User:LOM PRAHA/sandbox
| Industry | Aerospace and Defense |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1915 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | |
| Products | Helicopters and Aircraft related services |
| Owner | Ministry of Defense |
Number of employees | 900 |
| Website | www |
LOM PRAHA (letecké opravny Malešice) is a Czech state aerospace enterprise established by the Ministry od Defense, which provides a range of services for civil and military Mil helicopter and L-39 airplane operators. LOM PRAHA is currently the 2nd largest aerospace company in the Czech Republic with a workforce of 900 people. Their services range from maitenance, repairs, overhauls (including overhauls of engines TV3-117, AI-25TL, AI-9V APUs and gearboxes VR-14/24) to technological modernisations of helicopter systems. LOM PRAHA owns and operates a flight training center in Pardubice (CLV), where several types of training is provided to pilots, ground crews and flight engineers of both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. LOM PRAHA also has a subsidary company VR Group, which is a manufacturer of simulators. LOM PRAHA s.p. is the only company in the EU and NATO environment which has a fully certified portfolio of services.
Services[edit]
- MIL helicopters MRO & Modernisations (Mi-2, Mi-8/17, Mi-24/35, Mi-171Sh)
- Power units life-cycle support & MRO (TV3-117, AI-25TL, VR-14/24, M701)
- Piston aerobatic engines production & MRO (M132, M137, M332, M337)
- Tactical simulation training (L-159, F-16, JAS-39 Gripen)
- Flight training centre (CLV) for Air Force pilots, ground personnel and maitenance personnel
Locations[edit]
- PRAGUE - Kbely (Airframe Overhauls & Modernisations)
- PRAGUE - Malešice (HQ & Power Units MRO site)
- STARÁ BOLESLAV (Power Units Test Bench)
- PARDUBICE (Flight Training & Tactical Simulation Centre)
- BRNO (VR Group Subsidiary)
History[edit]
Aircraft Repair works Malešice (LOM PRAHA)[edit]
The history of Aircraft Repair Works Malešice dates back to October 5, 1915, at which time the first serial aircraft engine of HIERO type was manufactured in the aircraft department of the firm Breitfeld-Daněk in Prague-Karlín, under the licence of the Vienna firms. That firm was the only one providing the serial manufacturing of aircraft engines on our territory then. This was mostly a licensed manufacturing of foreign engines.
During the Second World War the manufacturing programme of the firm switched over to repairs and overhauls of aircraft engines of JU 210, JU 211, JU 213 and ARGUS types. Subsequently in 1942, all assembly operations of the concern and its engine testing laboratories moved into the newly built buildings in the area of Malešice municipality; they were the only buildings of the aircraft department surviving the bombardment of Prague in March 1945 and became the basis of the new plant.
In 1954, the plant disaffiliated and was taken under the subordination of the Ministry of National Defence. Since then it has been going through a systematic development aimed at the needs of our military aviation. With introducing various types of aircraft technology into the armament also the composition of services being offered has been changing gradually. The first step in the post-war period was the elimination of repairs of piston engines from the captured aircraft and initiation of repairs of turbojet engines.The biggest engine being ever repaired in LOM PRAHA s.e. was AL-7 turbojet engine for Su-7 fighter-bomber. The enterprise had become gradually specialised in repairs of piston and turbojet engines for Russian made aircraft and helicopters, thus establishing a specific repair and expert portfolio recognised all over the world.
