Czech-made military aircraft. Czech aviation industry at the service of the Luftwaffe: Aero

13.02.2021

L-610 - the swan song of the Czech aircraft industry...

Trying to convince fans of European integration in Ukraine, we see, is useless. Logical arguments based on scientific analysis do not work on them. Because for them, Europe is a kind of fetish: everything is fine there, everything is ideal, and all the problems of Ukraine will be miraculously solved as soon as we are there too. And Petro Poroshenko, on the day of his inauguration, generally stated that “Ukraine’s European choice is the heart of our national ideal.”

Many people here like to rant about high technologies that will supposedly flow to us from Europe along with the Gulf Stream of coveted investments. They remember our pride - the aircraft industry and the rocket and space industry.

But here's the problem. We have before us the example of former socialist countries of Eastern Europe– Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, in which, after the collapse of socialism and joining the “family of European nations,” the once developed aircraft industry fell into a noticeable decline. Because it flourished with abundant orders from the USSR, and in Europe its large-scale high-tech products turned out to be simply unnecessary - well, except for light sports airplanes and gliders that are produced by small companies; Yes, in addition, there are also components for Western companies.

So we have every reason to believe that our glorious aviation industry, already barely making ends meet, will have a long life after the forced break with Russia and possible entry into Europe. And as a concrete example for our edification, we will cite the Czech Republic - a country with long and noble industrial traditions.

Albatrosses were left without wings

In Czechoslovakia, the aviation industry began, one might say, at the very dawn of aviation. Thus, Avia, a well-known company between the world wars, was founded in 1919. Its pre-war fighter Avia B.534, by the way, is considered by some experts to be the pinnacle of the development of biplane fighters. Aero Vodochody, located in Prague's Vodochody district, is just as old (1919).

During the war, the Germans concentrated large facilities on the territory of Czechoslovakia, supplying aircraft equipment for the Luftwaffe. After the defeat of fascism, the Czechs continued to produce German aircraft for some time, then moved on to licensed production of such outstanding Soviet aircraft as the Il-10, MiG-15, and MiG-21.

L-39 Albatros

And later the Czechs began to create their own very decent winged cars. The most famous of them is the two-seat training aircraft (TCA) Aero L-39 Albatros - simple, cheap and reliable, which has enjoyed and continues to enjoy the well-deserved love of aviators in many countries around the world. About 3 thousand of these machines were assembled - approximately the same number as such popular Western training vehicles were built as Dassault / Dornier Alpha Jet, BAe Systems Hawk, Aermacchi MB-339, Pilatus PC-7 and PC-9 and EMBRAER EMB- 312 Tucanos combined!

L-29 Delfin

However, the predecessor of the L-39, the L-29 Delfin, which served for almost half a century, was released in another more– 3.5 thousand pieces!

The Albatross became the standard training aircraft in all Warsaw Pact countries except Poland in the 1970s. The Poles, proud of their aviation industry, preferred their own PZL TS-11 Iskra trainer. However, the main buyer of the L-39, naturally, was the Soviet Union - the Air Force and DOSAAF purchased 2 thousand of such devices! Many of these machines, inherited from the USSR, are now used by the Ukrainian Air Force.

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, in 1990, one L-39 arrived in England for the Battle of Britain anniversary show, where it created a real sensation. In principle, this aircraft is technologically inferior to modern Western training aircraft, in particular the modernized British Hawks, but it is very attractive to poor third world countries due to its low price and simplicity. In the 90s, the Czechs tried to improve their famous car by offering new option, equipped with a Western engine and avionics - L-139 Albatros 2000. However, things never went beyond the construction of a single prototype, which took off in 1993. At the JPATS competition, announced jointly by the US Air Force and the US Navy, it lost to the American turboprop trainer Beech T-6 Texan II.

Perhaps the only major export success of Aero in the post-socialist period can be considered the delivery of 40 modernized L-39ZA/ART to the Royal Thai Air Force in 1993–1997. In addition, the Czechs also implemented old orders for the L-39 from Algeria and Egypt.

