Editing Short Brothers (section)

==History==

===Early years===
[[File:Short brothers.jpg|thumb|right| left-to-right: Oswald (1883–1969), Horace (1872–1917), and Eustace Short (1875–1932) at Mussell Manor 1909.]]
[[File:Muswell-Manor.jpg|thumb|right|Muswell Manor, the Royal Aero Club clubhouse]]
The Short Brothers business started in 1897 when Eustace Short (1875–1932) bought a second-hand [[coal gas]] filled [[Balloon (aircraft)|balloon]], and, with his brother [[Oswald Short|Oswald]], started a company to develop and manufacture balloons.<ref>Barnes 1967, p. 3</ref> In 1900, the two brothers visited the [[1900 Paris Exposition]] ('World's Fair'), where they saw the balloons of [[Édouard Surcouf]] (of [[Société Astra]]), who had developed a method of constructing truly spherical balloons.

In 1902, the brothers started offering balloons for sale.  They manufactured the balloons at [[Hove, Sussex]], in premises above the acoustic laboratory run by a third brother, Horace (2 July 1872 – 6 April 1917). In 1903, when Horace left to work on steam turbine development with [[Charles Algernon Parsons|Charles Parsons]], Eustace and Oswald moved their workshop to rented accommodation in London, then again to railway arches in [[Battersea]], conveniently situated next to Battersea gas-works.

In 1905, they won a contract for three balloons for the [[British Indian Army]]. The quality of their work impressed Colonel [[James Templer (balloon aviator)|James Templer]], superintendent of the [[Royal Balloon Factory]], who introduced the brothers to [[Charles Rolls]]. Rolls commissioned them to build him a large balloon to compete in the 1906 [[Gordon Bennett Cup (ballooning)|Gordon Bennett Cup]] balloon race. More orders soon followed from other members of the [[Aero Club of Great Britain]] (later Royal Aero Club).<ref>Barnes 1967, pp. 1–6</ref>

In 1908, on hearing reports from Aero Club members who had seen the [[Wright brothers]]' demonstrations of their aircraft at [[Le Mans]] in France, Oswald Short reportedly said to Eustace, "This is the finish of ballooning: we must begin building aeroplanes at once, and we can't do that without Horace!"<ref>Barnes 1967, p. 6</ref> Oswald succeeded in persuading Horace to leave his job with Parsons, and in November 1908 they registered their partnership under the name Short Brothers. Two orders for aircraft were soon received, one from Charles Rolls, who ordered a [[glider (aircraft)|glider]], and the other from [[Francis McClean]], a member of the Aero Club who later bought several more aircraft from Short Brothers, and also acted as an unpaid test-pilot. At the end of 1908 Horace started work on the two designs, and in early 1909 construction was started of McClean's aircraft, the [[Short No.1 biplane]]. In March 1909 it was exhibited, without its fabric covering, at the first British Aero Show held at [[Olympia (London)|Olympia]]. The brothers had obtained the British rights to build copies of the [[Wright Model A|Wright design]].<ref>Barnes, pp. 6–8</ref>

[[File:HMS Hibernia first ship aircraft takeoff 1912 IWM Q 71041.jpg|thumb|Commander [[Charles Rumney Samson|C. R. Samson]] making the first take-off from a moving ship, May 1912]]

In February 1909, Shorts started construction of a new workshop on unobstructed marshland at Leysdown, near [[Shellbeach]] on the [[Isle of Sheppey]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Birth of Military Aviation|last=Driver|first=Hugh|publisher=Boydell Press for the Royal Historical Society|location=Woodbridge, Suffolk |year= 1990|isbn=0-86193-234-X |page=65}}</ref> This had been acquired by the Aero Club for use as a flying ground, together with Mussell Manor (now known as "Muswell Manor"), which became its clubhouse. Construction of an initial batch of six aircraft was started immediately. Short Brothers thus became the first aircraft manufacturing company in the world to undertake volume production of an aircraft design. Here the [[Dunne D.5]], the first [[tailless aircraft]], was also built under contract.  In 1910 the Royal Aero Club and Short Brothers moved to a larger and less marshy ground at [[Eastchurch airfield|Eastchurch]], about {{cvt|2.5|mi}} away. At this time the Royal Aero Club had offered the Admiralty the use of the flying field and Frank McClean had agreed to act as an instructor, so beginning a close association between Short Brothers and the Naval Air Service, whose first pilots were trained using [[Short S.27]] pusher biplanes.

