Military aircraft of Czech production. The sad story of the Czech aviation industry: a lesson for Ukraine

I will share with you information a little off topic of the blog. We are talking about the Czechoslovak aircraft industry during the Second World War. More specifically, about the aviation company Aero. This enterprise was established in 1919 and initially served the aircraft transferred to the young Czechoslovak Republic by the Entente (SPAD, Salmson, Voisin). Well, that is, the Czechs write that it all began in 1919, but in fact it was the former facilities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, namely the Hansa-Brandenburg Werke plant of the notorious Ernst Heinkel. The business of the young company went well and after 12 months they were able to start producing aircraft of their own design. By the end of the 1930s, Aero became a fairly serious manufacturer capable of mastering and mass-producing such aircraft as the MV-200 or SB-2. Own projects were also quite up to par. Unfortunately, in March 1939, the Nazis came to the country.

At first, they were not interested in Aero, and the Czechs calmly completed the last 4 MB-200s and 14 Aero A-304s, which were redistributed to the German side. Soon, an Air Force attache arrived at the enterprise from Berlin and began to introduce German types of aircraft into production. We started small - in the Aero workshops they began to assemble training double biplanes Bucker Bu-131, intended for flight schools. They were produced until 1940 and managed to produce 200 pieces. In addition, from May 1940 to November 1940, the Czech company also produced 45 B-71 air target towing aircraft and 10 B-71B glider tugs for the Luftwaffe. Let me remind you that this car was actually a Soviet high-speed bomber SB-2, which the Czechs produced under license.

Having assessed the performance of the Czech side, the Luftwaffe ordered another extremely useful vehicle for itself - the recently put into production tactical reconnaissance Focke Wulf Fw.189. They were produced for almost twelve months, until the end of 1942 they handed over 337 Ram to the customer. Starting next year, new tasks were set for Aero - to put on stream an auxiliary twin-engine Siebel Si.204D. The work was carried out at an accelerated pace and before the end of the war they managed to transfer these machines to the German Air Force 553. At the same time, in total, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, at the Aero, ČKD-Prague and Walter factories, 1007 Siebels were produced, and the fuselages for all of them were assembled precisely in the Aero workshops (until the end of the war, 1023 fuselages were obtained). To this must be added 49 overhauled Bucker Bu-131s and 15 upgraded Aero A-304s.

In total, during the war years, the number of Aero employees increased from 1,200 to 8,000. Since mid-1943, the Czechs have been talking about “forced” labor, and since 1944, the Germans have introduced a 12-hour working day for them with one “sliding” day off per week. Nevertheless, the Czechs themselves also note the positive aspects of working for the Germans: improving the organization of work and the technical equipment of production, the introduction of some new technologies. I will add that in addition to this, the Czechs "inherited" a couple enough good models aircraft (Bucker Bu-131, Siebel Si.204D), which they produced after the war for their own needs. The fruitful work of the Aero company for the German Luftwaffe ended only on March 25, 1945 (!), When 50 Allied heavy bombers destroyed the company's assembly shops, destroying 50 practically finished Siebels on the stocks.

L-410 UVP-E20 is a universal twin-engine Czech-made aircraft for local airlines, accommodating 19 passengers. Designed for operation on unprepared unpaved, grassy, snowy areas, as well as on airfields with short runways (about 600-700 meters), which, in fact, makes it an aircraft in the off-road category. The first flight of the L-410 was made on April 16, 1969. The main customer of the aircraft was the Soviet Union. In addition, the L-410 was also supplied to Bulgaria, Brazil, Hungary, East Germany, Libya, and Poland. Despite the fact that the plant is located in the Czech Republic, it considers itself a part of the Russian aviation industry: the grounds for this were laid during its development and during its long history of operation. As of 2012, more than 400 L-410s are in operation worldwide.

Production site of Aircraft Industries in Kunovice, Czech Republic.
The Aircraft Industries plant, better known under the Let Kunovice brand, is located 300 km from Prague. The plant employs 920 people.
The company produces the aircraft according to the full production cycle - it has its own lines for surface treatment of materials, paint and varnish production, a machine shop, assembly shops, a design bureau and an airport.

Workshop for the production of parts of the fuselage L-410. The enterprise is expanding and modernizing production - light green equipment is intended for the production of a new generation of aircraft L-410 NG (New Generation).
The production capacity of the plant is 16-18 new aircraft per year.
About 80% of aircraft are delivered to Russia. Over the past four years, 35 aircraft have been delivered to Russia.

Production of parts on a CNC milling center from the French company Creneau.

