Air Tractor Holdings announced Monday that it has acquired Thrush Aircraft LLC in a transaction that closed April 3. According to company leadership, the deal brings the two agricultural aviation manufacturers under common ownership.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Air Tractor CEO Jim Hirsch said. “It’s the best path forward to ensure the long-term sustainability of Thrush and Air Tractor.”
Hirsch added that current leadership at Thrush, including CEO Mark McDonald and CFO Clint Hubbard, will remain in place, and no operational changes are planned at this time.
“We are ensuring these fleets are supported for the long term and are committing the resources necessary to ensure the viability of production lines in both Olney, Texas, and Albany, Georgia,” he said.
McDonald said the combined companies will continue serving agricultural and firefighting markets globally.
“In a world where global food security increasingly depends on precision aerial application, crop protection efficiency and rapid wildfire suppression, both companies serve as indispensable assets,” McDonald said. “And we’re stronger together.”
Hirsch said the companies share a common design philosophy rooted in the work of Leland Snow. Snow was an agricultural aviation designer whose work helped shape both companies. He founded Snow Aeronautical, which later became part of the lineage that led to Thrush, and then later founded Air Tractor in 1972.
“We are carrying forward Leland Snow’s vision of purpose-built, durable aircraft that are safe, pilot-friendly, and optimized for high-cycle, low-altitude operations.”
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