In 1911, Shorts built one of the world's first successful twin-engine aircraft, the [[Short S.27#Short Triple Twin|Triple Twin]]. Construction started on a long series of naval aircraft floatplanes, starting with the Short S.26. In 1913, Gordon Bell became Shorts' first professional test pilot:  he was succeeded by Ronald Kemp in 1914. Kemp could not handle the volume of flight testing and development alone and, by 1916, other pilots were employed on a freelance basis. One of these was [[John Lankester Parker]]. In 1918 Parker succeeded Kemp as Shorts' Chief [[test pilot|Test Pilot]], a post he was to occupy for the next 27 years.<ref>Barnes 1967, pp. 8–12, 120</ref> In 2013 a statue of the brothers was unveiled in memory of their contribution to early aviation, by local artist Barbara Street to stand on the site of the Aero Club clubhouse at Muswell manor.

=== First World War ===

[[File:Short_Brothers_Statue.jpg|thumb|Short Brothers Statue at the site of their aero club (Musswell Manor, Isle of Sheppey)]]
By the outbreak of [[World War I]] Shorts were already building a variety of aircraft. Production really started to expand during the war, for example for the [[Short Type 184|Short Admiralty Type 184]] (or simply "Short S.184"). On 15 August 1915, during the [[Battle of Gallipoli]], a Short S.184 was the first aircraft to attack a ship with a live torpedo. Flying from {{HMS|Ben-my-Chree||6}}, piloted by Flight Commander [[Charles Edmonds]], it hit a [[Turkey|Turkish]] supply ship in the [[Dardanelles]].<ref>The supply ship had already been hit by a torpedo from the submarine HMS E14 4 days earlier, and had run aground. See [[Short Type 184]] for further details</ref> In terms of number built, the S.184 was Shorts' most successful pre-[[World War II|Second World War]] aircraft: over 900 were produced, many under licence by other manufacturers. A landplane version of the S.184 was also sold to the [[Royal Flying Corps]] as the [[Short Bomber]].<ref>Barnes 1967, p. 113</ref>

During the First World War, Shorts were among the manufacturers of two flying boats, the [[Felixstowe F3|F.3]] and [[Felixstowe F5|F.5]], designed by [[John Cyril Porte|John Porte]] at the [[Seaplane Experimental Station]], Felixstowe. When the war ended, some 50 of these were being built at Rochester.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 16</ref>

==== Expansion at Rochester ====
[[File:Short 184.jpg|thumb|Short 184 floatplane]]
Due to the company's success, and the increasing number of seaplanes being produced, larger premises with ready access to the sea were needed. At that time, seaplanes were taken by road to Queenborough, then loaded onto [[Lighter (barge)|lighters]] to be taken to the [[Royal Naval Air Service|RNAS]] seaplane station on [[Isle of Grain]] to be launched and tested.<ref name=Hanson>Hanson, Richard. ''Borstal: Short Brothers''.[http://www.borstal.org.uk] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050802104641/http://www.borstal.org.uk/ |date=2 August 2005 }} {{cite web |url=http://www.borstal.org.uk/history/shorts.shtml |title=Short Brothers by Richard Hanson |access-date=2009-05-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118194510/http://www.borstal.org.uk/history/shorts.shtml |archive-date=18 November 2008 |df=dmy-all }} Access date: 15 January 2007.</ref> In 1913, an 8.4 acre (3.4 hectare) plot of land by the [[river Medway]] about 20&nbsp;miles (32&nbsp;km) away at [[Borstal, Kent|Borstal]],<ref name=Hanson/> near [[Rochester, Kent]], was purchased from Charles Willis (a local [[councillor]]), and the planning and construction work started.<ref name=Cassidy>Cassidy, Brian. Flying Empires: Short "C" class Empire flying boats. Queens Parade Press, 2004. [http://www.users.waitrose.com/~mbcass/Flying%20Empires.pdf] Access date: 15 January 2007.</ref> By early 1915, the first facility of what was to become known as the Seaplane Works was completed: No.1 Erecting Shop. As this and the No.2 and No.3 shops became available, the workforce moved from the Eastchurch factory. No.3 shop was completed in 1917. A long concrete [[slipway]] was constructed from the centre-line of No.3 Erecting Shop to enable aircraft of up to 20 tons weight to be launched even at low tide.<ref name=Cassidy/>

====Airships at Cardington====
In 1916, Short Brothers was awarded a contract to build two large [[dirigible]] [[airships]] for the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]]. As part of the contract, a loan was provided to enable the company to purchase a site near [[Cardington, Bedfordshire]], on which to build airship construction facilities. As a result, the company concentrated on the construction of heavier-than-air aeroplanes in the Isle of Sheppey/Rochester area, and balloons and dirigibles at Cardington. A housing estate built by the company near Cardington to house its employees still bears the name [[Shortstown]].<ref>Barnes & James 1989, p. 15</ref> In 1919, the name of the company was changed to Short Brothers (Rochester and Bedford) Ltd., but nationalisation the same year ended the Short brothers' involvement with the company, which became the [[Cardington, Bedfordshire|Royal Airship Works]].

