History of Innovation
Nearly a Century of Experience.
Donaldson Company was founded in 1915 when Frank Donaldson Sr. developed a simple air cleaner to solve a farmer's tractor problems. Today, the biggest names in aerospace and defense rely on our ever-evolving portfolio of filtration solutions. A deep understanding of the aerospace and defense industries, coupled with the most innovative products, has resulted in a robust product line that meets the needs of those who operate ground vehicles, airplanes, rotorcraft, space and marine vehicles.
Timeline
1910s

World's first air cleaner invented by Frank Donaldson
Donaldson air cleaners appear on Artillery Tractors
1920s
Leon Le Bozec and Georges Gautier collaborated on their patents in the field of fuel and fluids controls. Their collaboration led to the creation of a large number of products for the automotive and aviation industry.
1930s

Donaldson issued patent for oil-washed air cleaners

Exhaust systems and air cleaners appeared on 5-ton military trucks and artillery tractors

Air cleaner installed on M3 tank
1940s

Donaldson product line diversified to include bayonet holders, crankcase valves, Bomber gun sights and ammunition box liners; workers in their welding gear shown above.
Donaldson plants work 24/7 to provide an urgent solution to filtration problems encountered by US tanks in North America.
1950s

Innovative dry-type air cleaners and filters
Developed Strata™ Tube and Donaclone® inertial separators

Catalytic air cleaner on B-52 Bomber

Air cleaner with Donaclone® particle separator on the M60 Tank

Air cleaner with Donaclone on M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer

Air cleaner with Donaclone "fender" installation on M48 Tank
1960s

Developed piston engine intake filters

Western Filter was founded, developed their first liquid filter

EAPS on OH-6A ary helicopter

Introduced Strata™ Tubes precleaner on CH-53 helicopter

Introduced mufflers with integrated ejectors

Air cleaner and muffler on the M113 Personnel Carrier family of vehicles

Donaldson developed air filtration products for the M-59 NBC Collective Protection System
1970s

Air cleaner and muffler on M113A2 Armored Personnel Carrier

Air Cleaner and muffler on M88A1 Recovery Vehicle

Main engine air cleaner on Merkava Tank
Main engine air cleaner on M1Tank
1980s

Synteq™ filter media developed for lube and hydraulic filters

Donaldson developed line of engine liquid filters

Oil conditioning system for the tilt-rotor V-22

Developed main hydraulic filter assembly for M1A1 tank

Air cleaner and muffler on AAV7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicle

Air cleaner and muffler on Bradley M2/A3 Fighting Vehicle

Air cleaner and muffler for LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) Family of Vehicles
Supplier for main fuel filter on LeClerc Tank (Nexter)

Strata panel filters on the LCAC Hovercraft

Air cleaner and muffler on MLRS - Multiple Launch Rocket System

Donaldson developed Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Shelter air filtration

Selected to provide cabin air filters and Rain Repellent™ on Airbus A320 family of aircraft
1990s

Donaldson acquired commercial aircraft cabin air filters from Mine Safety Appliance and started developing our own commercial aircraft filters

Aerospace Filtration Systems started developing helicopter engine barrier filters

Le Bozec Filtration & Systems became an independent company

Developed Donaldson PowerCore® Filtration Technology

Provided cabin air filters and environmental control systems (ECS) filtration on C17 Globemaster Transport

Exhaust system and 200-hour air cleaner on the FMTV - Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles

RadialSeal® air filters for Gen Sets (stand alone power generators)

Donaldson pioneered nanofiber filtration with Ultra-Web® Nanofiber Filtration – used in Pulse Jet Air Cleaner (PJAC™) on M1 Abrams tank
Acquired AirMaze expanding our general aviation product line
2000s & beyond

Donaldson selected to provide Air Purification System (APS) on the Boeing 787

Acquired Le Bozec Filtration & Systems, Aerospace Filtration Systems, Inc. and Western Filter
Donaldson introduced first FAA STC IBF on MD500

Inlet Barrier Filter - First fully-integrated inlet barrier filter qualified by the US Army

Donaldson provided first dry media barrier filter for the V-22 Shaft-Driven Compressor
Selected to provide Sikorsky with integrated engine particle separators on the CH-53K

Auxiliary Power Unit Inlet Barrier Filter developed for Army UH-60 Blackhawk, CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helipcoters; developed main engine barrier filter for UH-60 Blackhawk

Electronics cooling inertial particle separators on the MH-60R Helicopter

Air cleaner and muffler on Stryker Armored Vehicle

The FMTV gets an upgrade with Catalytic Converter Mufflers (CCMs) or Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOCs)
Developed 5000 PSI filtration equipment for the Boeing 787 hydraulic system

Developed self-cleaning PJAC™ Ultra® for military vehicles; initially installed on the Freightliner M915A5 truck
Donaldson launched first PJAC in Europe on the Terrier vehicle
Provided main fuel filter and APU air filter for NH-90 rotorcraft
Introduced RadialSeal™ and Ultra-Web® Technology to the UK MOD on the Land Rover Snatch

Donaldson provided air cleaners for the Mine Resistance Ambush Protected (MRAP) family of vehicles

Warrior and CVR(T) and Bulldog vehicles retrofitted with Donaldson Ultra-Web® filters
Developed cabin air filter and Donaldson Rain Repellent for Dassault Falcon 7X
Provided Donaldson Rain Repellent system for Sukhoi Super Jet 100
Selected to provide Airbus A350XWB with Donaldson Rain Repellent

Gulfstream G650 Hydraulic Filter Manifolds containing Aircraft Health Trend Monitoring capability

Donaldson Strata™ Tubes protect critical electronics in TPQ-36 radar
Developed GH2 and GO2 diffuser screen assemblies for NASA Space Shuttle external fuel tanks
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394
Donaldson Bloomington, MN USA
Donaldson Company, Inc.
1400 West 94th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55431-2370United States
+866-323-0394

Company History
Learn more about the history of Donaldson Company and how we’ve grown into a worldwide corporation with a direct Donaldson presence in more than 39 countries.
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