History

NOBLES was founded in 1948 by Warren Nobles, the lead engineer for the B-36 bomber ammunition chute during World War II. Leveraging his first-hand knowledge of feed chutes, Nobles embarked on a mission to supply the U.S. and allied forces with the most reliable weapon solutions possible.

A year after establishing operations, Nobles had its first major breakthrough producing the first “Combat-Approved” flex chute. From this initial success, the Company gradually expanded its platform base, eventually gaining access to nearly every military aircraft and naval vessel worldwide. The Company has continuously refined its product offerings and introduced new, transformative ammunition delivery solutions.

In the late 1970’s, with the development of the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, Nobles expanded from primarily 20mm into the 30mm by developing a chute to be used with the A-10’s primary armament – the GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon. Nobles remains the sole provider of chutes for this aircraft to this day.

In 1985, Nobles produced the first composite material ammunition chute as part of the F-15E Strike Eagle program. The advantages of a lighter, stronger chute were immediately evident across the industry, reaffirming Nobles’ leadership position and further entrenching the Company onboard virtually every military-attack aircraft platform.

Stemming from a unique requirement for the world’s most elite special operation forces, Nobles was asked to find a way to crew serve a linked-fed M230 (Apache cannon) from a technical vehicle. Nobles solution was the VIPER Gun System 30MM with its patented gun mount braking system to manage the weight and ensure maximum effects on target.

When it came time for Lockheed Martin to revolutionize the fighter jet, and make a global leap in aircraft innovation, Nobles partnered with General Dynamics for the 25MM armament system.

In 2013, Nobles and then Orbital ATK, now Northrop Grumman, entered a teaming agreement naming Nobles as its preferred partner for its medium caliber ammunition handling needs. Together the team has secured the Clouded Leopard program in Taiwan and the Scorpion program in Saudi Arabia while continuing to work together on other opportunities around the globe.

Nobles designed and delivered the first ever door gun mount for an Airbus fixed-winged platform. With an end-user requirement to quickly deploy and stow a defend and deter capability on the CASA-295 aircraft, Nobles partnered with Airbus Defense & Space to develop the VIPER Air Gun Mount. The VIPER Air used Nobles patented gun mount braking system and employs the high rate of fire M3D 12.7MM machine gun. Today, the VIPER Air is an option for all new and existing CASA-295 and CN-235 customers.