IN Russian Federation L-39 aircraft still remain in service, but their fleet is steadily declining, incl. and because since the beginning of the 90s the Czechs have been creating problems with the supply of spare parts. The L-39 will be replaced by the Russian Yak-130 trainer, which recently began entering service. This is an excellent new generation combat training aircraft, supersonic, equipped with last word technology. And at the same time, it is relatively cheap in comparison with similar Western training equipment (in 2011, the Yak-130 cost $15 million versus $21 million for the South Korean KAI T-50 Golden Eagle and more than $25 million for the Hawk or Italian AleniaAermacchi M-346 Master).

However, the biggest fiasco for Aero was the Aero L-159 ALCA light multi-role attack aircraft project. This single-seat aircraft (there is also a two-seat version) was created starting in 1993 on the basis of the proven L-39/L-59. Boeing specialists also took part in the work (the company initially had a 35% participation in the project). The new plane turned out to be excellent, according to experts. It received modern on-board equipment of NATO standards (including radar and GPS navigation system), manufactured by leading Western companies.

However, only 72 vehicles were built, commissioned by the Czech Air Force. Their deliveries began in 1999, and already in 2003, when the order was completed, there was a major reduction in the Czech armed forces. To date, about half of the L-159 aircraft have been withdrawn from combat units and placed in storage. The manufacturer tried unsuccessfully to promote its product to foreign markets. L-159 aircraft were offered, in particular, to Venezuela and Greece. As far as we know, it has not yet been possible to sell even the vehicles that have become unnecessary for the Czech Air Force.

The reason for the failure is obvious. The needs of the small Czech Air Force are too small to organize full-fledged mass production, NATO allies do not need Czech aircraft (they have their own!), and the country has closed the Russian market for itself. On the other hand, the Czech Republic itself closed itself to products of the Russian military-industrial complex, switching to the acquisition of Western military equipment instead of Soviet-made equipment.

As for promotion to the markets of third world countries, the past success of the L-29 and L-39 there was largely due, again, to the support of the USSR. And the point is not only that the Soviet Union could “strongly recommend” this or that weapon system to its African and Asian allies. Another thing is important: in order for the world to become interested in an aircraft (tank, armored personnel carrier, missile, etc.), this model of military equipment must undergo successful operation and combat use in the armed forces of large and reputable states (Russia, USA, France, Britain, etc.) .P.). The acquisition of military equipment by such a state is the best advertisement for it. Therefore, it is important for the Ukrainian military-industrial complex to supply its products to Russia, and on this basis it would be possible to enter the markets of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The Aero company now survives mainly by producing components for aircraft in other countries: for Boeing, Airbus and the Brazilian company EMBRAER airliners; gun ports for F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, etc. Such activities, of course, also have the right to exist, and the company can find such a market niche. But stopping the creation of our own aircraft means the loss of the national design school...

Without Aeroflot - nowhere!

Another epoch-making Czechoslovak aircraft was once well known to Soviet citizens. We are talking about a twin-engine turboprop on a passenger plane for local airlines Let L-410 Turbolet from Let Kunovice (Kunovice is a town in the vicinity of Uherské Hradište on the border with Slovakia). By 1997, about 1,000 aircraft of this type were produced, of which Aeroflot acquired up to half. Their production ceased in 1997.

L-410 Turbolet

It was for the Soviet customer, to meet his specific requirements, that the Czechs designed the most widespread modifications of the L-410 - L-410UVP and UVP-E. One of the main requirements for them was the ability to operate in extreme climatic conditions - in the temperature range from -50 to +45 degrees. In fact, we note that the Czech aviation masterpiece withstood minus 60!

These reliable machines still fly today, having moved into the fleets of small airlines, including Ukrainian ones. In addition, about 50 L-410s entered the army at one time different countries– were used as light transport, communications, training and even reconnaissance vehicles. One of the largest military operators of the L-410 was again the Soviet Air Force.

In the 90s, demand for products fell sharply, and the pace of L-410 assembly decreased from 50 vehicles per year to 2–5. In 2005, Let was renamed LET Aircraft Industries and attempted to relaunch the L-410, offering the L-410UVP-E20 and L-420 variants. Their customers were a number of “old” operators and South American airlines, but the Czechs could not even dream of the previous sales volumes!

