The BAE Systems Military Air and Information (MA & I) advanced manufacturing and technology facility is based at what was once Samlesbury Aerodrome, near Balderstone, Lancashire. The aerodrome has a rich history in aviation dating back to 1922, when it was first selected as the location for a municipal airport, serving Preston and the North West. It was something of a visionary project given the economy after the First World War and the fact that 'passenger travel' for the masses had yet to be invented.
Despite gaining approvals for the development, construction did not start until April 1939, mainly due to issues around finances and the availability of suitable plant and construction equipment during what is now referred to as 'The Great Depression'. Once construction work began however, the aerodrome expanded quickly and with the outbreak of the Second World War, the English Electric Company were instructed to erect a flight shed for the construction of Handley Page Hampden bombers at the site. With war raging in Europe, the first Samlesbury built Hampdens took off from the aerodrome on 22nd February 1940. Within two years English Electric had produced some 770 Hampden aircraft at the site.
1940 also saw the runways extended and the building of a second assembly and manufacturing facility, this time for the construction of Handley Page Halifax bombers. By the end of the war, and total of 2,145 Halifax’s had been produced at Samlesbury.
During the final years of the conflict Samlesbury became home to numerous Hawker Hurricanes and Airspeed Oxfords, all under the control of No.9 Group RAF, and by the end of the war, the site had been expanded to five main hangars and three runways. Immediately after the war, English Electric Aviation turned to creating their own aircraft and Samlesbury soon saw the maiden flight on 13th May 1949 of the English Electric Canberra, the company's first wholly-built and designed aircraft. The Canberra was produced in great quantities with over 900 examples being constructed across the UK, these being joined by 49 aircraft built under licence in Australia and in one of the greatest Anglo-American collaborations, over 400 were built by Glenn L. Martin Company in the USA as the B-57.
From 1953 onwards, attention shifted to the new English Electric Lightning Fighter / Interceptor with the first three prototypes (WG760, WG763 and WG765) being hand built at Samlesbury. The first production English Electric Lightning took to the skies over Samlesbury on 3rd November 1959 and when the English Electric Aviation became part of the British Aircraft Corporation (under the rationalisation of the aircraft industry in 1963), the site played a major part in the development and production of high-tech components for the ill-fated BAC TSR-2, as well as the iconic supersonic airliner BAC Concorde.
Samlesbury continued to work closely with the nearby Warton and Preston factories in the development and production of the joint-venture Sepecat Jaguar and Panavia Tornado jet fighters.
In 1999, British Aerospace merged with the avionics divisions of Marconi Electronic Systems to form a new company known as BAE Systems. Samlesbury continued to be an important manufacturing site for this new entity. In addition to work on the new F-35 Lightning II, the site also produces major components for Eurofighter Typhoon and the T-45 Goshawk, and currently employs around 3,000 people involved in fuselage and component manufacture. Samlesbury is also home to BAE Systems ASK Centre (Academy for Skills and Knowledge), a dedicated training academy where over 200 apprentices and graduates are trained in advanced engineering and manufacturing technology including robotics and clean room composites, as well as 3D printing and enhanced technologies.