PZL-Świdnik

PZL-Świdnik S.A. (Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego PZL-Świdnik S.A.) is the biggest helicopter manufacturer in Poland. Its main products are PZL W-3 Sokół and PZL SW-4 Puszczyk helicopters. In early 2010 the factory was acquired by AgustaWestland,[1] today Leonardo.

PZL-Świdnik S.A.
Formerly
  • WSK-Świdnik
  • WSK "PZL-Świdnik"
IndustryAerospace
Founded1951 (1951)
Headquarters
Świdnik, Lublin Voivodeship
,
Poland
Key people
Jacek Libucha
(Chairman)
Parent
Websitepzl.swidnik.pl
PZL W-3 Gluszec (upgraded) of Polish Land Forces
PZL SW-4 of Polish Air Force
WSK M06B3 motorcycle

History

History of plant establishment dating back to 1920, when in Lublin opened the first aircraft factory "Plage i Laśkiewicz". After World War II, part of the senior instructors staff incorporated into the newly formed "Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego".[2] In 1951 a third national aerospace factory, WSK-Świdnik, was built in Świdnik, and in 1957 it was renamed to WSK PZL-Świdnik. Since 1956 it has become one of the world's major helicopter manufacturers, producing helicopters under the Soviet licence, starting with the SM-1 (Mil Mi-1). Świdnik was the main producer of the Mi-1 and exclusive producer of the widely used in the world Mil Mi-2. Since the late 1980s, Świdnik has been producing a Polish-designed medium helicopter PZL W-3 Sokół. It also produces a light helicopter, the PZL SW-4 Puszczyk. After 1991 the state factory became a state-owned corporation (WSK "PZL-Świdnik" SA). It also produced the Pirat, PW-5 and PW-6 gliders and cooperates widely with other nations' manufacturers, e.g., in the manufacture of Agusta A109 fuselages.

In early 2010 the factory was acquired by AgustaWestland, today Leonardo.

Motorcycles
Main article: WSK (motorcycle)

From 1954 until 1980 the WSK PZL-Świdnik was also a manufacturer of motorcycles, branded as the WSK. Some 2,000,000 motorcycles of the WSK M06 125 cc and WSK M21 175 cc families were made in that period.[3]

Aircraft
Model name First flight Number built Type
PZL SM-1 1956 1,594 License built single piston engine utility helicopter
PZL SM-2 1959 89 Single piston engine utility helicopter
PZL Mi-2 1965[4] 5,400+ License built two turboshaft engine utility helicopter
PZL SM-4 Łątka N/A 1 Single piston engine utility helicopter
PZL Kania 1979 19 Two turboshaft engine utility helicopter
PZL W-3 Sokół 1979 149 Two turboshaft engine utility helicopter
PZL SW-4 Puszczyk 1996 40 Single turboshaft engine utility helicopter
PZL PW-5 1993 Glider
PZL PW-6 1998 ~26 Glider
PZL I-23 Manager 1999 2 Single piston engine monoplane sport airplane

See also

References
  1. Gazeta Wyborcza article from Feb. 2, 2010 Archived 2014-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Zakłady Mechaniczne E. Plage i T. Laśkiewicz w Lublinie". OldTimery.com (in Polish). Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  3. (in Polish) Adam Zakrzewski, Auto-moto PRL: władcy dróg i poboczy, Demart, Warsaw 2010, ISBN 978-83-7427-484-5, p.158
  4. Luto, Krzysztof. "PZL Mi-2, 1965 (SM-3)". SamolotyPolskie.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 14 March 2021.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to PZL-Świdnik.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.