Incorporated in 1933, McDonnell began life as a component manufacturer for Curtiss-Wright. In 1934, it entered a "strategic partnership" with the British Hawker Company. The first fruit of this alliance, the Kestrel, was built in St. Louis, Missouri, and entered service in 1936. McDonnell opened a second plant in Memphis, Tennessee in 1937, exploiting Appalachia’s lower wage base.