PZL-Świdnik

Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego (Transport Equipment Corporation) PZL-Świdnik S.A.

Świdnik factory (formerly WSK-Świdnik) recently completed 50 years of aircraft manufacture, having been established 1 January 1951; engaged initially in manufacturing wings and control surfaces for LiM-1 (MiG-15) jet fighter; began licensed production of Soviet Mi-1 helicopter in 1954 (first flight March 1956), building some 1,594 as SM-1s, followed by 86 Świdnik-developed SM-2s; design office formed at factory to work on variants/developments of SM-1 and original projects such as SM-4 Łątka. More than 7,300 helicopters of all types built to date, including four pre-series and 5,418 production Mi-2s from 1965; in addition, further six Mi-2 static test airframes produced. Eight more incomplete Mi-2s remained in storage in mid-2000; last Mi-2 delivered to United Arab Emirates Police in March 2002. An unspecified number of PZL Kanias was due to be delivered to the Polish Border Guard during 2003.
Świdnik works named after famous pre-war PZL designer, Zygmunt Pulawski; became a joint stock company on 4 January 1991, with Polish Treasury the major shareholder (now 74.39 per cent); workforce of 2,422 in December 2000. Buyer(s) for 36.7 per cent share in company still being sought in early 2002, following failure to agree terms with AgustaWestland. Production of own designs concentrates on W-3 Sokół variants and SW-4; investors being sought in 2003 to launch production of fixed-wing I-23 lightplane designed by Instytut Lotnictwa. ISO 9001 status was achieved in 1994, and on 15 June 2000 Świdnik was granted AQAP-110 certification, having fully met NATO quality assurance requirements for design, development and production.
Świdnik manufactures PW-5 Smyk (from 1994) and PW-6 composites sailplanes (both recently sold to Egypt) and (also since 1994) central wing box for ATR 72; manufacturing fuselages for AgustaWestland A109 Power and A119 Koala between 1996 and 2002, fuselage components for Bell/Agusta AB139, cockpit modules for Dassault Mirage 2000-5 (25 were to be delivered in 2002), aircraft components for Ratier-Figeac, and passenger doors for Airbus A319/A320/A321. Co-operation agreement with Cessna, and start of Bell 412 tailboom production, announced in 2002. In all, PZL-Świdnik is involved in some 20 international aerospace manufacturing programmes, and co-operates with 11 world aerospace companies, including Boeing, Eurocopter, Latécoère and Stork Fokker in addition to those already mentioned.
Subsidiaries include Heliseco, which operates over 100 helicopters on agricultural and similar tasks at home and in Egypt, Greece, Oman, Portugal, Spain and elsewhere.

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