The situation improved slightly after in 2008, 51% of the company’s shares were bought by Russians - OJSC Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC). Moreover, in 2013, UMMC acquired the remaining stake, becoming the sole owner of the Let company. In 2010–2012, the production rate increased slightly – to 8–10, and now the plan is to increase it to 16–18 aircraft per year. However, it’s also not so hot...

In the 1980s, the Let company designed, based on the L-410 (its usual capacity is 15 passengers), a much larger and more powerful L-610 - 40 seats, with a pressurized passenger cabin (first flight - 1988). It could have replaced the old regional airliners of the An-24 type, but the coming era of the collapse of the USSR and military-political and economic associations (Warsaw Pact Organization, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) put an end to the career of the promising machine. Sales turned out to be sluggish and sporadic; Thus, the Czech Air Force acquired only one L-610, and it was decommissioned in 2007.

In the east of the Czech Republic, in Moravia, in the city of Zlin (at one time it was called Gottwaldov) there is still a company called Zlin Aircraft (also known as “Moravan”). It specializes in the construction of light aircraft, of which it has produced more than 5,000 since 1934. Interestingly, her Zlin Z-326 and Z-526 were portrayed by Messerschmitts in the film epic “Liberation” and the film “Only Old Men Go to Battle.” And its production volumes have fallen sharply since the early 90s, when the state-owned enterprise was transformed into a joint stock company. During all this time, no more than 200 cars were produced.

In general, for the Czech aircraft industry, the country’s accession to Europe did not create a new market - but the old one was lost forever...

Because we are “out there” – strangers and competitors

Advocates of European integration argue in the following spirit: they say, after integration into Europe, our industrial producers will rebuild, switch to European standards, improve the quality of their products, and then they will become competitive in the West.

You have to be an incredibly naive person to believe in fairy tales about a free market, where competitiveness is supposedly determined only by the quality of products at an affordable price.

Indeed, in a number of high-tech industries, Ukraine today, after more than 20 years of collapse and degradation, is still capable of producing worthy products that are not inferior to their Western counterparts, and at the same time cheaper. The trouble is that their access to Western markets will be blocked by hook or by crook by local monopolies, using lobbies in parliaments and ministries and many other, not market-based, competitive levers. This is especially true for the military-industrial complex, with which almost all high-tech production is associated.

We remember how Ukraine’s attempts to interest European countries NATO long-suffering An-70. The Europeans, however, chose to launch a program to create their own Airbus Military A400M and intend to see it through to completion, despite the considerable problems that have arisen that have delayed the adoption of this military transport aircraft for many years. But our An-70 is no worse. And if mass production were established, it would cost half as much!

Therefore, whatever one may say, it would be possible to save the An-70 only if this aircraft began to be delivered in large quantities to Russia. However, after all the changes that have happened and are currently occurring in Ukraine in its relations with Moscow, such a possibility now seems close to zero, so the Ukrainian An-70 will apparently be put to rest.

And here is another fresh and striking example from the relationship between the Western allied states themselves. In the 2000s, the US Air Force announced the KC-X competition for a new refueling aircraft to replace the well-used Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (since the 50s). Two cars entered the fight for the contract. The first: the Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport), which received the military designation KC-30 in the States, presented jointly by the European concern EADS and the American company Northrop Grumman. Its rival was the KC-46, created on the basis of the Boeing 767-200 airliner.

The competition turned out to be scandalous. In 2008, the US Air Force chose the “European”, but the result was disputed by Boeing and a number of high-ranking US politicians. As a result, everything was replayed in favor of the KC-46, and now it should enter service. Although in comparative tests the KC-30 demonstrated superiority over its competitor. For example, in the “truck” configuration, it is capable of transporting 32 standard 463L pallets versus 19 in the case of its rival.

So what do you think: will the An-70 be able to displace the Aurbus concern’s product in Europe or the new Lockheed Marnin C-130J Super Hercules turboprop transporter in the United States? The question, as is usually said in such cases, is rhetorical.

1. The museum was founded in 1968 on the territory of the historical military airfield in Prague - Kbely. It was the first Czechoslovak air base, established in 1918. The museum currently has 275 aircraft in its collection.

