LWS (aircraft manufacturer)

Lubelska Wytwórnia Samolotów (LWS ) was the oldest aircraft manufacturers in Poland. It was founded in 1920 as the Aviation Department of the already existing company since 1864 " Zaklady Mechaniczne E. Plage i T.Laśkiewicz ".

It began with license production of Italian Ansaldo, French Potez and Dutch Fokkerflugzeugen. First own guy was a based on the Fokker -3m F.VIIB type, which was built in 21 copies and used from 1930 to the Polish Air Force.

Official name of the aircraft of this period was Plage & Laskiewicz, as this name, however, was perceived by foreign buyer is difficult, is often replaced him with Lublin, the company location.

The most important type built the first half of the 1930s was the reconnaissance and liaison aircraft R -XIII, were produced by the over 200 pieces and partly were still in use at the beginning of the Polish campaign.

In the fall of 1935, the company went bankrupt and was nationalized under the name LWS. Until the beginning of the war, for example, the LWS -3 Mewa reconnaissance and bomber LWS -4 Żubr were developed. The company also took over the production part of the Enlightenment RWD -14 Czapla.

Total lumbar spine produced from 1920 to 1939 about 740 aircraft.