Messerschmitt was named for Wilhelm Messerschmitt, the company's main designer, and came about when his company merged with Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Messerschmitt produced both civilian and military aircraft, but is best known for the various combat aircraft it made during World War II. The company survived the war and merged with several other companies in the late 1960s to become Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), which is now owned by EADS.