===1920s and 1930s===
[[File:Short Sunderland.jpg|thumb|[[Short Sunderland]], operated by the RAF and Commonwealth during the Second World War]]
During the immediate post-war years the economic climate was difficult for the aircraft industry in the United Kingdom. Shorts survived without reducing the company's workforce by diversifying into areas such as building lightweight bus and tram bodies.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 19.</ref> During the 1920s and 1930s, [[flying boats]] were favoured for long-range civil aviation, because their operation did not rely on the existence of suitable airfields, which were not widespread at the time. Shorts took to the flying boat market, and in 1924 constructed a {{convert|350|ft|m|abbr=on}} testing tank for testing hull and float designs. Shorts designed the floats used for the [[Supermarine S.4]] and [[Gloster III]] seaplanes entered by the United Kingdom for the 1925 [[Schneider Trophy]] race. [[Alan Cobham]]'s [[de Havilland DH.50]] (G-EBFO) was also fitted with Shorts floats at Rochester. On 30 June 1926, Cobham then started a flight to Australia from the Medway. Two [[de Havilland Giant Moth]]s were fitted with Shorts floats at Rochester, and the first was flown in June 1928; both were delivered to Western Canada Airlines Ltd.

In 1924, Shorts produced the first of a series of three designs known as the '''Singapore'''. In 1927, the [[Short Singapore|Singapore I]] was used by Sir Alan Cobham, when he, his wife, and crew made a survey of Africa which covered about 23,000 miles. Shorts then started design work on the [[Short S.8 Calcutta|Short Calcutta]], based on the Singapore layout but larger and more powerful,  which began service with [[Imperial Airways]] in August 1928.  By April 1929 two more had been added to the fleet, and they operated passenger-preferred coastal routes from [[Genoa]] to [[Alexandria]] by way of [[Athens]], [[Corfu]], [[Naples]], and [[Rome]]. Several Calcuttas were used on shorter routes, and were instrumental in permitting long-range airline services between outposts of the [[British Empire]]. Shorts followed the production of four Calcuttas with the larger [[Short Kent|Kent]], following with a series of still larger aircraft designs such as the [[Short Empire]], the first of which was launched on 2 July 1936. The Empire was commissioned off the drawing board by Imperial Airways (later [[BOAC]]), to operate the UK's Empire Airmail scheme.

A year later Shorts won a British government defence contract for the  [[Short Sunderland|Sunderland]] military patrol flying boat. Sharing a similar design, but incorporating some aerodynamic and hydrodynamic advances, and a more rounded top of the fuselage that incorporated several gunner's positions. Dreaded by [[U-boats]], it was claimed by the British propaganda people that the Germans called it "The Flying Porcupine" (''Fliegendes Stachelschwein'' in German), although no evidence supports their contention. In 1933, Shorts opened a new factory at [[Rochester Airport (Kent)|Rochester Airport]], which was becoming increasingly important for the landplanes the company was producing. The Eastchurch premises was closed in 1934, and in the same year Shorts purchased the engine manufacturer [[Pobjoy]], which had moved to Rochester Airport to be near Shorts and had collaborated on its latest designs.

On 5 July 1937, a Short Empire was used by [[Imperial Airways]] for the first westbound transatlantic service from [[Foynes]], [[Ireland]] to [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]].<ref>[http://iwn.iwai.ie/v28i4/flying_boats_foynes.PDF Service from Foynes, Republic of Ireland] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070413042855/http://iwn.iwai.ie/v28i4/flying_boats_foynes.PDF |date=13 April 2007 }}</ref>

===First moves to Belfast===
In 1936, the [[Air Ministry]] established a new aircraft factory at [[Belfast]], and created a new company '''Short & Harland Ltd''', owned 50% each by [[Harland and Wolff]] and Shorts. The first products of the new factory were 50 [[Bristol Bombay]]s followed by 150 [[Handley-Page Hereford]] [[bomber]]s.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 28.</ref>

Shorts work on seaplanes eventually culminated in the [[Short Sandringham]] and [[Short Seaford]], both based on the Empire/Sunderland boats. These flying boats had enough range to operate as a transatlantic [[airliner]], but largely served the post-war Empire ([[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]) market, in competition with 4-engined land planes such as modified [[Avro Lancaster]]s, [[Avro Lancastrian]] and [[Avro York]].