The enterprise had been going through a gradual dynamic development and expanded systematically. The plating works were built, as well as chemical and metallurgical laboratory, measurement centre, storehouse for combustibles and the piston engines shipping department. The Malešice site had been reaching its final shape during the 70´s and 80´s of the past century, in the years marked with the construction of a new assembly hall, testing laboratory of turbojet engines in Stará Boleslav, administrative building, transformer station, garages, internal road, reconstruction of older buildings, and construction of the plating plant and the aggregate house addition.[1]
Aircraft Repair Works Kbely (LOK PRAHA)[edit]
Aircraft Repair Works Kbely was not formed as an independent enterprise until 1952, when they split off from the enterprise Rudý Letov Letňany. The production of the disaffiliated repair works was oriented on repairs of aircraft of Li-2, D-47, C-11 and B-33 types and gliders. With introduction of a new aircraft technology, the range of repairs (overhauls and medium revisions) was broadened. The repairs of MiG-15, IL-28, and later MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, IL-14, Mi-4 or L-29 aircraft were carried out there. Also the range of repairs of aggregates and instruments expanded.
The manufacturing programme of the enterprise was gradually enlarged with demanding tasks of development character. The aircraft protection technology was manufactured and aircraft were rebuilt, e.g. the rebuilding of MiG-15 fighter to MiG-15sb version; serial rebuilding of MiG-15bis aircraft for towing aerial targets or very difficult modification of MiG-15bis aircraft to MiG-15bisR; adaptations of IL-28, IL-14, Li-2 aircraft for special purposes; design, manufacturing and repairs of additional fuel tanks; development and manufacturing of battle version of Mi-1B helicopter; development and manufacturing of flight trainers and simulators; and repairs of Mi-4 helicopters, all bringing along new significant technical advancements.
New manufacturing plants for repairs of aggregates, special electrical equipment and radio systems were built step by step. Technological procedures were created for one hundred and eighty types of aggregates and instruments; for most of them the testing devices were designed and made, which were also delivered to abroad. In the middle eighties, the enterprise started to get specialised in repairs of Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters and continued in repairs of MiG-21 fighters.
In 1989, Aircraft Repair Works Kbely became the state enterprise, with the founder being the Czech Ministry of Defence. In 2003, Aircraft Repair Works Kbely s.e. merged with LOM PRAHA s.e. and were deleted from the Companies Register as of January 12, 2004. Currently, the worksites of these repair works form part of Aircraft Technology Division of LOM PRAHA s.e. as the aircraft operation. They still remain concentrated on repairs of airframe parts, and rebuilding and modernising of aircraft technology.[2]
Air Force and Air Defence Technical Institute Prague (VTÚLaPVO) - (part of LOM PRAHA from 2003 to 2012)[edit]
The Institute was established on May 1, 1922 by Decree No. 25 of the Ministry of National Defence as the Aeronautical Study Institute. Two years later it was renamed to Military Aviation Study Institute and subsequently its name get settled on the term Air Force and Air Defence Technical Institute Prague. In 1927, the Institute moved into own premises built in Letňany. At that time it comprised ten expert worksites. During the Second World War its activity stagnated, as well as the whole Czechoslovak aviation. The postwar period experienced full and dynamic development of its expert activity for the benefit of the military aviation. The primary activities of the Institute included research, development and testing in the field of aircraft technology for military aviation, publishing of scientific and information bulletins, cooperation with other bodies of the state administration in the fields of aviation development, testing, manufacturing and air traffic.
In the fifties, they joined in the preparation of the licensed manufacturing of MiG fighters and in the next decade they participated in management of development and testing works on L-29 Delfín training aircraft, which was chosen as a standard training machine for the Czechoslovak Air Force, and in development and introduction of flight simulators being manufactured from 1965 to 1972. We cannot forget about the L-39 training system consisting of Albatros L-39 aircraft, mobile testing and diagnostic equipment KL-39, flight simulator TL-39 and ejection seat trainer NKTL-39.
Over the last decades the Institute has become more and more oriented towards the development, manufacturing and introduction of communication and information systems utilised in the area of command and control, monitoring and navigation. Let us mention e.g. systems SHARC, LADIC, car of the air control team ALENA or the unmanned reconnaissance system SOJKA III After being introduced, the systems are used within the Czech Army. VTÚLaPVO has become the branch of LOM PRAHA s.e. since July 2003. Since 2012, VTÚLaPVO is no longer a part of LOM PRAHA s.e.[3]