PZL-Świdnik

PZL-Świdnik is a helicopter manufacturer based in Świdnik, Poland. It has manufactured and delivered over 7,400 helicopters to customers in over 40 countries worldwide, employs approximately 3,000 people including 650 engineers, and cooperates with 1,000 Polish enterprises. It has been a Leonardo Helicopters company since 2010. Its product range includes the PZL SW-4, PZL W-3A Sokół, AW169, SW-4 Solo, W-3PL Głuszec, AW101, AW139, AW159, AW109-TrekkerM and AW149.

It all goes back to the 1950s to the Lublin region when on the premises of the Pilot School of the Airborne and Antigas Defence League an aviation factory was built mainly to produce parts for the MIG-15 fighters. An airfield located in Świdnik was incorporated into the facility and became a company heliport for next decades. Already five years after the opening, the factory obtained a licence for the manufacture of SM-1, the first helicopter produced in Poland. Later, its modified version, SM-2, was also produced. After SM-1 and SM-2, it was the Mi-2’s turn with over 5,500 helicopters manufactured, which gave the Świdnik factory the third place in the world in terms of the number of helicopters produced. Due to such intensive production the factory evolved and developed new competence. This facilitated the design of a truly Polish helicopter – W-3 Sokół – today the best known product of the company. Since 1988 when the Sokół was moved on to mass production, over 180 helicopters with a wide range of equipment has been delivered to the customers all other the world. The Sokół helicopters serve in the police, the boarder guard, the mountain rescue (TOPR, Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue) and they extinguish fires. Most of these machines are used by the Polish Army, which operates, apart from a basic version, an upgraded combat support variant – W-3PL “Głuszec”. The Sokół helicopters are also produced in VIP transport configuration e.g. to transport the President of the Republic of Poland. Following the Sokół, a truly Polish helicopter designed by the Polish engineers and produced in Poland is the single-engine SW-4. It is well known by Polish military pilots as its military variant – SW-4 Puszczyk – was selected by the Polish Ministry of National Defenc…

Product categories. PZL SW-4 · PZL W-3A Sokół · AW169 · SW-4 Solo · W-3PL Głuszec · AW101 · AW139 · AW159 · AW109-TrekkerM · AW149

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