Motovilikha Plants
Russian metallurgical and defense manufacturer known for artillery, mortars, and multiple-launch rocket systems.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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History
Motovilikha Plants traces its industrial origins to 1736, when Empress Anna issued a decree establishing a smelter in the Motovilikha area. The facility was intended to supply steel blocks to nearby industrial works, including operations making rifles and guns. Weapon production developed in the settlement toward the end of the eighteenth century, and Motovilikha-made artillery was used by the Russian Empire during the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War. The industrialization of the Russian Empire brought organizational and technological change. In 1871, local smelters and weapons workshops were consolidated into a centralized plant in Perm. The enterprise was not limited to military manufacture: it launched the first steamship built in the Urals in 1871 and produced the region's first steam locomotive in 1872. In 1893, Nikolay Slavyanov, an engineer associated with the works, introduced shielded metal arc welding, an important development in the evolution of industrial welding. The plant's military importance increased before the First World War. By 1914, it was reported to be producing roughly every third cannon manufactured in Russia. Following the Revolution and during the early Soviet period, the works produced a wider range of industrial equipment, including machine tools, cranes, and construction machinery. The outbreak of the Second World War shifted production back toward heavy weaponry. Civilian production regained importance after the war, although defense equipment remained a central capability. The modern enterprise combined metallurgical production with machine building. Its civil-engineering operations produced forgings, stampings, rolled products, and other metallurgical goods, while its specialized design and production unit manufactured artillery guns, mortars, multiple-launch rocket-system vehicles, and associated transport-loading equipment. The company became linked with the Grad and Smerch rocket-system families and with later Tornado-G and Tornado-S variants. It also produced or was associated with systems such as the Nona-SVK self-propelled gun, the Vienna self-propelled artillery system, the Msta-B towed howitzer, and Nona-M1 mortars. A modern artillery production line was established in 2011. In 2016, Motovilikha Plants joined NPO Splav, a Rostec company, placing the enterprise within a broader Russian state defense-industrial network. Financial problems subsequently intensified. Bankruptcy proceedings began in March 2018, and the company was delisted from the stock market. In September 2023, Remdizel purchased the company's property. Because the supplied material does not establish whether the historical public company remains an active standalone legal entity after that transaction, its present status requires verification.
- 2023
Property acquired by Remdizel
[1]Remdizel purchased the property of Motovilikha Plants in September.
- 2018
Bankruptcy proceedings
[1]Bankruptcy proceedings began in March, and the company was subsequently delisted from the stock market.
- 2016
Integration with NPO Splav
[1]Motovilikha Plants joined NPO Splav, a company within Rostec.
- 2011
New artillery production line
[1]The plant established a modern production line dedicated to artillery.
- 1938
Motovilikha incorporated into Perm
[1]The former town of Motovilikha was incorporated into the city of Perm.
- 1914
Major Russian cannon supplier
[1]The plant was reported to manufacture approximately one-third of the cannons produced in Russia.
- 1893
Slavyanov welding development
[1]Engineer Nikolay Slavyanov introduced shielded metal arc welding while working at the plant.
- 1872
First Ural steam locomotive
[1]The enterprise produced the first steam locomotive in the Urals.
- 1871
Consolidation of local works
[1]Metal smelters and weapons workshops in the area were merged into a centralized facility in Perm; the plant also launched the first steamship built in the Urals.
- 1736
Establishment of the Motovilikha smelter
[1]An imperial decree established a smelter at Motovilikha to supply steel for nearby industrial works and weapons production.
Products and positioning
A historic Russian defense-industrial and metallurgical enterprise serving as a supplier and producer of artillery, mortar, and multiple-launch rocket-system equipment.
Multiple-launch rocket system
Grad
Motovilikha Plants is identified as a developer and manufacturer of combat and transport-loading vehicles associated with the Grad multiple-launch rocket-system family. Its role includes the vehicle and equipment side of the system rather than only the rocket ammunition itself.
Multiple-launch rocket system
Smerch / BM-30
The BM-30 Smerch is a heavy multiple-launch rocket-system family associated with Motovilikha's defense production portfolio. The enterprise produced system vehicles and transport-loading equipment and is commonly associated with the Russian production base for this class of artillery.
Multiple-launch rocket system
Tornado-G
Tornado-G is a modernized multiple-launch rocket-system family derived from the Grad line. Motovilikha Plants is described as a developer and sole Russian manufacturer of relevant combat and transport-loading vehicles for this family.
Multiple-launch rocket system
Tornado-S / 9A52-4
Tornado-S is a modernized heavy multiple-launch rocket-system family associated with the Smerch lineage. The 9A52-4 designation is also listed among Motovilikha-related products.
Self-propelled artillery
Nona-SVK
Nona-SVK is a self-propelled artillery system included in the company's defense-equipment portfolio. It reflects Motovilikha's specialization in artillery platforms designed for mobile battlefield use.
Towed howitzer
Msta-B
Msta-B is a 152 mm towed howitzer associated with Motovilikha's artillery manufacturing activities. It represents the company's production of conventional towed artillery alongside rocket systems and armored platforms.
Mortar system
Nona-M1
Nona-M1 is a mortar system listed among Motovilikha Plants' defense products. The company has historically combined mortar production with artillery-gun and multiple-launch rocket-system manufacturing.
Towed field gun
M-46
The M-46, also designated the 130 mm M1954, is a towed field gun included in the company's historical product list.
Gun-howitzer
D-20
The D-20, also designated the 152 mm M1955, is a towed gun-howitzer listed among Motovilikha-associated artillery products.
Gun
A-19
The A-19, or 122 mm M1931/37, is a heavy gun included in the historical product list connected with Motovilikha Plants.
Howitzer
M-30
The M-30, also designated the 122 mm M1938, is a historical howitzer listed among Motovilikha-related artillery products.
Mountain gun
2A2
The 2A2, also designated the 76 mm M1958, is a mountain gun included in the historical product catalogue.
Industrial materials
Metallurgical products
The civil-engineering side of the enterprise produces or historically produced forgings, stampings, rolled products, and related metallurgical goods. These capabilities connect the company to its original steelmaking base and support its machine-building activities.
Brand decisions
2023
Sale of company property to RemdizelM&ABackground
The transaction followed bankruptcy proceedings and the restructuring of the historical Motovilikha Plants enterprise.
Action taken
Remdizel purchased the property of Motovilikha Plants in September 2023.
Aftermath
The acquisition transferred the company's property to a Tatarstan armored-vehicle manufacturer. The supplied material does not establish the full scope of the acquired assets or the continuing use of the Motovilikha brand.
2018
Bankruptcy and delistingOtherBackground
The company encountered serious financial problems after years of operating as a publicly traded industrial enterprise.
Action taken
Bankruptcy proceedings were initiated in March 2018, and the company was subsequently delisted from the stock market.
Aftermath
The proceedings marked a major setback for the public-company structure and left the enterprise's later ownership and standalone legal status requiring further verification.
2016
Integration with NPO SplavM&ABackground
Motovilikha Plants was operating as a major Russian artillery and rocket-system producer within a defense-industrial environment increasingly organized around state-linked groups.
Action taken
The enterprise joined NPO Splav, a Rostec company.
Aftermath
The transaction connected Motovilikha Plants more closely with Rostec's defense-industrial structure. The supplied sources do not provide detailed financial or operational consequences.
Sources1 sources
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