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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 0014.PDF
14 FLIGHT International, 4 January 1962 OKI's TS-II Iskra two-seat trainer is the first Polish jet aircraft of indigenous design Progress in Poland By JERZY B. CYNK FOLLOWING the upheavals in the Communist world after the death of Stalin, reassessments of political and economic factors governing Polish industrial policy brought about a significant change in the character of Poland's aircraft industry. Departing from a warlike manufacture of Russian fighters in the early fifties, the industry embarked upon a sensible production programme tailored to the country's requirements, combined with a modest but carefully considered plan for development of domestic designs. Export was one of the principal aims. After a difficult and somewhat confused transition phase in 1955-60 the industry started in 1961 a new five-year programme which now provides it with badly needed confidence in the future. To understand current developments properly a quick glance at the progress in the post-war years is necessary, particularly as the picture is not peculiar to Poland but is to some degree character istic of most Soviet-dominated countries in Europe. The first post-war decade was a period of frustrated efforts and big disappointments. Despite immense difficulties a number of design offices were established immediately after the war and several prototypes, mainly of rudimentary low-powered trainers and tour ers, were evolved; but no engines and no suitable production facilities were available, so these aircraft could not be manufactured in quantity. At the time when rebuilt factories were ready to start work on a larger scale and designers began to think in terms of advanced all-metal constructions, national design activities were progressively curtailed. By the spring of 1951 all design offices were dissolved and all indigenous projects abandoned, the only home- evolved aircraft to survive the purge being the LWD Junak, then already in production for the Polish Air Force. The industry was completely readjusted to the needs of the Soviet war machine and provided with very large and thoroughly modern aircraft manufac turing plants, which offered production facilities far in excess of contemporary or likely future Polish needs. Deliveries of the MiG-15 jet fighters from Polish factories commenced early in 1953, and these aircraft were later superseded on assembly lines by MiG-17s, the designation of the Polish-built MiGs being LiM. After the death of Stalin military orders were drastically cut; and vast plants soon fell idle, as no suitable home-designed aircraft were immediately available to follow the fighters into production. Manufacturing rights were acquired for the Russian Yak-12 general-purpose monoplane and Mi-1 helicopter, and production was also partly switched to non-aviation engineering products to avoid closing down some of the factories. When the national design offices were liquidated, a few of their former members who had found shelter at the 1L (Aviation Insti tute) began limited work on new projects, despite the fact that such activities were officially discouraged. Eventually, studies for the TS-8 Bies trainer and BZ-4 helicopter were evolved at the IL; and, as soon as the political tension began to subside, construction of prototypes of these machines was authorized. With the breeze of freedom growing stronger and the factories yearning for designs which would secure continuity of production, proposals for several new aircraft were quickly put forward and the IL became trans formed into a major design centre. This rather spontaneous effort had to be directed to meet actual requirements, and the appropriate development programme was worked out. Accordingly, a principal design centre was formed at the WSK (Transport Equipment Manufacturing Plant), Warsaw-Okecie, and all design activities conducted at the IL were there transferred, the IL itself returning to its original task of scientific and technological research. This new centre, officially established by an order issued by the Minister of Heavy Industry on October 12, 1957, and named Osrodek Konstrukcji Lotniczych (aviation design centre), was given the responsibility for design and development of all kinds of powered aircraft, engines and equipment, and incorporated several specialized teams to perform these duties. Smaller design offices were also established at the WSK Mielec and WSK Swidnik aircraft plants. Then a new factor of economical integration between the Soviet bloc countries began to exercise growing influence upon the plans of the Polish industry. Around 1958, with completion of LiM-5 (MiG-17) orders, production of combat aircraft ceased completely, equipment of the Polish Air Force being subsequently modernized with comparatively small batches of the Russian-built MiG-19 and Mikoyan delta-wing fighters (and recently, too, with the type of surface-to-air missile first seen in Moscow in 1957). The Soviet Union, which had transferred the main stresses of its policy from the military to the economic field, agreed to help to fill the vacuum created by lack of military orders, and in conse quence Poland received large production contracts for the Russian Also by the OKL factory, the MD-12 four-engined feederlmer developed for domestic use by Polish Airlines LOT. Four 340 h.p. Narkiewicz engines are fitted
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