Cleaning parts before molding

Press molding

Punching press

Design documentation - drawing of the spoiler

Wing spar fabrication on a 5-axis CNC milling machine.
In the production, Russian duralumin produced by OJSC Kamensk-Ural Metallurgical Plant is used. The total share of components from Russia in the L-410 aircraft is about 15% - this is a legacy of the fact that the aircraft was developed by order of the USSR and with the participation of Soviet designers.

Wing panel production

Front wing assembly

Checking the quality of riveting on an aircraft wing

About 185,000 rivets of various types and sizes are used for one L-410 aircraft

Riveting work in the middle part of the fuselage

Installation of floor panels

Rear fuselage production

Engine Air Intake Part Production

Production of an air intake part for the CASA CN-235 aircraft within the framework of industrial cooperation.
The plant also cooperates with Boeing for the Boeing 787 aircraft.

Assembly conveyor of aircraft L-410 UVP-E20. It is located in one of the newest buildings of the plant, originally designed for the production of L-610.
In one half of the building there are two lines for the production of new L-410 aircraft, in the second half there is a workshop for servicing aircraft coming out of service.

At the same time, about 10 aircraft are in the assembly shop. The fuselage, wing, end tanks and tail unit come to the beginning of the line from the paint shop.
At the end of the line are aircraft undergoing flight tests and preparing to be shipped to customers.
Over the entire history of its existence, the plant has produced over 1150 aircraft of the L-410 family.
More than 850 of them were delivered to operators in the USSR.

Finishing process luggage compartment aircraft in the bow after completion of the installation of electrical equipment

Assembling the emergency exit door

The nose of the aircraft with serial number 2915. The weather radar antenna is visible.
The forward luggage compartment doors are open.

Installation of avionics in the cockpit. Avionics traditionally include devices from Russian manufacturers

Installation of electrical equipment in the aircraft cabin

Installation of wiring harnesses

Installation of electrical wires on the wing of the aircraft in the area of the engine nacelle

The AV-725 five-bladed propellers (Avia Propeller) together with the GE H80-200 engine make up the new power plant for the L-410 UVP-E20 aircraft. It has been installed since January 2013 on all new aircraft and is certified by EASA and the Russian AR IAC.
Young people in production are not uncommon, also due to the presence of their own vocational technical school on the territory of the plant.
The average age of the company's employees is 44 years.

Work on the GE H-80 engine carried out by a representative of GE Aviation Czech, Prague (former Walter plant).

The final assembly stage takes about 5 months - this is the most expensive part of production, so within its framework, engines, landing gear and all avionics are installed on the aircraft, where each individual unit can cost 100-250 thousand Euros.
The total duration of the aircraft production cycle from the production of the first fuselage components to the completion of flight tests takes a little less than a year.

The cockpit of the aircraft L-410 UVP-E20.
The aircraft is fully equipped for instrument flight, has an advanced ground proximity warning system (GPWS) and airborne collision warning system (TCAS II). The L 410 is designed in the metric system (not in inches), which is an exception in Western aviation.

This type of aircraft has been used for many years as a graduation for pilot training at the Sasovo Flight School. civil aviation(Ryazan region).

Pre-flight preparation. Stanislav Sklenarzh is the plant's chief test pilot.

Under the wing of the aircraft view of the river. Moravu and the town of Uhersky Ostrog

Aircraft L-410 UVP-E20 for French Guiana.
Aircraft for exotic countries often have a bright, memorable coloring.

Leaving with a turn
Practical ceiling - 8000 meters

Runway entry.
The L-410 aircraft can land both on a hard-surfaced runway and on grass, soil and snow. UVP in the name of the aircraft means the Russian abbreviation "Short Takeoff and Landing", which also recalls the Russian roots of the aircraft.

Castle New Svetlov (1480), Bojkovice.

Medieval gothic castle Buchlov (XIII century) is located 10 km from Kunovice.
Buchlov Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in South Moravia, the southeastern region of the Czech Republic.

Velegrad Monastery (XIII century) is one of the main pilgrimage temples in Czech Republic.
In 863 - 866 years. in the city of Velegrad lived and preached the Christian saints Cyril and Methodius.

The prototype of the aircraft L-610M in Staroe Mesto, installed for viewing at the entrance to the city.

The L-410 plane, which crashed in the Khabarovsk Territory killed six people, is widely known in the former Soviet Union, despite its Czechoslovak past. It was developed in the late 1960s at the Let Kunovice aircraft factory. The history of the aircraft plant dates back to 1936 as a branch of the Avia Letnany plant, built as part of the development of the military-industrial complex of Czechoslovakia. During the occupation, the plant was engaged in the repair of fighter aircraft.