[[Tasman Empire Airways Limited]] (TEAL) operated the ''Coral Route'' from [[New Zealand]] to [[Fiji]], the [[Cook Islands]] and [[Tahiti]] in the South Pacific, with [[Short Solent]] flying boats up to 1960.

===Second World War===
[[File:Short Brothers HQ Belfast close.jpg|thumb|Short Brothers HQ in Belfast, constructed in 1941]]
During the [[Battle of Britain]], the Rochester factory was heavily bombed by the [[Luftwaffe]], and several Stirlings and other aircraft were destroyed, and during Easter week of 1941, Belfast and the aircraft factory were subjected to the [[Belfast Blitz|worst single air-raid the UK had seen outside London]]. To prevent raids from limiting production, satellite factories near Belfast were operated at Aldergrove and Maghaberry, producing 232 Stirlings between them.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 388</ref> A temporary Short's factory was established at White Cross Bay, [[Windermere]],<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 368</ref> that produced 35 [[Short Sunderland|Sunderland]] Mark IIIs. [[Austin Motors]] at Longbridge, Birmingham also produced over 600 [[Short Stirling|Stirlings]], and [[Blackburn Aircraft]] produced 240 Sunderlands at its [[British shadow factories|shadow factory]] in Dumbarton, Scotland.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 541</ref>

During the [[World War II|Second World War]], the Short Sunderland was an effective anti-submarine [[patrol bomber]] operated by [[RAF Coastal Command]] in the [[Battle of the Atlantic (1940)|Battle of the Atlantic]], the [[Mediterranean]], in Asia and the south Pacific because of its availability, endurance and weapon load. It also carried out air-sea rescue operations. In the absence of sufficient Sunderlands, Australia impressed Qantas-Imperial Short Empire flying boats into military service, and used these successfully especially on reconnaissance missions in the [[Timor Sea]] area.

A much enlarged transatlantic development of the Empire, the '''[[Short S.26|S.26 G-Class]]''' was developed, but only three completed before the war resulted in further production being cancelled.

Short's work on the Sunderland also won it the contract for the '''[[Short Stirling]]''' four-engine bomber-transport for the RAF. This was essentially a land-based Sunderland, however its use of a now outdated thick-section, low [[aspect ratio]] wing to facilitate it going into service quickly limited climb and ceiling, and design decisions, such as the use of cells for individual bombs limited its long term usefulness as a heavy bomber when it proved incapable of carrying the newer larger bombs that didn't fit in the cells. As it was intended as a stopgap pending the delivery of the [[Handley Page Halifax]] and [[Avro Manchester]] bombers, it followed the RAF tradition of also being a transport aircraft, with a cabin useful for troops and cargo, in which role it was used once the Halifax and [[Avro Lancaster]] were available in large enough numbers. Attempts by Shorts to sell improved versions to the RAF were ignored, not least over concerns regarding Oswald's leadership and alcoholism.

In 1944, the '''[[Short Shetland]]''', a high-speed, long-range, four-engined flying-boat, was built (with [[Saunders-Roe]] providing the wings and detail design work), but the  project was abandoned shortly after the end of the war, however conversions and developments of the Sunderland entered service as transports, starting during the war with the '''[[Short Hythe|Hythe]]''', which was a demilitarized Sunderland with the turrets faired over, then the post-war '''[[Short Sandringham|Sandringham]]''', which refined the shape to eliminate the turret mountings, and finally by the definitive '''[[Short Solent|Solent]]''', with an enlarged tail and more powerful engines and other refinements derived from the stillborn wartime '''[[Short Seaford|Seaford]]''', which was to have been the penultimate Sunderland development.

