Alpha Industries – MA-1 Flight Jacket

Product Specs

• Alpha Industries MA-1 Flight Jacket
• Style: MJM21000C1
• Water Resistant – Protects during mildly wet conditions
• Reversible – Double zipper pulls so can be worn with orange side out
• Imported

Size & Fit

• True to original military specifications
• Generally have a little extra room in the body and sleeves

Materials & Care

• Dry clean only
• Shell: 100% Flight Nylon
• Body Lining: 100% Nylon
• Fill: 100% Polyester

Developed as a direct response to the beginning of the jet age, where cockpits became more streamlined and higher flight altitudes necessitated flight jackets where the jacket would not freeze when becoming wet, the MA-1 Jacket today is an American icon of style.

To see an authentic MA-1 jacket worn by Wisconsin veteran Colonel Donald L. Heiliger, click here:
V2009.74.2 Jacket, Flying, MA-1, United States Air Force (USAF)

About Alpha Industries

Alpha Industries was founded in Nashville, Tennesse, in 1959, Alpha Industries began producing this iconic MA-1 Bomber Jacket for the U.S. DOD in 1963. The company’s history actually goes even further back in time to 1948 when Robert Lane founded Superior Togs Corporation to supply the U.S. Department of Defense with flight jackets. Super Togs was the first of a family of companies that would become Alpha Industries.

Over the years the company has supplied American servicemembers with outerwear including the MA-1, M-65, and N-3B jackets.  By the end of the 20th century the company was manufacturing clothing for numerous nation’s militaries including Australia, Taiwan and Argentina. Today Alpha Industries makes authentic replicas of the items it once supplied to the American Military. After the Vietnam War, MA-1s could be found inexpensively in Army/Navy Surplus stores throughout the United States. This abundance of cheap, well-made jackets helped propel their popularity over time. 

About the Wisconsin Veterans Museum

Thank you for visiting the Wisconsin Veterans Museum website. We tell the stories of Wisconsinites who have served their country since the Civil War. Since 2013 the WVM has been a proud Smithsonian Affiliate. In addition to award-winning exhibits and in-person events, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum has a strong online presence. With Facebook posts and virtual programming, the Museum is able to reach a far broader audience than ever before. We are located at 30 West Mifflin Street on Capitol Square in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. Prior to that time, the Museum was housed in a small room within the State Capitol building itself.

Our mission is simple: To acknowledge, commemorate, and affirm the role of Wisconsin veterans in the United States of America’s military past and present. The WVM is an educational activity of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. All purchases, both here online and in-person help us to fulfill our mission. Thank you.