page_title: Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group
section_title: Postwar
hierarchical_section_title: Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group / History / Postwar
caption_attribution_description: Lockheed C-130K Hercules C3 of the RAF (identifier 307) taxiing for take off at the Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. (Note that, although the white lettering under the wing looks added later, I promise I did not.)
context_page_description: Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group is an aircraft maintenance, modification and design company located at Cambridge Airport, which it also owns and operates.
  Formerly known as Marshall's of Cambridge, it was originally founded by David Gregory Marshall in 1909. Initially operating chauffeur services, the firm soon branched out into vehicle repair and dealership activities. During the 1930s, Marshall's became increasingly engaged in aviation; by the end of the Second World War, the company had trained in excess of 20,000 aircrew for service within the Royal Air Force. It was also engaged repair and modification of military aircraft during the conflict; it has been claimed that Marshall's performed work on over 5,000 aircraft.
  During the postwar era, the Marshall companies have been involved in aerospace and specialist vehicle engineering; Marshall Aerospace forming a major part of the Marshall Group. The company performs all aspects of design, manufacture, maintenance, modification, conversion and logistic support of military, commercial and business aircraft.
context_section_description: Marshall Motor Group rapidly flourished in the postwar era; various new garages were soon established to serve Peterborough, Bedford, and neighbouring smaller towns. During the 1950s and 1960s, the firm found work in modifying hundreds of various civil airliners, including the Vickers Viscount, the first turboprop airliner, and de Havilland Comets, the first jet-powered airliner, and the Bristol Britannia. Marshall's was also involved with the National Research Development Corporation, assisting Francis Thomas Bacon in the invention of the fuel cell. Around this time, Michael Marshall became the company's CEO. He managed the company for several decades, during which time it became one of the largest privately owned businesses in Britain.
   
  Since 1966, Marshall Aerospace has been the designated support company for the Royal Air Force's fleet of C-130 Hercules. It has been formally recognised as a Sister Design Authority for the type since 1988. The company oversaw the introduction of RAF's 25 second generation C-130J Super Hecules fleet, as well as the retirement of half of the service's first generation aircraft. In addition to its domestic support operations, Marshall Aerospace has supported various international operators' own Hercules fleets. Marshall Group has also signed multiple agreements with US defense conglomerate Lockheed Martin to manufacture various components of the Super Hercules on behalf of the latter's for the global supply chain.
  Marshall Aerospace functioned as the design authority for the RAF's fleet of Lockheed TriStar tanker and freighter aircraft; as well as the appointed sister design authority for the RAF's Boeing E-3D Sentry. It undertook major maintenance and modification activity on these types, plus a range of other military and commercial aircraft. Notable design achievements include the design and production of Concorde's droop nose and visor in 1967, and a vestibular sled for medical research which flew 112 orbits in Space Shuttle Challenger on STS-61-A in 1985. Marshall Aerospace has also performed a variety of passenger to tanker and freighter aircraft conversions. One unusual project was the conversion of a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar airliner into a launch vehicle for a satellite delivery system, on behalf of Orbital Sciences. Marshall Aerospace was the designated industrial body involved in the Vulcan to the Sky  project, which restored Avro Vulcan XH558 to a flight-worthy condition and supported its operations for numerous years.
  Marshall Group has been a long-term partner of Bombardier Aerospace. During 1998, the company was appointed the first independent authorised service centre in Europe for the Bombardier Global Express long-range business jet. In mid 2000, Marshall became involved in the Global Express' manufacturing process, performing interior completions on behalf of Bombardier. During the 2010s, the firm's expertise with the type enabled it to perform extensive modifications of the airframe to produce customised special mission models for military customers. Marshall Aerospace has also performed the production of long range fuel tanks for various Boeing aircraft, including the Boeing 747-400ER and 777-200LR airliners, as well as the KC-46 Pegasus refuelling tanker and the P-8 Posideon multi-mission maritime aircraft.
  During 1992, Marshall acquired military truck manufacturer AWD Trucks from receivership. The venture saw the revival of the Bedford name for an 18 tonne vehicle. Activity under this brand was discontinued during 1998.
  By 2012, the Marshall Group was reporting an annual turnover in excess of £1 billion and was employing nearly 4,500 staff. During the 2010s, the business made various moves to expand its footprint in commercial aviation, announcing its intention to establish Cambridge Airport as a primary hub for business aviation operations during 2012. In September 2013, Marshall purchased Hawker Beechcraft's services branch at Broughton, subsequently rebranding it Marshall Aviation Services as well as being appointed Hawker's distributor for the UK, Ireland and S
caption: Royal Air Force Hercules C-130K (C3) in commemorative Hercules Integrated Operational Support Colour Scheme.
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