History

     The history of Smolensk Aircraft Plant JSC began back in 1923, when Michael Tukhatchevstii, commander-in-chief of the western front, asked Smolensk regional authorities to give assistance in faster equipping of Smolensk aerodrome and providing grounds for aircraft plant (letter of April 12, 1923).
     In 1924-25 Promvozduh department developed the project of Smolensk Aircraft Plant No. 3. The construction work began at the end of 1925 under the supervision of A.D. Muratov. The main production facilities (fitting, woodworking, painting, assembling shops, power station, drying room, etc.) were constructed in 1925-1926. M.V. Bavtuto was appointed the first manager general.
     The opening ceremony was held on November 8, 1926. It is the official date of the Plant foundation. The same year the first lot of aircrafts and engines was repaired.
     The Plant gradually expanded its facilities in order to perform series repairs of R-1, I-2, I-3, R-5, R-6, ÒB-1 aircrafts and Ì-5, Ì-11, Ì-17, Ì-34 motors. In 1928 the enterprise was renamed into Plant No. 35 of the USSR.
     In accordance with order No. 28/182 of General Aircraft Administration of May 28, 1934 the Special-Purpose Design Bureau of Menzhinskii Plant No. 39 was transferred to Plant No. 35. Its main activities lay in the area of airborne vehicles for stratospheric and long-distance flights. V.A. Tchizhevskii was appointed chief designer of the enterprise.
     The first work of the bureau was the updated car of the USSR-1 stratospheric balloon. It was installed on the USSR-1 Bis stratospheric balloon that made a flight on June 26, 1935. Later the specialists of the Plant designed and constructed the BOK-1 (the first domestic stratoplane with a pressure cockpit), the BOK-5 “flying wing” plane, the BOK-7 pilot high-altitude airplane, the BOK-15 record airplane for round-the-world flight, cars for the USSR-2 and USSR-3 stratospheric balloons.
     In February 1938 the Special-Purpose Design Bureau was transferred from Smolensk to the settlement of Podlipky (Moscow region) and merged with Design Bureau No. 29.
     In winter 1937-1938 Plant No. 35 was ordered to design several light modifications of the R5 serially produced airplane to rescue the group of I.D. Papanin from drifting ice. Mechanical engineer M.A. Eliseev was the member of the expedition aboard the Taimyr ice-breaker, who serviced the R-5 airplane modifications suitable for arctic flights. In April 1938 he became the first specialist of Smolensk Aircraft Plant, decorated with the Order of the Red Labor Banner.
     In 1938-1939 the Plant began to repair SB, I-15, I-16 planes and M-100, M-25 engines. From 1939 to 1941 the enterprise made necessary preparations to start a series production of IL-2, the most advanced airplanes of that time. But World War II disturbed all the plans. The frontline was approaching Smolensk, so the decision was made to evacuate the production facilities of the Plant. On July 7, 1941 the first workers of Smolensk Plant were put on the list of Plant No. 122, being built in Kuibyshev. The equipment, brought from Plant No. 35, made it possible to start from scratch the production of war planes. In October 1941 Plants No. 35 and 122 merged with Plant No. 1, evacuated from Moscow (now it is the Progress Plant in Samara).
     On September 25, 1943 the Soviet troops liberated Smolensk. All 23 main buildings of the plant were ruined; the damage was worth 46 million rubles.  Thanks to the initiative of M.A. Philatov, director general of the Plant, the government passed a decree, ordering to set up an  enterprise on the premises of former Smolensk Plant # 35 that would conduct repairs of aircrafts and engines. In spring 1944 the outdoor repairs of IL-2, La-5, Yak-7, La-7 planes began. The repaired craft flew directly to the front.
     In 1946-1947 the repairs of Yak-3, Yak-9, Yak-11 began (400 crafts were repaired during the last three years of the war). The Po-2 airplanes were re-equipped for agricultural use.
     After the war the repair work became less active, and in 1949 it was completely stopped. The Plant was engaged in the production of aerodrome equipment and spare parts.  It put out large lots of launching carriages (over 6.000 sets were supplies in 1950-65), bodies for the Lutch-1 searchlight systems (over 50 sets in 1950), hydrosystem control installations, bomb trolleys, etc. The production of the A-2 and BA-3/48 gliders and PM target gliders (designed by G.I. Bakshaev) was organized due to the efforts of high-qualified specialists and workers, who had returned from evacuation, repairs in the shops and purchase of new equipment. In 1949-51 over 200 items of A-2 rolled off the production line.