2. This is what the pilots of airplanes with an open cockpit looked like

3. Airplane Morane Saulnier MS-230 ET-2, France, 1932

4. Wood glued multi-layer screw, leading edge reinforced with metal

5. Airplane Avia Ba-122, Czechoslovakia, 1936. Aircraft for aerobatics, multiple winner of various air shows

6. Czechoslovakian pilots from the First Republic between flights. In the hands, of course.

7. SPAD S-VIIC.1 fighter, France, 1916. A large number of these aircraft were purchased in France after the end of the 1st World War.

8. Airplane Ae-10, Czechoslovakia, 1919. Aircraft mechanic at work.

9. Airplane Avia Bk-11, Czechoslovakia, 1923

10. De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth Mk. II, Great Britain, 1931

11. The wing of a historical aircraft that flew from Prague to Beijing in the 1920s.

12. Military transport aircraft LI-2, USSR, 1942, slightly modified American aircraft Douglas DC-3.

13. Training aircraft PO-2 (U-2) “Kukuruznik”, USSR 1929. During the war it was used as a night bomber.

14. LA-7 fighter, USSR 1943

15. IL-2M3 attack aircraft, USSR 1942

17. Attack aircraft AVIA B-33 (IL-10 BEAST), Czechoslovakia 1951

18. Aero C-3a military transport aircraft (Czech version of the German Siebel Si 204).

21. Avia S-199 fighter (Czech version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G / K), 1946. After the 2nd World War, there remained a large number of airframes of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G aircraft, and the Avia plant redesigned them to install the Junkers Jumo 211D engine.

24. The Messerschmitt Me.262 "Schwalbe" fighter was the world's first production jet aircraft, and the world's first jet aircraft to participate in combat operations. It continued to be produced under the Avia S-92 and Avia CS-92 brands after the war in Czechoslovakia. The production of these aircraft became possible due to the fact that at the end of the war the Czech industry produced a full range of fighter components, including its BMW and Jumo engines, although I didn’t assemble the plane. On August 27, 1946, the first flight of the Czech S-92 took place.

L-410 UVP-E20 is a universal twin-engine aircraft of Czech production for local airlines, accommodating 19 passengers. Designed for operation on unprepared dirt, grass, snow areas, as well as on airfields with short runways (about 600-700 meters), which, in fact, makes it an aircraft in the “off-road” category. The first flight of the L-410 was made on April 16, 1969. The main customer of the aircraft was the Soviet Union. In addition, the L-410 was also supplied to Bulgaria, Brazil, Hungary, East Germany, Libya, and Poland. Despite the fact that the plant is located in the Czech Republic, it considers itself part of the Russian aircraft industry: the foundations for this were laid during its development and during its long history of operation. As of 2012, more than 400 L-410 aircraft are in operation around the world.

Production site of Aircraft Industries in Kunovice, Czech Republic.
The Aircraft Industries plant, better known under the Let Kunovice brand, is located 300 km from Prague. The plant employs 920 people.
The company produces aircraft through a full production cycle - it has its own lines for surface treatment of materials, paint and varnish production, a machine shop, assembly shops, a design bureau and an airport.

L-410 fuselage parts production workshop. The enterprise is expanding and modernizing production - light green equipment is intended for the production of a new generation of the L-410 NG (New Generation) aircraft.
The plant's production capacity is 16-18 new aircraft per year.
About 80% of aircraft are supplied to Russia. Over the past four years, 35 aircraft have been delivered to Russia.

Production of parts on a CNC milling center from the French company Creneau.

Cleaning parts before molding

Forming a part on a press

Punching press

Design documentation - interceptor drawing

Manufacturing of the wing spar on a 5-axis CNC milling center.
The production uses Russian duralumin produced by OJSC Kamensk-Ural Metallurgical Plant. The total share of components from Russia in the L-410 aircraft is about 15% - this is a legacy of the fact that the aircraft was developed by order of the USSR and with the participation of Soviet designers.

Wing panel production

Assembly of the front wing

Checking the quality of riveting on an airplane wing

One L-410 aircraft uses about 185,000 rivets of different types and sizes

Riveting work in the middle part of the fuselage

Installation of floor panels

Production of the rear fuselage

Production of engine air intake parts

Production of air intake parts for the CASA CN-235 aircraft within the framework of industrial cooperation.
The plant also cooperates with Boeing for the Boeing 787 aircraft.