After the war, the plant was nationalized, and car repairs began on it. In 1948, the company became part of the newly created Let company, and serial production of the Zlin 22 single-engine aircraft began in Kunowice.

In 1953, already at the new aircraft plant, licensed production of Soviet Yak-11 training fighters and Aero Ae-45 twin-engine civilian aircraft was launched.

In 1955, Kunovice began to produce the first model of its own design, created by Czechoslovak engineers under the leadership of Ladislav Smrchek, a light passenger aircraft Let L-200 Morava. The plant produced the Z-37 Cmelak ("bumblebee") agricultural aircraft, gliders and the L-29 jet trainer, which in 1961 became the main training aircraft of the Warsaw Pact member countries.

However, a landmark for the Czechoslovak aircraft was an order from the USSR for the development and production of a 19-seat turboprop aircraft L-410.

By the end of the 1960s, there was a need in the USSR for a small short-haul passenger aircraft of a new generation with a capacity of up to 10 people, capable of taking off and landing on unpaved airfields. And since the emphasis was on high efficiency, the aircraft had to be built with turboprop engines.

Despite the fact that the Beriev Design Bureau had an aircraft with the necessary characteristics (Be-30),

within the framework of cooperation between the CMEA member countries, it was decided to transfer the project to Czechoslovakia.

And this was not the only example of such cooperation. So, at one time the USSR transferred to Poland the production of the Mi-2 helicopter and the An-2 aircraft. Thanks to the course towards the integration of the CMEA member countries, the fleet of airlines of "friendly" countries was constantly replenished with Il-62, Tu-154, Tu-134 aircraft and Soviet-made helicopters, Czechoslovak L-410 aircraft and agricultural M-15, produced in Poland .

The USSR became the main customer of the L-410, where it became the most massive turboprop aircraft,

operated on regional lines, the first foreign-made aircraft to enter domestic air routes.

The L-410 is made according to the classical scheme of a twin-engine high-wing aircraft with a single-fin tail unit. The first prototype aircraft equipped with Pratt & Whitney PT6A27 engines took off on April 16, 1969. The first regular use of L-410A aircraft was started by the Czechoslovakian Slov Air (Bratislava) on local routes. In 1973, tests of the L-410M aircraft with Czech Walter M601A engines began. Until the end of 1978, the USSR received about a hundred L-410 aircraft.

“According to the designers’ plan, this turboprop machine will replace the An-2, Li-2 on local airlines of the CMEA member countries in the future,” wrote at that time.

In 1979, the aircraft was modified, and the L-410UVP model became the main serial one. The aircraft was distinguished by a longer fuselage, the use of spoilers and increased wing dimensions, which made it possible to improve one of its main characteristics - the abbreviation "UVP" meant "short takeoff and landing."

In total, more than 1200 L-410 units were produced, most of which (862) were sent to the flights of the Soviet Union, where they rightfully earned popularity for their reliability and unpretentiousness. L-410s could carry up to 19 passengers at a cruising speed of 380 km/h and were not very demanding on the runway - a normal dirt strip was enough.

The geography of their routes covered the entire territory of the USSR, from Sukhumi to Omsk. Having paid for a ticket not much more expensive than for a train, passengers could, for example, fly

from Krasnodar to Kerch, from Rostov-on-Don to Donetsk, from Sukhumi to Kutaisi, from Ryazan to Mariupol or Poltava.

By the beginning of 1992 in former USSR there were about 750 of these aircraft left. Among them were transport, airborne and training aircraft used by the military, including in the USSR. After the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, the Kunovitsky plant fell into decay, the mass production of the L-410 was curtailed and the plant changed owners several times. The pace of production fell tenfold - from 50 cars a year to two to five. In 2008, a 51% stake in Let Kunovice (Aircraft Industries) was bought by the Russian company Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, after which the production rate was eight to ten aircraft per year. Today, the company, having purchased the remaining shares, is the sole owner of the production.

In 2017, preparations for the production of L-410 aircraft in Russia were announced, which should begin in 2018.

According to the Russian State Research Institute of Civil Aviation until 2020, from 604 to 822 aircraft with a capacity of 4 to 19 seats will be sold in Russia.

Production site of Aircraft Industries in Kunovice, Czech Republic.
The Aircraft Industries plant, better known under the Let Kunovice brand, is located 300 km from Prague. The plant employs 920 people.
The company manufactures the aircraft according to the full production cycle - it has its own lines for surface treatment of materials, paint and varnish production, a machine shop, assembly shops, a design bureau and an airport.

Production of parts on a CNC milling center from the French company Creneau.

