PZL Totally Explained

Everything about Pzl totally explained

PZL (Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze - State Aviation Works) was the main Polish aerospace manufacturer of the interwar period, based in Warsaw, functioning in 1928-1939. The abbreviation was thereafter - from late 1950s - used as an aircraft brand and as a part of names of several Polish state-owned aerospace manufacturers referring to traditions of the PZL, belonging to the Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Lotniczego i Silnikowego PZL - PZL Aircraft and Engine Industry Union. After the fall of communism in Poland in 1989, these manufacturers became separate plants, still sharing the PZL name. In the case of PZL-Mielec, the abbreviation means Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze - Polish Aviation Works.

PZL (1928-1939)

The PZL - Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze (State Aviation Works) was founded in Warsaw in 1928 as state-owned works, and was based on the earlier CWL (Centralne Warsztaty Lotnicze) - Central Aviation Workshops. The first product was a license-produced French fighter, Wibault 70, but next it switched to own designs exclusively. Soon Zygmunt Puławski designed a series of high-wing, all-metal modern fighters: PZL P.1, P.6, P.7 and P.11. The last two types were used as basic fighters in the Polish Air Force beginning in 1933. The last variant, PZL P.24, developed after Puławski's death in an air crash, was exported to four countries. PZL also mass-produced a light bomber, PZL.23 Karaś, and a modern medium bomber, PZL.37 Łoś. PZL also built small numbers of sport planes (PZL.5, PZL.19, PZL.26), and liaison aircraft (PZL Ł.2) and developed prototypes of passenger aircraft. In the late 1930s the company also developed several prototypes of more modern fighters, bombers and a passenger airliner, the PZL.44 Wicher, that had no chance of entering production due to World War II. PZL was the largest Polish pre-war aircraft manufacturer.
In 1934, the main factory in Warsaw was named PZL WP-1 (Wytwórnia Płatowców 1 - Airframe Works 1) in the Okęcie district of Warsaw. A new division PZL WP-2 was built in Mielec in 1938-1939, but production was only starting there at the outbreak of World War II. An engine factory division, PZL WS-1 in Warsaw-Okęcie (Wytwórnia Silników - Engine Works 1), produced mostly engines on the British Bristol licence, like Bristol Pegasus, Bristol Mercury (the factory WS-1 was former Polskie Zakłady Skody - Polish Skoda Works division, nationalized and renamed in 1936). In 1937-1939 a new engine division PZL WS-2 was built in Rzeszów.

Situation post-war

During World War II, the Polish aviation industry was all destroyed. The new Polish communist government wanted to break all connections with pre-war Poland, and from late 1940s the name PZL ceased to be used, and new aerospace plants were named WSK (Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego - Communication Equipment Factory). Because of a centrally-planed economy, under the Soviet influence, there were no own designs produced for a decade, and only in late 1950s, around the end of stalinist period (1956), the PZL brand returned to new aircraft designs. Next there was created ZPLiS PZL - Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Lotniczego i Silnikowego PZL - PZL Aircraft and Engine Industry Union, which grouped all state-owned aerospace industry factories. Only from 1973, the PZL Union enjoyed some economical autonomy (it was represented abroad by a Pezetel Foreign Trade Center - CHZ Pezetel; "Pezetel" was a pronunciation of the PZL abbreviation in Polish). Consequently, around 1970s, some WSK factories adopted also PZL abbreviation to their names. After the fall of communism in Poland in 1989, all manufacturers became separate plants, still sharing the PZL name.

PZL "Warszawa-Okęcie"

During World War II, the main factory PZL WP-1 in Warsaw was destroyed. It was rebuilt after the war, but it was first renamed CSS (Centralne Studium Samolotów - Central Aircraft Studies), then WSK-4 in 1950, and finally WSK-Okęcie in 1956. It first produced constructions on the Soviet licence or developed by other Polish bureaus. The own designs were produced from 1958, under the PZL brand, starting with the PZL-101 Gawron. The factory developed mainly light sports, trainer and utility aircraft. The best known designs are: utility aircraft PZL-104 Wilga, being the most numerous plane of the Polish design; and agricultural aircraft PZL-106 Kruk. Around 1970s the factory adapted name WSK PZL Warszawa-Okęcie, changed after the fall of the communist system in 1989 to PZL Warszawa-Okęcie. In 2001 the factory was bought by Spanish EADS CASA and since then has known as EADS PZL Warszawa-Okęcie.

WSK PZL-Mielec / PZL-Mielec

Main article: PZL-Mielec. The former PZL WP2 factory in Mielec became a part of Heinkel works under German occupation. After the war the factory, named first PZL No.1 works, then in 1949 WSK-Mielec, and later WSK "PZL-Mielec", became the biggest Polish post-war aircraft producer. It manufactured mostly licensed Soviet planes, such as the transport biplane Antonov An-2 and jet fighters such as the MiG-15 (as Lim-1 and Lim-2) and MiG-17 (as Lim-5 and Lim-6). It also produced Polish-designed piston trainer TS-8 Bies and jet trainer TS-11 Iskra, and the only jet agricultural plane in the world, PZL M-15 Belphegor. Big numbers of aircraft were exported abroad, mostly to the USSR. From the 1970s it produces mostly its own developments of licensed civil aircraft, best known are the agricultural M-18 Dromader, exported to numerous countries, and a light transport PZL M-28 Skytruck/Bryza. In 1998 the state factory WSK PZL-Mielec went bankrupt, but it was next converted into a state-owned company Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze Sp.z o.o. (Polish Aviation Works), in short: PZL-Mielec.
On March 16, 2007, PZL-Mielec was purchased by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a unit of United Technologies Corporation (UTX). It still offers M-18 and M-28 aircraft. It isn't known whether the brand name will be retained.

WSK "PZL-Świdnik"

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 from 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, for example, in the manufacture of Agusta A109 fuselages. Recently, the factory has entered talks with Sikorsky regarding licenced production of the UH-60 for the foreign and domestic market, should the Polish army procure the helicopters.

PZL-Bielsko

A glider manufacturer SZD (Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny - Glider Experimental Works) created in Bielsko-Biała in 1948, was renamed to PZL-Bielsko in the 1990s. It was the main Polish producer of gliders, exported to many countries. However, for most of its history it didn't carry PZL name. Currently it's named Allstar PZL Glider Sp.z o.o.

WSK "PZL-Kalisz"

In 1952, the engine manufacturer WSK-Kalisz was created. It manufactured mostly Soviet-licence engines, first of all piston Shvetsov ASh-82 and Ivchenko AI-14 and jet Klimov VK-1. It also produced Polish piston engines WN-3 and other equipment. In October 1996 it was renamed WSK "PZL-Kalisz" and became a corporation (SA).

WSK "PZL Warszawa II"

WSK Warszawa II was created in 1952 in Warsaw as a manufacturer of aircraft parts and military equipment parts. In 1995 it was changed from a state factory to a corporation WSK "PZL Warszawa II" SA.

A list of aircraft designed or produced by PZL

A date of first prototype flight / serial production start is given ("-" for not flown or not produced aircraft)

