Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów
IndustryAerospace
Founded1923 (1923)
Founder
Defunct1939 (1939)
Headquarters
Biała Podlaska
,
Poland
Key people
ParentPZL
(1936–1939)
Divisions
(1937–1939)
SubsidiariesLubelska Wytwórnia Samolotów
(1936–1939)

Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS) - Podlasie Aircraft Factory - was a Polish aerospace manufacturer between 1923 and 1939, located in Biała Podlaska.

History[]

Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów SA was created in 1923. The first aircraft produced were 35 Potez 15 bombers for the Polish Air Force, under the French licence, built from 1925.[2] By 1929 the works had produced 155 Potez 27 and 150 Potez 25, under French licence, and 50 PWS-A fighters, which was the Czech Avia BH-33 built under licence. It also produced 50 Bartel BM-4 trainers in 1931, designed by Samolot.[2]

In 1925, a design office was established which included, among others, Stefan Cywiński, Zbysław Ciołkosz, August Bobek-Zdaniewski.[2] Despite a large number of prototypes, few were produced in series. The first aircraft of their own design to be mass-produced was the PWS-10 fighter of 1930 of which 80 examples were built. Smaller production runs of the PWS-14 trainer and the PWS-24 passenger aircraft were also made. The PWS-10 and PWS-24 were the first fighter and the first passenger plane of the Polish construction built in series, respectively. In 1929 the factory built a wind tunnel, the first in Poland. All PWS-designed aircraft had wooden or mixed construction.[2]

In 1932 the PWS works were nationalized to prevent its bankruptcy.[2] It then produced 500 RWD-8 trainers (designed by RWD) and 50 of the British Avro Tutor under licence as the PWS-18 trainers.[2] The factory then designed its own successful PWS-16 and PWS-26 advanced trainers, 320 of the latter built from 1936 to 1939.

In 1936 the factory was subordinated to the PZL national concern. It developed a series of projects for military planes, but they were not built due to outbreak of World War II. The PWS-33 Wyżeł twin-engine advanced trainer and the PWS-35 sports biplane were ordered into production, but these plans were cancelled due to the war.

Lwowskie Warsztaty Lotnicze (LWL, Lwów Aviation Workshops) was formed in October 1937 as a division of PWS. It built gliders, among others designated with letters PWS. Some 160 gliders were built before the war.[3]

After the outbreak of World War II, the PWS factory was bombed by the Germans on September 4, 1939, who destroyed about 70% of the factory. The remains of equipment have been plundered by the Soviets after their invasion of Poland.

Aircraft[]

PWS-10
PWS-16
PWS-26
Model name First flight Number built Type
PWS XV 1925[1] 35 License built single engine biplane light bomber
PWS XXV 150 License built single engine biplane light bomber
PWS XXVII 155 License built single engine biplane reconnaissance airplane
PWS-A 50 License built biplane fighter
PWS-1 1927 1 Single engine monoplane fighter
N/A 1 Single engine monoplane trainer[4][5]
PWS-3 1927 1 Single engine monoplane sport airplane
PWS-4 1928 1 Single engine monoplane sport airplane
PWS-5 1929 7 Single engine biplane liaison airplane
PWS-6 1930 1 Single engine biplane liaison airplane
PWS-7 1928 1 Single engine biplane liaison airplane
PWS-8 1929 or 1930 1 Single engine biplane sport airplane
PWS-10 1930 80 Single engine monoplane fighter
PWS-11 1929 2 Single engine monoplane trainer
PWS-12 1929 3 Single engine biplane trainer
PWS-14 1933 20 Single engine biplane trainer
PWS-16 1933 40 Single engine biplane trainer
PWS-18 1935 40 License built single engine biplane trainer
PWS-19 1931 1 Single engine monoplane light bomber
PWS-20 1929 2 Single engine monoplane airliner
PWS-21 1930 1 Single engine monoplane airliner
PWS-24 1931 11 Single engine monoplane airliner
PWS-26 1935 320 Single engine biplane trainer
PWS-33 Wyżeł 1938 2 Twin engine monoplane trainer
PWS-35 1938 2 Single engine biplane trainer
PWS-40 Junak 1939 1 Single engine monoplane trainer
PWS-50 1930 1 Single engine monoplane sport airplane
PWS-51 1930 1 Single engine monoplane sport airplane
PWS-52 1930 1 Single engine monoplane sport airplane
PWS-54 1933 1 Single engine monoplane airliner
PWS-101 1937 12 Glider
PWS-102 Rekin 1939 2 Glider
PWS-103 1939 or 1940 2 Glider

References[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b c Pawlonka, Monika (9 January 2017). "Czy Antoni Ponikowski będzie miał swoją ulicę w Białej Podlaskiej?". Interwizja (in Polish). Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Glass, A. (1977), p.22-25
  3. ^ Glass, A. (1977), p.39-40
  4. ^ Placha Hetman, Karol (25 October 2020). "Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów. Training aircraf". Polot. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  5. ^ Cynk, Jerzy B. (1971). Polish Aircraft, 1893–1939. London: Putnam & Company. pp. 382–388. ISBN 0 370 00085 4. Retrieved 22 March 2021.

Bibliography[]

  • (in Polish) Glass, Andrzej. Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939 [Polish aviation designs 1893-1939]. Warsaw: WKiŁ, 1977 (no ISBN)

External links[]

Retrieved from ""