M14
7.62 mm battle rifleAmerican Rifleman identifies Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge as the final commercial contractor for U.S. M14 production and reports 319,163 rifles made by the company between 1961 and 1963.
Sources: M14 production historyManufacturer catalog
Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge
Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge was the 1958 merger name for Thompson Products and Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation, combining Cleveland industrial manufacturing with the California missile, electronics, and systems-engineering work that later operated under the TRW name.
1 weaponsThompson-Ramo-Wooldridge was formed in 1958 when Thompson Products merged with Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation. The merged company connected Thompson's aircraft-engine and industrial production base with Ramo-Wooldridge's ballistic-missile, spacecraft, electronics, and computer-control work, and it shortened its name to TRW in 1965.
The company is relevant to this catalog through two very different defense lines: a late U.S. M14 rifle production contract under the full Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge name, and later TRW systems-integration and sustainment work on the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile enterprise. Historical references often use TRW for the same corporate line after the 1965 rename.
Notable Systems
Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missileNorthrop Grumman's ICBM heritage timeline describes TRW as the prime integration contractor for Minuteman sustainment and modernization from 1998 to 2016, and records TRW awards tied to Minuteman III reentry, command-center, and propulsion-service-life work.
Sources: Northrop Grumman ICBM heritageManufacturer 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
M14 rifle production
American Rifleman identifies Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge as the final M14 production contractor and reports 319,163 rifles produced by the company during 1961-1963.
Sources: M14 production history
The company shortens its name to TRW
Britannica notes that Thompson Ramo Wooldridge was renamed TRW Inc. in 1965.
Sources: TRW Inc.
TRW and successor organizations sustain Minuteman
Northrop Grumman's heritage timeline says TRW won the ICBM Prime Integration Contract for sustainment and modernization beginning in January 1998, with support continuing under successor ownership through June 2016.
Sources: Northrop Grumman ICBM heritage
Predecessors
Successors
Website links
Historical references use Thompson Ramo Wooldridge, Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge, Thompson Ramo Woolridge, and TRW. The full merger-era name is retained for records that name the company before the 1965 TRW rename, while later TRW sources document the same corporate line.
Manufacturer 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 company's defense and aerospace context. | 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 image: a 1967 photograph of TRW Building E1 at Space Park released on Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
- M14 production historyPublisher: American Rifleman | Note: Supports Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge's M14 production contract, rifle-production count, and 1961-1963 production dates. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
- Northrop Grumman ICBM heritagePublisher: Northrop Grumman | Note: Supports TRW's later ICBM Prime Integration Contract role and Minuteman III sustainment and modernization work. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
Produced weapons
Category
Infantry Weapons
Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.