Martin-Baker Aircraft is a manufacturer of aircraft seats and is the oldest existing maker of ejector seats.

The company's headquarters are in Higher Denham, Buckinghamshire, UK. It started as the Martin Baker Aircraft Company, founded in 1929 by James Martin (September 11, 1893 - January 5, 1981) and Valentine Baker (August 24, 1888 - September 12, 1942). It produced several prototype military aircraft (Miles M.20/2, M.B.3, M.B.5 "widely judged the best piston-engined fighter ever built.") although none ever entered production. During the Second World War, it was manufacturing aircraft components including armoured aircraft seats for Supermarine Spitfires. In 1944 the company was approached by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to investigate providing high speed fighter aircraft pilots with assistance in bailing out.

The company concluded that an explosive-driven ejector seat was the best solution. Studies found the limits of upward acceleration which the human body could stand and included experiments on a volunteer, Bernard Lynch, who was a fitter at the factory. Their first seat was successfully live tested by Bert Lynch on July 24, 1946, who ejected from a Gloster Meteor travelling at 320 mph (510 km/h) IAS at 8000 feet (2,500 m) over Chalgrove airfield in Oxfordshire.

Since then, Martin-Baker has supplied approximately 69,000 ejection seats of which 19,000 are currently in service. Around 7,000 - 10% of the total delivered - have been used by aircrew to abandon aircraft.

It also manufactures fixed shock-absorbing aircraft seats designed to help the occupants survive crashes. The company has diversified into spacecraft reentry systems such as heatshields, parachutes and the pyrotechnics for deploying them.

External links

• Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited