Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth Aircraft Ltd was initially formed as the aerial department of Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Company Ltd. Upon creation it was focused on the production of Royal Aircraft Factory designed BE.2c aircraft for a government order. During the First World War this continued, along with the production of designs produced by Frederick Koolhoven.

In 1920 Armstrong-Whitworth acquired Siddeley-Deasy and created the Armstrong Whitworth Development Company as a subsidiary. Also, at this time the aerial department was reorganised into a subsidiary of the new Development Company under the name Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd. Initially this was based in Parkside, near Coventry, but construction later moved to the Whitley airfield, while the design office remained at the original site.

The Development Company did not stay under the ownership of the parent Armstrong Whitworth Company, as in 1927 it was sold and became the Armstrong Siddeley Development Company. This sale included the aircraft subsidiary which also came under this ownership and was not sold with the rest of the defence holdings to Vickers. Following John Siddeley’s retirement from the company’s board Hawker Aircraft purchased the Armstrong Siddeley Development Company and then sold it to a new parent company, Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Co Ltd. Despite this new ownership the constituent companies continued to produce aircraft under their own names and as such Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft continued to produce its own designs.

During the Second World War the company produced both its own designs and those of others and following the end of the conflict its parent company changed its name to the Hawker Siddeley Group. Also, during the 1950s, additional facilities where added to Armstrong Whitworth with production of jet aircraft being introduced at Baginton and Bitteswell.

In 1963 Hawker Siddeley decided to merge all of its aviation division into one single entity, Hawker Siddeley Aviation. This was partly due to a government decision that there should be a reduction in the number of aircraft manufactures, as there were fewer contracts being offered. As such aircraft where no longer produced under the Armstrong Whitworth name.