Assembly conveyor for L-410 UVP-E20 aircraft. Located in one of the newest buildings of the plant, originally designed for the production of L-610.
In one half of the building there are two production lines for new L-410 aircraft, in the second half there is a service workshop for aircraft coming out of service.

There are about 10 aircraft in the assembly shop at the same time. The fuselage, wing, end tanks and tail unit come to the beginning of the line from the paint shop.
At the end of the line are aircraft undergoing flight tests and preparing for delivery to customers.
Over the entire history of its existence, the plant has produced over 1,150 aircraft of the L-410 family.
More than 850 of them were delivered to operators in the USSR.

Finishing process luggage compartment aircraft in the nose after completing the installation of electrical equipment

Emergency exit door assembly

The nose of the aircraft with serial number 2915. The weather radar antenna is visible.
The forward luggage compartment doors are open.

Installation of avionics in the cockpit. Avionics traditionally include devices from Russian manufacturers

Installation of electrical equipment in the aircraft cabin

Installing Wiring Harnesses

Installation of electrical wires on an aircraft wing in the area of the engine nacelle

Five-blade AV-725 propellers (Avia Propeller) together with a GE H80-200 engine make up the new power plant aircraft L-410 UVP-E20. It has been installed on all new aircraft since January 2013 and is certified by EASA and the Russian AR MAK.
Young people in production are not uncommon, also due to the presence of its own vocational technical school on the territory of the plant.
Average age The company's employees are 44 years old.

Work on the GE H-80 engine, carried out by a representative of GE Aviation Czech, Prague (former Walter plant).

The final installation stage takes about 5 months - this is the most expensive part of production, as within its framework, engines, landing gear and all avionics are installed on the aircraft, where each individual unit can cost 100-250 thousand Euros.
The total duration of the aircraft production cycle from the production of the first fuselage components to the end of flight testing takes just under a year.

Cockpit of the L-410 UVP-E20 aircraft.
The aircraft is fully equipped for instrument flight and has an advanced Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) and TCAS II. The L 410 is designed in the metric system (rather than inches), which is an exception in Western aviation.

This type of aircraft has been used for many years as a graduation aircraft for training pilots at the Sasovo Flight School civil aviation(Ryazan region).

Pre-flight preparation. Stanislav Sklenarz is the chief test pilot of the plant.

Under the wing of an airplane, a view of the river. Morava and the town of Uhersky Ostrog

Aircraft L-410 UVP-E20 for French Guiana.
Airplanes for exotic countries often have bright, memorable colors.

Leaving with a turn
Practical ceiling - 8000 meters

Approaching the runway.
The L-410 aircraft can land both on a paved runway and on grass, soil and snow. UVP in the name of the aircraft means the Russian abbreviation “Shortened Takeoff and Landing,” which also recalls the Russian roots of the aircraft.

Castle Novy Svetlov (1480), Bojkowice.

The medieval Gothic castle Buchlov (13th century) is located 10 km from Kunowice.
Buchlov Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in South Moravia – the south-eastern region of the Czech Republic.

Velegrad Monastery (XIII century) is one of the main pilgrimage churches in Czech Republic.
In 863 - 866 Christian saints Cyril and Methodius lived and preached in the city of Velegrad.

A prototype of the L-610M aircraft in Staroe Mesto, installed for viewing at the entrance to the city.

Production of parts on a CNC milling center from the French company Creneau.

Cleaning parts before molding

Forming a part on a press

Punching press

Design documentation - interceptor drawing

Wing panel production

Assembly of the front wing

Checking the quality of riveting on an airplane wing

One L-410 aircraft uses about 185,000 rivets of different types and sizes

Riveting work in the middle part of the fuselage

Installation of floor panels

Production of the rear fuselage

Production of engine air intake parts

Production of air intake parts for the CASA CN-235 aircraft within the framework of industrial cooperation.
The plant also cooperates with Boeing for the Boeing 787 aircraft.

The process of finishing the luggage compartment of an aircraft in the nose after completing the installation of electrical equipment

Emergency exit door assembly

The nose of the aircraft with serial number 2915. The weather radar antenna is visible.
The forward luggage compartment doors are open.