In 1943, the Government nationalised Short's under Defence Regulation 78. Oswald Short, who had resigned as Chairman in January of that year, remained as Honorary Life President.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 30</ref>

===Postwar===
[[File:Short Sperrin Gyron engine.jpg|thumb|right|Short Sperrin [[de Havilland Gyron|Gyron]] test bed (lower port engine) at [[Farnborough Airshow|Farnborough SBAC Airshow]], September 1955]]
[[File:C-23.jpg|thumb|US military version of the [[Shorts 330]], the company's most successful modern aircraft after the [[Shorts 360]].]]
[[File:Short 360, Short Skyvan and Short 330 at 1982 Farnborough Airshow.jpg|thumb|A [[Short 360]], [[Short Skyvan]] and [[Short 330]] at the 1982 [[Farnborough Airshow]].]]
[[File:ShortFJX.png|thumb|The cancelled Short FJX [[regional jet]]]]

By 1947, all of Shorts other wartime factories had been closed, and operations concentrated in Belfast. In 1948, the company offices followed, and Shorts became a Belfast company in its entirety. In the meantime, in 1947, Short Brothers (Rochester and Bedford) Ltd. had merged with Short and Harland Limited to become '''Short Brothers and Harland Limited''', with Oswald Short remaining as Life President.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 32</ref>

In the 1950s, Shorts was involved in much pioneering research, including designing and building the VTOL [[Short SC.1|Short SC1]], the [[Short SB5]] and the [[Short SB.4 Sherpa]]. Shorts built the [[Short Sperrin]], a backup jet engine bomber design in case the [[V bomber]] projects failed, and the [[Short Seamew]], a cheap-to-produce anti-submarine reconnaissance and attack aircraft intended for the [[Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve]] squadrons, but the Sperrin was not needed and the RNVR squadrons disbanded. In the 1950s, Shorts also received sub-contracts to build 150 [[English Electric Canberra]]s, and on 30 October 1952, the first of those made its maiden flight. Of these types, Shorts delivered 60 Canberra B.2s, 49 Canberra B.6s and 23 Canberra P.R.9s, the remaining 18 being cancelled by the Government in 1957.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 508</ref> Further work was involved in the conversion of time-expired Canberra B.2s into unmanned radio-controlled missile target aircraft. Two prototypes and 10 production Canberra U.10s were produced, followed by six improved Canberra U.14s. These aircraft were controlled from the ground by [[VHF]] radio, and were equipped to provide feedback on their own performance, as well as that of the missiles aimed at them.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 509</ref> As early as 1953, Shorts became involved with pioneering the development of electronic [[analogue computer]]s, to assist with the design of increasingly complex aircraft.<ref>Shorts Quarterly Review, Vol. 2 No. 3, Autumn 1953, p.1.</ref>

In 1954, the [[Bristol Aeroplane Company]] became a 15.25% shareholder in Shorts, and the company used the injection of funds to set up a production line for the [[Bristol Britannia]] [[turbo-prop]] airliner, known in the press as ''The Whispering Giant''. Although it was originally intended that 35 Britannias should be built by Shorts, a shortage of work at Bristol led to this number being reduced. Eventually, 15 Britannias were completed by Shorts; five sets of Britannia components were sent to Filton and used on the continued production there of Britannias.<ref>Barnes and James 1989, p. 510</ref>

In the 1960s, Shorts found a niche for a new short-haul [[Cargo aircraft|freighter]] aircraft and responded with the [[Short SC.7 Skyvan]]. The Skyvan is most remembered for its box-like, slab-sided appearance and rectangular twin tail units, but the aircraft was well loved for its performance and loading. It served almost the same performance niche as the [[de Havilland Twin Otter]], and the Skyvan proved more popular in the freighter market due to the large rear cargo door that allowed it to handle bulky loads with ease. Skyvans can still be found around the world today.

The heavy lift freighter [[Short Belfast|Short SC.5 Belfast]] flew for the first time in 1964. Only 10 were built for the [[Royal Air Force]]. In the 1970s, Shorts entered the [[feederliner]] market with the [[Shorts 330]], a stretched modification of the Skyvan, called the C-23 Sherpa in USAF service, and another stretch resulted in the more streamlined [[Shorts 360]], in which a more conventional central fin superseded the older H-profiled twin fins.

In 1988, the proposed development was announced of a [[regional jet]] seating 44 passengers and to be called the FJX. The aircraft would have been a competitor to the [[Bombardier CRJ200|Bombardier CRJ100]] that was also in development at the time,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%200560.html |title= The 50-seat jetliner |work= Flight International |date= 4 March 1989}}</ref> but the FJX was cancelled after Short Brothers' sale to Bombardier.<ref>{{cite web|last=O’Keeffe|first=Niall|title=Boom and bust, the regional jet phenomenon|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/in-focus-boom-and-bust-the-regional-jet-phenomenon-370541/|publisher=Flight International|access-date=10 April 2012}}</ref>

