RW-300 computer
The Computer History Museum notes that Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge introduced the fully transistor-based RW-300 in 1959 as a process-control machine.
Sources: Company historyBuilt by archive
Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge Weapon Systems
Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge was the 1958 merger name for Thompson Products and Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation, a U.S. defense and aerospace builder whose legacy later became TRW.
1 weapon systemsThompson-Ramo-Wooldridge was formed in 1958 when Thompson Products merged with Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation. The company quickly became associated with military, aerospace, and advanced electronics work, and it shortened its name to TRW in 1965.
This archive page keeps the merger-era builder name visible for catalog records that still carry the Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge manufacturer facet, while preserving the broader corporate history that followed through the TRW name.
Notable Systems
Pioneer 1
Britannica credits TRW with building Pioneer 1, the first private spacecraft mentioned in the company's defense and aerospace history.
Sources: TRW Inc.Builder History
Thompson Products backs Ramo-Wooldridge
Britannica describes Thompson Products providing financial support to Simon Ramo and Dean Wooldridge as they formed Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation in Los Angeles.
Sources: TRW Inc., TRW, Inc.
Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge is formed
The Computer History Museum and Britannica both describe the 1958 merger of Thompson Products and Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation into Thompson Ramo Wooldridge.
Sources: Company history, TRW Inc.
RW-300 reaches the market
The Computer History Museum notes that the company introduced the fully transistor-based RW-300 computer in 1959.
Sources: Company history
The company shortens its name to TRW
Britannica notes that Thompson Ramo Wooldridge was renamed TRW Inc. in 1965.
Sources: TRW Inc.
Predecessors
Successors
Historical references use both the full merger-era name and the later TRW shorthand. This profile keeps the canonical Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge form and aliases the common variants.
Builder Sources
- Company historyPublisher: Computer History Museum | Note: Supports the 1958 merger, the military and industrial equipment business context, and the 1959 RW-300 introduction. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
- TRW Inc.Publisher: Britannica Money | Note: Supports the merged-company history, the 1965 rename to TRW Inc., and the defense and aerospace profile of the builder line. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
- TRW, Inc.Publisher: Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Note: Supports the merger into Thompson Ramo Wooldridge and the company's aerospace and defense development context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
- File:TRW building R1.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the builder image: a 1967 photograph of TRW Building E1 at Space Park released on Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Category
Infantry Weapons
Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.
