Aero Vodochody

AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s.
Akciová společnost
Industry Aerospace, arms Industry
Predecessor Aero – továrna létadel
Founded February 25, 1919 (1919-02-25)
Headquarters Odolena Voda, Central Bohemian, Czech Republic
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Giuseppe Giordo (president and CEO)
Products Aircraft, helicopter, aircraft parts
Owners Penta Investments
Number of employees
 1,683[1] (December 31, 2013)
Website www.aero.cz
Aero Vodochody L.159A ALCA – Advanced Light Combat Aircraft
Aero L-39 Albatros of the Breitling Jet Team

Aero Vodochody (commonly referred to as Aero) is a Czech (previous Czechoslovak) aircraft company. The factory and factory airport is located in Prague-East District, on the territory between Vodochody and Odolena Voda region. It was active from 1919, notable for producing the L-29 Delfin, L-39 Albatros, L-59 Super Albatros, and the L-159 Alca military light combat jet. From 1929[2] until 1951 Aero also made a range of small and medium-sized cars with two-stroke engines, and in 1946–47 it built the Škoda 150 truck under licence.

After the fall of the communist government in Czechoslovakia (1989) and in the rest of Central Europe, the company lost a major portion of its main market in jet trainers. Sales of military aircraft declined in the early 1990s in Eastern Europe as well as in NATO countries where the entry of a new producer was obviously unwanted. Aero was controlled for several years, 1998 to 2004, by Boeing.[3]

At the end of October 2006 Aero Vodochody was privatized once again. A Czech-Slovak investment group Penta Investments bought it for roughly 3 billion CZK.[4][5]

Currently, Aero Vodochody produces the Sikorsky S-76, center wing box for the Alenia C27, door subassemblies for the Embraer 170 and Embraer 190, cockpit for the UH-60, gun bay doors for the F/A-18 Super Hornet, subassemblies and parts for the Airbus A320 family, fixed leading edge kits for the Boeing 767,[6] and the L-159 advanced light combat aircraft.[7]

Aero is also likely to upgrade the runway at its Vodochody Airport near Prague to international airport standards which would serve mainly the low-cost air-carriers and charter flights heading to Prague.[8]

Aircraft

Pre-World War II

  • Aero Ae 01 (1919, trainer based on Hansa-Brandenburg B.I)
  • Aero Ae 02 (1920, fighter)
  • Aero Ae 03 (1921, prototype reconnaissance aircraft)
  • Aero Ae 04 (1921, prototype fighter developed from the Ae 02)
  • Aero A.8 (airliner)
  • Aero A.10 (1922, airliner)
  • Aero A.11 (1924, reconnaissance/light bomber developed from the A.12)
  • Aero A.12 (1923, reconnaissance/light bomber)
  • Aero A.14 (1922, reconnaissance/mail plane)
  • Aero A.15 (re-engined A.14)
  • de Havilland DH.50 (airliner, licensed production)[9]
  • Aero A.16 (1926, night bomber project)
  • Aero A.17 (1922, sailplane)
  • Aero A.18 (1923, fighter developed from the Ae 02, Ae 04 and A.11)
  • Aero A.19 (1923, prototype fighter)
  • Aero A.20 (1923, prototype fighter)
  • Aero A.21 (night trainer developed from the A.11)
  • Aero A.22 (utility aircraft developed from the A.11)
  • Aero A.22 (II) (unbuilt four-engine heavy bomber project)
  • Aero A.23 (1925, airliner)
  • Aero A.24 (1924, prototype twin-engine bomber)
  • Aero A.25 (trainer developed from the A.11)
  • Aero A.26 (reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Ae 10)
  • Aero A.27 (1926, re-engined A.24)
  • Aero A.27 (II) (1925, 12-seat airliner project)
  • Aero A.28 (two-seat trainer)
  • Aero A.29 (1927, floatplane developed from the A.11)
  • Aero A.30 (1926, prototype reconnaissance/light bomber developed from the A.11)
  • Aero A.31 (single-seat fighter project)
  • Aero A.32 (1927, reconnaissance/bomber developed from the A.11)
  • Aero A.33 (1928, 14-seat trimotor airliner project)
  • Aero A.34 (1929, light sport aircraft)
  • Aero A.35 (airliner)
  • Aero A.36 (1926, three-engine biplane bomber project)
  • Aero A.38 (airliner)
  • Aero A.40 (1926, racing aircraft project)
  • Aero A.42 (1929, prototype bomber)
  • Aero A.44 (1931, heavy bomber project)
  • Aero A.46 (1931, prototype trainer)
  • Aero A.48 (1932, 8 passenger airliner project)
  • Aero A.49 (1932, 2-seat ultralight aircraft project)
  • Aero A.55 (1933?, ultralight aircraft project)
  • Aero A.60 (1933, high-speed three-engine 6-seat transport aircraft project)
  • Aero A.100 (1933, reconnaissance/light bomber developed from the A.430)
  • Aero A.101 (reconnaissance/light bomber developed from the A.100)
  • Aero A.102 (1932, initial version of A.102)
  • Aero A.102 (1934, prototype fighter)
  • Aero A.104 (1937, prototype reconnaissance/light bomber developed from the A.101)
  • Aero A.125 (re-engined A.25)
  • Aero A.130 (re-engined A.30)
  • Aero A.134 (1929, re-engined A.34)
  • Aero A.200 (1934, sports plane)
  • Aero MB.200 (1935, Bloch MB.200 built under license)
  • Aero A.202 (1934, twin engine 14-seat airliner project)
  • Aero A.204 (1936, prototype four-engine airliner)
  • Aero A.206 (1936, prototype for A.300)
  • Aero A.210 (1936–37, airliner project)
  • Aero A.212 (1937, utility aircraft project)
  • Aero A.230 (1930, production version of A.30)
  • Aero A.300 (1938, bomber developed from the A.304)
  • Aero A.302 (1936, attack aircraft project)
  • Aero A.304 (1937, bomber developed from the A.204)
  • Aero A.321 (attack version of A.32 for Finnish Air Force)
  • Aero A.330 (re-engined A.230)
  • Aero A.351
  • Aero A.404 (bomber project developed from the A.304)
  • Aero A.430 (prototype for A.100)