=== Loyalist paramilitaries ===
In 1987 [[Ulster loyalism|loyalists]] working at Shorts erected loyalist flags and bunting to intimidate the Catholic workers. The loyalist workers went on strike after management removed the loyalist flags from the shop floor.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-08-21|title=NI 1987 State papers: 'Wildcat' strikes over flags at Shorts revealed|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-33992639|access-date=2021-03-20}}</ref>

In April 1989, three Northern Irish men, [[Noel Little]], Samuel Quinn and James King, were arrested in Paris and later convicted of "arms trafficking and associating with criminals involved in terrorist activities."<ref name=ind>{{cite news |last=McKittrick |first=David  |date=29 October 1991 |title=Arms from Africa fuel paramilitary terror= |work=The Independent |location=London }}</ref> They were accused of having stolen missile parts and documents related to Shorts' products. Also arrested were arms dealer Douglas Bernhardt and a South African diplomat.<ref name=ind />

In 1993 a Catholic sub-contractor at Shorts was shot dead and five others injured in a loyalist attack on a mini-bus full of Catholic workmen in an attack to discourage Catholics from taking jobs at Shorts.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-10-22|title=Catholic shot dead in ambush: Attack on workmen in mini-bus seen as loyalist warning to workers at Shorts aerospace factory|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/catholic-shot-dead-in-ambush-attack-on-workmen-in-minibus-seen-as-loyalist-warning-to-workers-at-shorts-aerospace-factory-1510516.html|access-date=2021-03-20|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref>

===Belfast City Airport===
In 1937, Shorts established an airfield in central Belfast, beside the factory. This became Sydenham Airport and, from 1938 to 1939, was Belfast's main civilian airport. During the Second World War, the airfield was requisitioned by the Royal Navy. Shorts continued to use the airfield until production of complete aircraft ceased, despite [[Nutts Corner]], a former RAF base, becoming Belfast's main airport (Nutts Corner was itself superseded in 1963 by [[Belfast International Airport|Aldergrove]]). In 1983, following interest from airlines and customers, the airfield was opened for commercial flights as Belfast Harbour Airport (later Belfast City Airport (BCA), now [[George Best Belfast City Airport]]). Following major capital investment, Bombardier sold BCA for £35 million in 2003.

===Bombardier===
In 1977, the company changed its name back to Short Brothers, and in 1984 it became a [[public limited company]] in preparation for privatisation. The government announced the sale of Shorts to [[Bombardier Inc|Bombardier]] on 7 June 1989 for £30&nbsp;million. As part of the sale, the government agreed (at the insistence of then-Chancellor [[John Major]])<ref>{{cite book|author=John Major|title=John Major: The Autobiography|publisher= Phoenix Books|year=1999|page=110}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Anthony Seldon|title=Major: A Political Life|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|year=1997|page=82}}</ref> to write off £390 million of the company's "accumulated losses and inject another £390 million to recapitalise the group and cover current and future losses, capital investment and training."<ref>
{{cite news
 | first= Michael
 | last= Harrison
 | title= Shorts sold to Bombardier
 | work= [[The Independent]]
 | date= 1989-06-08
}}
</ref>
Bombardier beat a bid from [[General Electric Company]] and [[Fokker]]. [[Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm]] had withdrawn before final offers were submitted.<ref>
{{cite news
 | title= Bombardier of Canada Wins Competition to Buy Short Brothers
 | work= [[Aviation Week & Space Technology]]
 | page= 63
 | date= 1989-06-12
}}
</ref>
The sale was finalised on 4 October 1989.<ref>
{{cite news
 | title= Shorts is private
 | work= [[Flight International]]
 | date= 1989-10-14
}}
</ref>

In 1993, with the company under the chairmanship of [[Roy McNulty|Sir Roy McNulty]], Bombardier Shorts and [[Thomson-CSF]] formed a joint venture, [[Shorts Missile Systems]], for the design and development of very short-range, air defence missiles for the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|UK Ministry of Defence]] and armed forces worldwide using expertise dating back to the 1950s. In 2000, Thomson-CSF bought Bombardier's 50% share to become the sole owner of Shorts Missile Systems, renaming it [[Thales Air Defence]] in 2001.

===Spirit AeroSystems===
On 31 October 2019, Bombardier announced the sale of its aerostructures activities to [[Spirit AeroSystems]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=John |title=Bombardier NI operations sold to US firm |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-50246299 |work=BBC News |date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> The sale closed in November 2020 following regulatory approval and a renegotiated price due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=spirt-completes />