented Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700nm - 15% more than the A321LR and with 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft."
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• AIRBUS A350 - "Shaping efficiency for the future of air travel."
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• Airbus A350 XWB - the first Airbus with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer. It can carry 250 to 350 passengers in a typical three-class seating layout, or maximum seating of 440 to 550 passengers, depending on variant. The A350 is positioned as a successor to the A330 and A340, competing with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 777 series.
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• AIRBUS A380 - world's largest commercial airliner.
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• Airbus Beluga | A300-600ST - a version of the standard A300-600 wide-body airliner modified to carry aircraft parts and oversized cargo. It was officially called the Super Transporter at first, but the name Beluga became popular and has now been officially adopted.
• ALENIA AERONAUTICA
• ANTONOV - since 1946. Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company. Antonov's particular expertise is in the fields of very large aeroplanes and aeroplanes using unprepared runways.
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• Antonov 225 Mriya, the successful Soviet Cargo Plane with five facts - "The Antonov 225 Mriya is mostly known for its size. It is the largest aircraft ever made, with a wingspan size of a football field. By comparison, it dominates the double-decker Airbus A380 and still inspires crowds who watch its takeoff and landing. Antonov 225 Mriya, which means “Dream” in Ukrainian is a cargo aircraft that was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukrainian SSR within the Soviet Union during the 1980s under the leadership of Russian engineer, Viktor Tolmachev."
• ANTONOV AN-225 - since 1985. World's largest airplane. It is powered by six turbofan engines and is the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes (710 short tons; 630 long tons). It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service. The single example built has the Ukrainian civil registration UR-82060.
• ATR - (Aerei da Trasporto Regionale or Avions de Transport Régional). "Propelling Tomorrow's World." French-Italian aircraft manufacturer. Its primary products are the ATR 42 and ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliners.
• BOING - since 1916. "If it's not Boing, I ain't going." World's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems.
• 5 coolest buttons in a 747 cockpit - The Telegraph.
• Is Boeing about to call time on the 747? - The Telegraph.
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• BOEING 707 - produced 1958–1979. Developed as Boeing's first jet airliner.
• Boeing 747 - (1968-). Wide-body commercial jet airliner and cargo aircraft, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. Its distinctive "hump" upper deck along the forward part of the aircraft makes it among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and it was the first wide-body produced.
• Boeing 747-400 - (1988-).
• BOING 747-8 - (2008-). "The First Class and Business Class sections of the 747-8 enable airlines to offer passengers the most private and premium accommodations in the sky. So it's no surprise that on high-volume routes the 747-8 offers premium revenue potential. And with more than 400 seats available, this new 747 creates a unique opportunity to maximize the bottom-line potential of any high-volume route. It's premium value, delivered, for operators and passengers. That's a better way to fly."
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• BOEING 777 Family - since 1993.
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• BOEING 777X - since 2020. World’s largest twin-engine jet.
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• BOEING 787 DREAMLINER - since 2007.
• BOING AEROLOFT - located above the main cabin of a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) 747-8 between the upper deck and tail of the airplane. It boasts eight private sleeping berths and a changing room providing a comfortable rest area during flight.
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• BOING C-17 GLOBEMASTER III - world's biggest airplane.
• BOING E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post - aka the 'Doomsday Plane' operated by the United States Air Force.
• BOMBARDIER - "The evolution of mobility."
• C-130 HERCULES - four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft built by Lockheed.
• COMAC | Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd.
• CONCORDE - (1969/1976-2003).
• Concorde Mark 2: Airbus files plans for new supersonic jet - The Telegraph.
• de Havilland Aircraft Company - (1920-1964). Responsible for producing the first passenger jet and other innovative aircraft.
• DESERT AEROSPACE
• EADS | EUROPEAN AERONAUTIC DEFENCE AND SPACE COMPANY
• EMBRAER - third-largest commercial aircraft company in the world.
• FOKKER AIRCRAFT
• FOKKER 50
• FOKKER 70
• FOKKER 100
• GLOBAL HAWK - RQ-4 Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
• ICON AIRCRAFT - sport aircrafts.
• ICON 100 - light sport aircraft.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN
• MARTIN AIRCRAFT COMPANY - the Martin Jetpack.
• NORTHROP GRUMMAN - "A Leader in Global Security."
• ROLLS-ROYCE CIVIL AEROSPACE
• ROLLS-ROYCE DEFENCE AEROSPACE
• SAAB
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• Spike Aerospace - since 2012. "Fly Supersonic. Do More."
• SUKHOI
• SUPERJET INTERNATIONAL
• TUPOLEV
• WYLE'S AEROSPACE GROUP