Learjet was a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use based in Wichita, Kansas, United States.

[6] The basic structure of the Swiss P-16 aircraft was seen by Bill Lear and his team as a good starting point to the development of a business jet, and formed the Swiss American Aircraft Corporation, located in Altenrhein, Switzerland, and staffed with design engineers from Switzerland, Germany and Britain.

The wing with its distinctive tip fuel tanks and landing gear of the first Learjets were little changed from those used by the fighter prototypes.

[7] LearJet was in a temporary office which opened in September 1962 while the plant at Wichita's airport was under construction.

On September 19 of the same year, the company was renamed Lear Jet Industries Inc. On April 10, 1967, Bill Lear's approximately 60% share of the venture was acquired by the Gates Rubber Company of Denver, Colorado, for US$ 27 million (equivalent to $246,718,563 in 2023).

In 1974, the worldwide Learjet fleet had exceeded the one-million flight hours mark and, in 1975, the company produced its 500th jet, both industry firsts.

These resulted in both improved performance and fuel economy and inspired the name "Longhorn" for the short-lived Learjet 28/29 and for some of the more successful models that followed.

In 1984, Gates Learjet announced the start of their Aerospace Division, a high technology endeavor.

However, by the end of the year the company had ceased production of its commercial jets in an effort to reduce inventories.

On September 10, 1985, the Aerospace Division was awarded a contract to produce parts for the Space Shuttle's main engines.

By January 1989, all production had been moved from the Tucson facility back to Wichita with an employment of 1,250.