     Under the order of the Ministry of Aircraft Industry No. 352 of June 3, 1954 the Plant had to open up the production of items, developed at the design bureaus, headed by A. Mikoyan, V. Tchelomei, S. Ilushin, A. Yakovle, A. Bereznyak, A. Lavotchkin. This order determined the enterprise identity for the future.
     Under the circumstances new production divisions were set up. By 1956 the Plant had reached the pre-war output.
     In 1960 the specialized electrotechnical production of automatic installations, land-based complexes, power-supply and automatic control systems was opened. Later this division became an independent enterprise (Izmeritel’ Plant).
     Smolensk Plant took part in the preparatory work before launching the production of the IL-62 units. It made a pilot lot of the Yak-36 wings and empennage.
     Since 1965 the Plant mastered the series production of wing sets for the civil Yak-40 aircraft. The sets were dispatched to Saratov Aircraft Plant, assembling the planes.
     In 1966-1968 the enterprise produced snowmobiles-amphibians, developed by the Tupolev design bureau. They were delivered to distant northern regions of the USSR and exported to Finland.
      In 1967 the Plant mastered series production of souvenirs (badges, jubilee medals, etc.). At some periods the annual output was over one million items.
     In 1971 Smolensk Aircraft Plant was decorated with the Order of the Red Labor Banner for successful mastering new products and overfulfillment of the eighth five-year plan.
     Within a short period of time (1972) the Plant launched into series production the Yak-18T aircraft, that made the first flight in May 1973. Before 1983 over 500 airplanes rolled off the production line and were exploited by all flying schools of Civil Aviation of the USSR.
     In 1973-1974 the pilot batch of wings for the Yak-50 sport airplane was made.
In 1975 the Plant managed to produce the set of sweptwings, empennage and engine nacelle for the Yak-42 aircraft before the schedule. The first preproduction plane took off from Smolensk Plant aerodrome on October 26, 1976.
     Before 1982 the Plant produced not only ready-made planes (Yak-42), but also the outer wing sets, supplied to Saratov Aircraft Plant. Later the enterprise concentrated on the production of spare parts exclusively for Yak-42.
     Starting from 1980, the Plant put out the production of wings, tail and fuselage units for the Buran shuttlecraft.
     In 1984 the work on the M-55 high-altitude plane (the Geophizika) began. The first fight of the plane was made on August 16, 1988.
     In 1992 the Plant made the Yak-40D aircraft. It was the updated version of Yak-40 with larger fuel tanks (storage capacity – six tons).
     Within the framework of the conversion program the Kometa cloth-spreading machine and the MK-001RS measuring-inspecting machine were produced for the light and textile industry.
     In 1993 theYak-18T aircrafts were again made for export, the pilot batch of the light Yak-112 (the Yakovlev design bureau) was launched into production.
     The first flight of the SM-92 (Finist) multi-purpose light plane was made in Smolensk on December 28, 1993. This model was designed under the leadership of V.P. Kondratiev and launched into series production. In 1995 the patrol modification (SM-92P) was made.
     At the same time the pilot modification of the Yak-18T was made under the name of SM-94-1. 
     The Plant also took part in the production of the first pilot aircraft, called Yak-130, that made the flight on April 26, 1996.
     Since 1996 the Yak-40 airplane was thoroughly updated; its modification for administrative purposes had radio equipment for international flights, business-class cabin and outer finish of polyurethane enamel.
     The workers of the Plant, involved in design and production of the Ptchela unmanned flying vehicle, were given the Award of the Russian Government in the field of science and technology in 1998 and the medal of the “For Service to the Nation” Order, 2nd class in 2000.
     In 2000 the enterprise worked in cooperation with the Sukhoi design bureau. The result of their joint activities was the Su-38 agricultural plane. Having considerable experience in making light crafts, the specialists of the Plant offered some improvements in the design and flying characteristics. At present the production line of the wings and empennage is working.
     In 2002 the collective of the enterprise took part in Yak-130, Tu-154M projects (production of wing tips).
     International Aviation and Space Salon 2003 saw a new range of aircrafts (SÌ-2000, SÌ-2000P, SP-55Ì, SÌ-92, SÌ-92Ò), designed by V.P. Kondratiev.
     In summer 2004 the tests of the SM-92 six-seater hydroplane began. The flotation landing gear has an amphibian version, ensuring safety landing on soil aerodromes and unprepared grounds.
     In May 2004 under the presidential decree the enterprise was incorporated into Tactical Missiles Corporation JSC. In 2004 Smolensk Aviation Plant exhibited light aircrafts in the International Hydroaviashow 2004 and the Third International Siberian Aviation and Space Salon.