PZL (before 1939)
PZL P.1	1-engine, fighter prototype, high-wing, 1929/-
PZL Ł.2	1-engine, liaison, high-wing, 1929/1930
PZL.4	3-engine, passenger prototype, high-wing, 1932/-
PZL.5	1-engine, sport, biplane, 1930/1931
PZL P.6	1-engine, fighter prototype, high-wing, 1930/-
PZL P.7	1-engine, fighter, high-wing, 1930/1932
PZL P.11	1-engine, fighter, high-wing, 1931/1934
PZL.19	1-engine, sport, low-wing, 1932/-
PZL.23 Karaś	1-engine, light bomber, low-wing, 1934/1936
PZL P.24	1-engine, fighter, high-wing, 1933/1936
PZL.26	1-engine, sport, low-wing, 1934/-
PZL.27	3-engine, passenger prototype, high-wing, 1934/-
PZL.30 Żubr	2-engine, medium bomber, high-wing, 1936/1938
PZL.37 Łoś	2-engine, medium bomber, low-wing, 1936/1938
PZL.38 Wilk	2-engine, heavy fighter prototype, low-wing, 1938/-
PZL.43	1-engine, light bomber, low-wing, developed from PZL.23
PZL.44 Wicher	2-engine, passenger plane prototype, low-wing, 1938/-
PZL.45 Sokół	1-engine, fighter prototype, low-wing, -/-
PZL.46 Sum	1-engine, light bomber prototype, low-wing, 1938/-
PZL.48 Lampart	2-engine, heavy fighter prototype, low-wing, -/-
PZL.49 Miś	2-engine, medium bomber prototype, low-wing, -/-
PZL.50 Jastrząb	1-engine, fighter prototype, low-wing, 1939/-
PZL.54 Ryś	2-engine, heavy fighter prototype, low-wing, -/-
PZL.62	1-engine, fighter project, low-wing, -/-
CSS -> WSK-Okęcie -> PZL "Warszawa-Okęcie"
CSS-13	1-engine, multirole biplane, 1948 (licence Polikarpov Po-2)
LWD Junak	1-engine, trainer low-wing, 1948/1951
Jak-12	1-engine, multirole high-wing, 1956 (licence Yakovlev Yak-12)
PZL-101 Gawron	1-engine, multirole (agricultural) high-wing, 1958/1960
PZL-102 Kos	1-engine, sports low-wing, 1958/1959
PZL-104 Wilga	1-engine, multirole high-wing, 1963/1964
PZL-105 Flaming	1-engine, multirole high-wing, 1989/-
PZL-106 Kruk	1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1973/1977
PZL-110 Koliber	1-engine, trainer / sport low-wing, 1978 (licence SOCATA Rallye 100ST)
PZL-130 Orlik	1-engine, military trainer low-wing, 1984/1992
WSK-Mielec -> PZL-Mielec
LWD Szpak-4T	1-engine, utility / touring low wing, 1945/1948
TS-8 Bies	1-engine, military trainer low-wing, 1955/1957
PZL M-2	1-engine, trainer low-wing prototype, 1958/-
PZL M-4 Tarpan	1-engine, trainer low-wing prototype, 1961/-
An-2	1-engine, transport and multirole biplane, 1960 (licence Antonov An-2)
Lim-1	1-jet engine, fighter, 1953 (licence MiG-15)
Lim-2	1-jet engine, fighter, 1954 (licence MiG-15bis)
Lim-5	1-jet engine, fighter, 1956 (licence MiG-17)
Lim-6	1-jet engine, attack plane, 1961
PZL TS-11 Iskra	1-jet engine, military trainer, mid-wing, 1960/1963
PZL M-15 Belphegor	1-jet engine, agricultural biplane, 1973/1976
PZL M-18 Dromader	1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1976/1978
PZL M-20 Mewa	2-engine, multirole low-wing, 1979/1989 (licence Piper Seneca)
PZL M-21 Dromader Mini	1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1987/-
PZL M-24 Dromader Super	1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1987/-
PZL M-26 Iskierka	1-engine, trainer low-wing, 1986/?
PZL M-28 Skytruck / Bryza	2-turboprop engine, light transport / military high-wing, 1984 (developed Antonov An-28)
PZL I-22 Iryda	2-jet engine, military trainer, high-wing, 1985/1992 (small series built)
WSK "PZL Świdnik" -> PZL-Świdnik

PZL SM-1	light helicopter (1+2/3 seats), 1957 (licence Mil Mi-1)
PZL SM-2	light helicopter (1+4 seats), 1962
PZL Mi-2	helicopter (2+8 seats), 1966 (licence Mil Mi-2)
PZL Kania	helicopter (2+8 seats), 1979/1986
PZL W-3 Sokół	helicopter (2+12 seats), 1979/1987
PZL SW-4 Puszczyk	light helicopter (1+4 seats), 1996/2003?
Engines
PZL-3	7-cylinder radial

Further Information

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