Our History

With a history spanning over 80 years, Martin-Baker is still run by the late Sir James Martin’s descendants to this day. Originating as an aircraft manufacturer, Martin-Baker’s passion has evolved over the decades, now focussing on an issue very close to both ours and our founders’ hearts. 

DESIGNING ESCAPE SYSTEMS FOR OVER 78 YEARS

1929
Martin's Aircraft Works' is established
1934
Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Ltd. is founded by Sir James Martin and Capt Valentine Baker
1942
Capt Valentine Baker is killed during an MB3 test flight
1944
Sir James Martin is invited to the Ministry of Aircraft Production to investigate providing fighter aircraft with a means of assisted escape and begins producing designs
1945
Company test pilot, Bernard 'Benny' Lynch, is the subject of the first ever live ejection test
1949
J.O Lancaster becomes the first person saved by a Martin-Baker ejection seat. Ejecting from an Armstrong-Whitworth AW52 at 5,000ft in a Mk.1 seat.
1955
First live runway ejection test by Sqn Ldr J.S. Fifield
1958
Highest altitude live ejection from a British Canberra – 56,000ft
1961
First live zero/zero test ejection by William ‘Doddy’ Hay
1961
500 lives saved using Martin-Baker ejection seats
1962
First live rocket-assisted test ejection by Peter Howard
1965
1,000 lives are saved using Martin-Baker ejection seats
1966-1969
Martin-Baker awarded the Queen’s Award for Export, Trade & Technological Innovation 4 years in a row between 1966 and 1969
1981
Co-founder, Sir James Martin passes away
1982
Martin-Baker awarded 5th Queen’s Award for Export Achievement
1983
Martin-Baker records 5,000 lives saved
1986
Martin-Baker awarded 6th Queen’s Award for Export Achievement
1989
The US14A (NACES) seat enters service
1991
Linda Maloney ejects from a US Navy A-6 Intruder and becomes the first recorded female ejectee
1993-1997
Martin-Baker are awarded our 7th and 8th Queen’s Award for Technology and Export Achievement
1997
The 5,000th member is enrolled into the Ejection Tie Club
2000
Martin-Baker's US16E seat is selected for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme
2001-2011
Martin-Baker are awarded a 9th, 10th and 11th Queen’s Award for Enterprise – International Trade and our first award for Sustainable Development.
2014
Martin-Baker delivers the 150th US16E seat for the F-35 JSF programme
2016
7,500 lives saved. An aerobatics display is performed by the Red Arrows over Blenheim Palace in honour
2018
Martin-Baker wins the KF-X Ejection Seat competition
2018
The first aircrew is saved using the US16E ejection seat for F-35
2019
Martin-Baker is awarded the National Aviation Hall of Fame ‘Spirit of Flight’ award. Received by John Martin
2020
Martin-Baker wins the F-16 Block 70/72 Ejection Seat competition
2022
A 5th life is saved using the US16E ejection seat for F-35
2022
Martin-Baker delivers the 1,000th US16E seat for the F-35 JSF programme
2022
The first Mk.18 seat takes flight in the KF-21 Boramae aircraft in South Korea
2022
Martin-Baker delivers the 3,000th US14A ejection seat for the NACES programme

Founders

Sir James Martin, an Irish immigrant and innovative engineer, began producing aircraft in 1929. He had always had a great desire to invent and make things with his own hands and, by dint of hard work and continuous study, was an accomplished engineer even in his teens. 

It was whilst producing the MB1 that Sir James’ friendship with Capt Valentine Baker was established, giving birth to Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Ltd. Capt Baker’s years of flying experience and incomparable skill was of great importance in the development and flight-testing of the company’s prototypes. 

In 1942, during a test flight of the Martin-Baker MB3 prototype, Capt Baker was tragically killed. The engine seized and he was forced to make an emergency landing – the wing tip struck a tree stump, causing the aircraft to cartwheel. His death greatly affected Sir James, who dedicated the rest of his life, and the future of their company, towards pilot safety. 

Ejection Seat Testing

An intrepid employee, Bernard Lynch, attempted the first static ejection up a specially built tower on 24th January 1945. He then conducted the first mid-flight test ejection on 24th July 1946. He ejected himself from the rear cockpit of a specially modified Meteor 3 at 320 mph, 8000 ft in the air. Bernard Lynch made a perfect landing and subsequently made a further 16 test ejections. 

In 1957, Sir James Martin decided it was time to build his own test track at Langford Lodge in Northern Ireland.

The construction of the track was done entirely by Martin-Baker employees and to his exacting standards. The tracks had to be dead straight in two places, so they did not vary more than one sixteenth of an inch in the 6,000ft. It took nearly two and half years to build.

The track opened in 1971 and to this day, is used for high speed ejection tests and speeds from 0 knots up to 625 knots (320 m/s). Since 1971, more than 350 seats have been tested at Langford Lodge’s test track.

First Ejection

The first live, non-test ejection took place on 30th May 1949 by Jo Lancaster. Jo was flying an Armstrong Whitworth AW52 aircraft and was forced to eject using a pre-Mk1 ejection seat over Southam, Warwickshire. 

From that day until now, Martin-Baker has saved the lives of more than 7,700 aircrew members. 

Spirit of Flight

Martin-Baker received the Spirit of Flight award at the 2019 National Aviation Hall of Fame for indisputably setting the standard for ejection and crashworthy seats, providing pilots worldwide a primary added layer of safety, and having saved over 7,600 lives across the globe.

The award was received by Martin-Baker’s Joint Managing Director, John Martin.

Careers at Martin-Baker

We are looking for talented and dedicated people that are interested in making a real difference and, like us, are proud to work for a company whose products have saved the lives of over 7,700 aircrew to date.  

Join us. Do something different. Save lives.

Careers at Martin-Baker

We are looking for talented and dedicated people that are interested in making a real difference and, like us, are proud to work for a company whose products have saved the lives of over 7,700 aircrew to date.  

Join us. Do something different. Save lives.

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