Posted Sunday, July 20, 2025 at 10:43pm
If you’ve ever seen drivers rallying through America in WRX racecars, you know it’s not uncommon for Subarus to spend a certain amount of time off the ground. However, what you might not realize is that Subaru not only had its origins in the aeronautics industry — it continues to build airplanes and helicopters to this day.
It’s a long and twisting tale that started with Chikuhei Nakajima, who got interested in flying after he retired from the Japanese Navy. He opened the Aircraft Research Laboratory — sometimes translated as the Airplane Institute — in 1917 to try to expand the role of public aviation in the country. Soon rebranded as Nakajima Aircraft, the company became heavily involved in Japan’s military efforts during World War II, after which it was broken up into over 15 pieces.
