Subaru Has An Airplane And Helicopter Business You Might Not Know About

If you've ever seen drivers rallying done America successful WRX racecars, you cognize it's not uncommon for Subarus to walk a definite magnitude of clip disconnected nan ground. However, what you mightiness not recognize is that Subaru not only had its origins successful nan aeronautics manufacture — it continues to build airplanes and helicopters to this day.

It's a agelong and twisting communicative that started pinch Chikuhei Nakajima, who sewage willing successful flying aft he retired from nan Japanese Navy. He opened nan Aircraft Research Laboratory — sometimes translated arsenic nan Airplane Institute — successful 1917 to effort to grow nan domiciled of nationalist aviation successful nan country. Soon rebranded arsenic Nakajima Aircraft, nan institution became heavy progressive successful Japan's subject efforts during World War II, aft which it was surgery up into complete 15 pieces.

The adjacent move came successful 1953. That's erstwhile 5 of those companies sewage backmost together again to shape Fuji Heavy Industries to proceed supporting aviation. The institution soon expanded into car manufacturing and launched its first prototype — soon to beryllium renamed and sold arsenic nan Subaru 1500 — successful 1954.

The last portion of nan puzzle came successful 2016, erstwhile Fuji Heavy Industries changed its sanction to nan Subaru Corporation, reflecting nan accrued marque consciousness for its much-loved cars and SUVs. Technically, it's that Subaru — nan umbrella corp — that owns nan aerospace business.

The Subaru Corporation offers a three-pronged attack to aeronautics, pinch abstracted departments for commercialized aircraft, subject aircraft, and helicopters. 

Subaru's main commercialized efforts halfway astir its narration pinch Boeing. That narration dates backmost to 1973, erstwhile Subaru began providing components for Boeing rider planes. Subaru now chiefly builds halfway helping boxes astatine its Handa Plant successful nan Aichi Prefecture for nan Boeing 777, the perpetually delayed Boeing 777X, and nan Boeing 787. These structures are utilized to connect nan wings to nan airplane's fuselage, shop fuel, and supply wells for nan main landing gear, making them beautiful important. 

The aforesaid works besides makes parts for patrol and carrier planes meant for Japan's Ministry of Defense. Japan doesn't person a accepted military, but it does clasp Self-Defense Forces, and Subaru is heavy progressive successful Japan's military-industrial analyzable — benignant of for illustration nan folks astatine GM Defense. 

So Subaru besides builds nan T-5 trainer for nan Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. This is simply a turboprop craft pinch side-by-side seating to thief train pilots. However, dissimilar astir Subarus, it skips a homegrown Boxer-style engine for Rolls-Royce power. Subaru antecedently built nan T-7 arsenic well, and that remains portion of nan Self Defense fleet though it's scheduled for replacement starting successful 2030.

It whitethorn beryllium getting excessively basking for helicopters to fly successful immoderate places, but they're still a halfway pillar of Subaru's aerospace ventures. Credit for that goes to Subaru's ongoing business pinch Bell Textron, an American institution known for its subject helicopters, among different things. It was Bell's UH-1 Iroquois, known arsenic nan Huey, that crowded nan skies during nan Vietnam War.

Subaru and Bell began moving together successful 1960, and Subaru started building nan commercially focused Fuji-Bell 204B chopper successful 1964. (Don't forget, nan Subaru Corporation utilized to beryllium called Fuji Heavy Industries.)

Today, Subaru manufactures nan Subaru Bell 412EPX chopper connected a level it developed together pinch Bell for civilian usage and for usage by Japan's Coast Guard. Subaru further engineered a modified version, called nan UH-2, for nan Japan Ground Self Defense Force, and nan company's subject cognition moreover extends to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, aliases drones). Indeed, Subaru has carved retired a world activity position for drone safety. 

As for nan future, well, nan building is low-hanging fruit, but you could opportunity nan sky's nan limit for Subaru — some connected nan crushed and successful nan air.