Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów
IndustryAerospace
Founded1923 (1923)
Founder
  • Antoni Ponikowski[1]
  • Stanisław Rużyczka de Rosenwerth
  • Witold Rumbowicz[1]
Defunct1939 (1939)
Headquarters
Biała Podlaska
,
Poland
Key people
ParentPZL
(1936–1939)
DivisionsLwowskie Warsztaty Lotnicze
(1937–1939)
SubsidiariesLubelska Wytwórnia Samolotów
(1936–1939)

Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS; Podlachian 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
PWS-2 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. 1 2 3 Pawlonka, Monika (9 January 2017). "Czy Antoni Ponikowski będzie miał swoją ulicę w Białej Podlaskiej?". Interwizja (in Polish). Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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)
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