Manufacturer catalog

Martin

Martin refers to the Glenn L. Martin Company and Martin Company lineage, a U.S. aircraft, missile, and space manufacturer founded by Glenn L. Martin in 1912 and carried into Martin Marietta after a 1961 merger with American-Marietta. In this catalog, the name anchors pre- and transitional Cold War missile records whose period sources identify Martin as the developer or prime contractor rather than the later Lockheed Martin successor.

3 weapons

The Martin organization began as an early Los Angeles aircraft company and later became a major U.S. defense manufacturer with facilities tied to Baltimore/Middle River, Maryland. Lockheed Martin identifies Glenn L. Martin's company as one of its heritage companies, and its corporate history places the founding on August 16, 1912. The company's defense work moved from aircraft into guided missiles and launch vehicles during the postwar period.

Martin's sourced catalog connections include the AGM-12 Bullpup, a Navy and Air Force air-to-surface guided missile family for which Martin won the 1954 development and production contract, and the MGM-1 Matador, a Martin surface-to-surface cruise missile program begun under the postwar MX-771 project. After the 1961 merger with American-Marietta, later records often use Martin Marietta for successor programs, so this profile keeps the older Martin attribution distinct from the separate Martin Marietta page.

air-to-surface guided missilessurface-to-surface cruise missilesmilitary aircraftspace launch vehiclesCold War aerospace systems

Notable Systems

AGM-12 Bullpup, Air-to-surface guided missile, Munitions

AGM-12 Bullpup

Air-to-surface guided missile

Martin won the 1954 Bullpup competition and received the development and production contract for the ASM-N-7/AGM-12 air-to-surface guided missile family; later production involved Maxson Electronics under Martin Marietta subcontracting context.

Sources: Martin AGM-12 Bullpup
MGM-1 Matador, Surface-to-surface cruise missile, Munitions

MGM-1 Matador

Surface-to-surface cruise missile

Designation-Systems describes the Matador as a Martin Co. program under USAAF project MX-771 and the first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile of the U.S. armed forces.

Sources: Martin MGM-1 Matador

Manufacturer History

  1. Glenn L. Martin Company founded

    Lockheed Martin's heritage history states that Glenn L. Martin established the Glenn L. Martin Company in Los Angeles on August 16, 1912.

    Sources: Lockheed Martin: Our History, Glenn L. Martin Company Founding

  2. Matador first flight

    The Martin XSSM-A-1 Matador made its first real-missile flight at White Sands Missile Range on January 20, 1949, beginning a program that became the U.S. armed forces' first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile.

    Sources: Martin MGM-1 Matador

  3. Bullpup contract awarded

    Martin won the Navy Bullpup design competition and received the April 1954 development and production contract for the ASM-N-7 guided missile.

    Sources: Martin AGM-12 Bullpup

  4. Martin Marietta formed

    After Glenn Martin's retirement period, the Martin Company became Martin Marietta through a 1961 combination with American-Marietta, creating the successor company used by many later program sources.

    Sources: Glenn L. Martin Company Founding

  5. Lockheed Martin successor formed

    Martin Marietta and Lockheed combined in 1995, making Lockheed Martin the corporate successor for much of the former Martin aerospace and defense lineage.

    Sources: Glenn L. Martin Company Founding

Successors
Martin MariettaLockheed Martin
Website links
Lockheed Martin historyGlenn L. Martin centennial releaseAGM-12 Bullpup technical historyMGM-1 Matador technical history

Martin, Glenn L. Martin Company, and Martin Company references can describe the same pre-1961 manufacturer lineage. Martin Marietta is maintained separately for records whose period sources identify the successor corporation.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Lockheed Martin: Our HistoryPublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports the Glenn L. Martin Company founding date, Los Angeles origin, and Lockheed Martin heritage-company context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Glenn L. Martin Company FoundingPublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports Martin's 1912 incorporation, selected historical systems, Glenn Martin's retirement period, the 1961 Martin Marietta transition, and the later Lockheed Martin successor relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Martin AGM-12 BullpupPublisher: Designation-Systems.net | Note: Supports Martin's April 1954 Bullpup development and production contract, the system's guided-missile role, chronology, and production context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Martin MGM-1 MatadorPublisher: Designation-Systems.net | Note: Supports Martin Co. assignment for MX-771/Matador development, Matador chronology, operational role, and general specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Martin B-26B-25-MA Marauder Flak-BaitPublisher: National Air and Space Museum | Note: Supports Martin's World War II aircraft-manufacturing background through the Glenn L. Martin Company's B-26 Marauder design and production context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

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MGM-1 Matador, Surface-to-surface cruise missile, Munitions1958 Second Taiwan Strait CrisisMGM-1 MatadorSurface-to-surface cruise missileBuilt in: United StatesThe Martin MGM-1 Matador was an early U.S. surface-to-surface cruise missile developed under the postwar MX-771 project and fielded in Cold War nuclear strike posture. Designation-Systems describes it as the first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile of the U.S. armed forces, and a USAF historical study lists TM-61 Matadors at Tainan during the 1958 Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in an atomic offensive role.