Post World War II

  • Aero Ae-45 (1947-1961, twin-engine utility aircraft)
  • Aero Ae 50 (1949, prototype reconnaissance aircraft)
  • Aero Ae 53 (transport glider)
  • Aero Ae-145 (1948) (1948, unbuilt larger 5-seat derivative of Ae-45)
  • Aero Ae-145 (1955, re-engined Ae-45)
  • Aero Ae-148 (1949, twin engine 12-seat airliner project)
  • Aero Ae-245 (re-engined Ae-45)
  • Aero Ae-345 (experimental re-engined Ae-45)
  • Aero B-34 (1958, proposed attack aircraft to replace Il-10)
  • Aero HC-2 Heli Baby (1954)
  • Aero L-60 Brigadýr (1955)
  • Aero L-29 Delfín (1963–1974)
  • Aero L-229 (unbuilt single-seat light attack version of L-29)
  • Aero L-260 (1960, L-60 powered by a Praga M-208D engine)
  • Aero L-260 (1970, 10-seat multi-purpose aircraft project)
  • Aero L-360 (1960, L-60 powered by an Ivchenko AI-14R engine)
  • Aero S-102 Czech licensed production of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevish MiG-15 fighter
  • Aero CS-102 Czech licensed production of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI trainer
  • Aero S-103 Czech licensed production of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis fighter
  • Aero S-104 Czech licensed production of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17PF fighter
  • Aero S-105 Czech licensed production of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19S fighter
  • Aero S-106 (1960s) Czech production version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21F-13 fighter
  • Aero L-39 Albatros (1970–1997, military jet trainer)
  • Aero L-59 Super Albatros (1992–96, military jet trainer)
  • Aero Ae 270 Ibis (2000, civil utility aircraft, only four prototypes produced)
  • Sikorsky S-76 (2000–2015, Czech production of the parts of US helicopter)
  • Aero L-159 Alca (1997–2003 and 2016–2017, light attack aircraft and jet trainer)

In development

  • Aero L-39NG (military jet trainer, first flight in 2015, serial production in 2019)[10]
  • Aero F/A-259 Striker (light multirole attack aircraft and successor to the L-159 Alca, made in cooperation with Israel and unveiled in July 2018)[11]

References

  1. ↑ Aero Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s., Annual report 2013, page 54
  2. ↑ Tuček 2017, p. 97.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  9. ↑ Crook, John (1997). Air Transport the First Fifty Years. The Archive Photographs Series. Stroud: Chalford. p. 21. ISBN 0-7524-0790-2.
  10. ↑ "Aero Vodochody begins component production for L-39NG jet trainer aircraft". Airforce Technology. 23 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Aero and IAI introduced multirole F/A-259 Striker aircraft". Aero.cz. 19 July 2018.

Sources

  • Tuček, Jan (2017). Auta první republiky 1918–1938 (in Czech). Prague: Grada Publishing. ISBN 978-80-271-0466-6.

See also

Aero (automobile)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.