PZL Świdnik S.A is the biggest helicopter manufacturer in Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. Its main products are PZL W-3 Sokół and PZL SW-4 Puszczyk helicopters. In early 2010 the factory was acquired by AgustaWestland

AgustaWestland

AgustaWestland is an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company. It was formed in July 2000 when Finmeccanica S.p.A. and GKN plc agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries to form AgustaWestland with Finmeccanica and GKN each holding a 50% share.AgustaWestland is now a...

.

History

In 1951 a third national aerospace factory, WSK-Świdnik, was built in Świdnik, and in 1957 it was renamed to WSK PZL

PZL

PZL was the main Polish aerospace manufacturer of the interwar period, based in Warsaw, functioning in 1928-1939...

-Świdnik. Since 1956 it has become one of the world's major helicopter manufacturers, producing helicopters under the Soviet licence, starting from the SM-1 (Mil Mi-1

Mil Mi-1

The Mil Mi-1 The Mil Mi-1 The Mil Mi-1 ( (USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 32", NATO reporting name "Hare") was a Soviet three- or four-seat light utility helicopter. It was the first Soviet helicopter to enter serial production. It is powered by one 575 hp Ivchenko AI-26V radial. It entered...

). Świdnik was the main producer of the Mi-1 and exclusive producer of the widely used in the world Mil Mi-2

Mil Mi-2

The Mil Mi-2 is a small, lightly armored transport helicopter that could also provide close air support when armed with 57 mm rockets and a 23 mm cannon.-Design and development:...

. 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

PZL SW-4

|-See also:-External links:* * * *...

 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

Agusta A109

The AgustaWestland AW109 is a light-weight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter built by the Anglo-Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland...

 fuselages. Recently, the factory has entered talks with Sikorsky regarding licenced production of the UH-60 for the foreign and domestic market, should the Polish army procure the helicopters.

In early 2010 the factory was acquired by AugustaWestland.

The Lublin 1980 strikes

Lublin 1980 strikes

The Lublin 1980 strikes were the series of workers’ strikes in the area of the eastern city of Lublin , demanding better salaries and lower prices of food products. They began on July 8, 1980, at the State Aviation Works in Świdnik, a town located on the outskirts of Lublin...

 started in the factory.

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

Products

• PZL Kania
  PZL Kania
  -References:* Taylor, John W R . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982-83. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. ISBN 0 7106-0748-2.* Taylor, John W R . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 0 7106-0867-5....
  
    PZL developed, in conjunction with the American aero-engine company Allison, version of the Mi-2
  Mil Mi-2
  The Mil Mi-2 is a small, lightly armored transport helicopter that could also provide close air support when armed with 57 mm rockets and a 23 mm cannon.-Design and development:...
  
   for export, the Kania or Kitty Hawk
• PZL W-3
• PZL SW-4
  PZL SW-4
  |-See also:-External links:* * * *...