Royal Aircraft Establishment

The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) England, was a British research establishment latterly under the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The first site was at Farnborough Airfield ("RAE Farnborough") in Hampshire to which was added a second site RAE Bedford (Bedfordshire) in 1946. The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment was incorporated into the RAE around the start of the Second World War, the marine side relocating from Felixstowe on the vu... more

The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) England, was a British research establishment latterly under the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The first site was at Farnborough Airfield ("RAE Farnborough") in Hampshire to which was added a second site RAE Bedford (Bedfordshire) in 1946. The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment was incorporated into the RAE around the start of the Second World War, the marine side relocating from Felixstowe on the vulnerable East Anglian coast to Helensburgh in Scotland. In 1988 it was renamed the Royal Aerospace Establishment before merging with other research entities to become the new Defence Research Agency in 1991. It was created in 1908 as HM Balloon Factory. In October that year Samuel Cody made the first aeroplane flight in Britain at Farnborough. In 1911 it was renamed the Royal Aircraft Factory (RAF). Among its designers was Geoffrey de Havilland who later founded his own company, and Henry Folland - later chief designer at Gloster Aircraft... less