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PZL-Świdnik S.A.
Formerly	WSK-Świdnik; WSK "PZL-Świdnik";
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1951
Headquarters	Świdnik, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland
Key people	Jacek Libucha; (Chairman)
Parent	PZL; (1951–1989); AgustaWestland; (2010–2016); Leonardo S.p.A.; (2016–Present);
Website	pzl.swidnik.pl

PZL-Świdnik S.A. (Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego PZL-Świdnik S.A.) is the biggest helicopter manufacturer in Poland. Its main products are PZL W-3 Sokół and PZL SW-4 Puszczyk helicopters. In early 2010 the factory was acquired by AgustaWestland,^[1] today Leonardo.

History

History of plant establishment dating back to 1920, when in Lublin opened the first aircraft factory "Plage i Laśkiewicz". After World War II, part of the senior instructors staff incorporated into the newly formed "Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego".^[2] 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 with 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, e.g., in the manufacture of Agusta A109 fuselages.

In early 2010 the factory was acquired by AgustaWestland, today Leonardo.

Motorcycles

From 1954 until 1980 the WSK PZL-Świdnik was also a manufacturer of motorcycles, branded as the WSK. Some 2,000,000 motorcycles of the WSK M06 125 cc and WSK M21 175 cc families were made in that period.^[3]

Aircraft

Model name	First flight	Number built	Type
PZL SM-1	1956	1,594	License built single piston engine utility helicopter
PZL SM-2	1959	89	Single piston engine utility helicopter
PZL Mi-2	1965^[4]	5,400+	License built two turboshaft engine utility helicopter
PZL SM-4 Łątka	N/A	1	Single piston engine utility helicopter
PZL Kania	1979	19	Two turboshaft engine utility helicopter
PZL W-3 Sokół	1979	149	Two turboshaft engine utility helicopter
PZL SW-4 Puszczyk	1996	40	Single turboshaft engine utility helicopter
PZL PW-5	1993		Glider
PZL PW-6	1998	≈26	Glider
PZL I-23 Manager [pl]	1999	2	Single piston engine monoplane sport airplane

References

^ Gazeta Wyborcza article from Feb. 2, 2010 [1] Archived 2014-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Zakłady Mechaniczne E. Plage i T. Laśkiewicz w Lublinie". OldTimery.com (in Polish). Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
^ (in Polish) Adam Zakrzewski, Auto-moto PRL: władcy dróg i poboczy, Demart, Warsaw 2010, ISBN 978-83-7427-484-5, p.158
^ Luto, Krzysztof. "PZL Mi-2, 1965 (SM-3)". SamolotyPolskie.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 14 March 2021.