Cleaning parts before molding

Press molding

Punching press

Design documentation - drawing of the spoiler

Wing panel production

Front wing assembly

Checking the quality of riveting on an aircraft wing

About 185,000 rivets of various types and sizes are used for one L-410 aircraft

Riveting work in the middle part of the fuselage

Installation of floor panels

Rear fuselage production

Engine Air Intake Part Production

Production of an air intake part for the CASA CN-235 aircraft within the framework of industrial cooperation.
The plant also cooperates with Boeing for the Boeing 787 aircraft.

The process of finishing the luggage compartment of the aircraft in the nose after the completion of the installation of electrical equipment

Assembling the emergency exit door

The nose of the aircraft with serial number 2915. The weather radar antenna is visible.
The forward luggage compartment doors are open.

Installation of avionics in the cockpit. Avionics traditionally include devices from Russian manufacturers

Installation of electrical equipment in the aircraft cabin

Installation of wiring harnesses

Installation of electrical wires on the wing of the aircraft in the area of the engine nacelle

Work on the GE H-80 engine carried out by a representative of GE Aviation Czech, Prague (former Walter plant).

The cockpit of the aircraft L-410 UVP-E20.
The aircraft is fully equipped for instrument flight, has an advanced ground proximity warning system EGPWS and TCAS II. The L 410 is designed in the metric system (not in inches), which is an exception in Western aviation.

This type of aircraft has been used for many years as a graduate for pilot training at the Sasovo Civil Aviation Flight School (Ryazan Region).

Pre-flight preparation. Stanislav Sklenarzh is the plant's chief test pilot.

Under the wing of the aircraft view of the river. Moravu and the town of Uhersky Ostrog

Aircraft L-410 UVP-E20 for French Guiana.
Aircraft for exotic countries often have a bright, memorable coloring.

Leaving with a turn
Practical ceiling - 8000 meters

Castle New Svetlov (1480), Bojkovice.

The medieval Gothic castle Buchlov (XIII century) is located 10 km from Kunovice.
Buchlov Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in South Moravia, the southeastern region of the Czech Republic.

Velehrad Monastery (XIII century) is one of the main pilgrimage temples in the Czech Republic.
In 863 - 866 years. in the city of Velegrad lived and preached the Christian saints Cyril and Methodius.

The prototype of the aircraft L-610M in Staroe Mesto, installed for viewing at the entrance to the city.

For all questions regarding the use of photographs, write to e-mail.

1. The museum was founded in 1968 on the territory of the historical military airfield in Prague - Kbely. It was the first Czechoslovakian airbase established in 1918. Currently, the museum has 275 aircraft in its collection.

2. This is what pilots of aircraft with an open cockpit looked like

3. Aircraft Morane Saulnier MS-230 ET-2, France, 1932

4. Wood glued multi-layer screw, front edge reinforced with metal

5. Aircraft Avia Ba-122, Czechoslovakia, 1936. Aircraft for aerobatics, multiple winner of various air shows

6. Czechoslovak pilots of the times of the First Republic between sorties. In hand, of course.

7. Fighter SPAD S-VIIC.1, France, 1916. A large number of these aircraft were purchased in France after the end of the 1st World War.

8. Aircraft Ae-10, Czechoslovakia, 1919 Aircraft mechanic at work.

9. Aircraft Avia Bk-11, Czechoslovakia, 1923

10. Aircraft De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth Mk. II, UK, 1931

11. The wing of a historic aircraft that flew Prague-Beijing in the 1920s.

12. Military transport aircraft LI-2, USSR, 1942, slightly modified American aircraft Douglas DC-3.

13. Training aircraft PO-2 (U-2) "Kukuruznik", USSR 1929. During the war it was used as a night bomber.

14. Fighter LA-7, USSR 1943

15. Attack aircraft IL-2M3, USSR 1942

17. Attack aircraft AVIA B-33 (IL-10 BEAST), Czechoslovakia 1951

18. Military transport aircraft Aero C-3a (Czech version of the German Siebel Si 204).

21. Avia S-199 fighter (Czech version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G / K), 1946. After the 2nd World War, what remained on the territory of Czechoslovakia a large number of airframes of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G aircraft, and the Avia factory redesigned them to install the Junkers Jumo 211D engine.

24. The Messerschmitt Me.262 "Schwalbe" fighter was the world's first serial jet aircraft, and the world's first jet aircraft to participate in hostilities. Under the brand name Avia S-92 and Avia CS-92, it continued to be produced after the war in Czechoslovakia. The release of these aircraft became possible due to the fact that at the end of the war the Czech industry produced a complete range of fighter components, including its BMW and Jumo engines, although it did not collect the plane. On August 27, 1946, the first flight of the Czech S-92 took place.