Installation of avionics in the cockpit. Avionics traditionally include devices from Russian manufacturers

Installation of electrical equipment in the aircraft cabin

Installing Wiring Harnesses

Installation of electrical wires on an aircraft wing in the area of the engine nacelle

Five-blade AV-725 propellers (Avia Propeller) together with a GE H80-200 engine make up the new power plant for the L-410 UVP-E20 aircraft. It has been installed on all new aircraft since January 2013 and is certified by EASA and the Russian AR MAK.
Young people in production are not uncommon, also due to the presence of its own vocational technical school on the territory of the plant.
The average age of the company's employees is 44 years.

Work on the GE H-80 engine, carried out by a representative of GE Aviation Czech, Prague (former Walter plant).

Cockpit of the L-410 UVP-E20 aircraft.
The aircraft is fully equipped for instrument flights and has an advanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) and TCAS II. The L 410 is designed in the metric system (rather than inches), which is an exception in Western aviation.

This type of aircraft has been used for many years as a graduation aircraft for training pilots at the Sasovo Flight School of Civil Aviation (Ryazan region).

Pre-flight preparation. Stanislav Sklenarz is the chief test pilot of the plant.

Under the wing of an airplane, a view of the river. Morava and the town of Uhersky Ostrog

Aircraft L-410 UVP-E20 for French Guiana.
Airplanes for exotic countries often have bright, memorable colors.

Leaving with a turn
Practical ceiling - 8000 meters

Castle Novy Svetlov (1480), Bojkowice.

Velehrad Monastery (XIII century) is one of the main pilgrimage churches in the Czech Republic.
In 863 - 866 Christian saints Cyril and Methodius lived and preached in the city of Velegrad.

A prototype of the L-610M aircraft in Staroe Mesto, installed for viewing at the entrance to the city.

For any questions regarding the use of photographs, please email.

The L-410 aircraft, which crashed in the Khabarovsk Territory and killed six people, is widely known in the former Soviet Union, despite its Czechoslovak origin. It was developed in the late 1960s at the Let Kunowice aircraft factory. The aircraft plant dates back to 1936 as a branch of the Avia Letnany plant, built as part of the development of the military-industrial complex of Czechoslovakia. During the occupation, the plant was engaged in the repair of fighter aircraft.

After the war, the plant was nationalized, and car repairs began there. In 1948, the company became part of the newly created Let company, and serial production of the single-engine Zlin 22 aircraft began in Kunowice.

In 1953, licensed production of Soviet Yak-11 fighter trainers and Aero Ae-45 twin-engine civil aircraft was established at the new aircraft plant.

In 1955, the first model of its own design, created by Czechoslovak engineers under the leadership of Ladislav Smrček, began to be produced in Kunovice - the Let L-200 Morava light passenger aircraft. The plant produced the Z-37 Cmelak (“bumblebee”) agricultural aircraft, gliders and the L-29 trainer jet, which in 1961 became the main training aircraft of the Warsaw Pact member countries.

However, a landmark order for the Czechoslovak aircraft was the order from the USSR for the development and production of a 19-seat L-410 turboprop aircraft.

By the end of the 1960s, there was a need in the USSR for a small, short-haul passenger aircraft of a new generation with a capacity of up to 10 people, capable of taking off and landing on unpaved airfields. And since the emphasis was on high efficiency, the aircraft had to be built with turboprop engines.

Despite the fact that the Beriev Design Bureau had an aircraft with the necessary characteristics (Be-30),

within the framework of cooperation between the CMEA member countries, it was decided to transfer the project to Czechoslovakia.

And this was not the only example of such cooperation. Thus, at one time the USSR transferred to Poland the production of the Mi-2 helicopter and the An-2 aircraft. Thanks to the course towards the integration of CMEA member countries, the fleet of airlines of “friendly” countries was constantly replenished with Il-62, Tu-154, Tu-134 aircraft and Soviet-made helicopters, Czechoslovakian L-410 aircraft and agricultural M-15 aircraft produced in Poland .

The USSR became the main customer of the L-410, where it became the most popular turboprop aircraft,

operated on regional routes, the first foreign-made aircraft to enter domestic air routes.

L-410 is made according to classic scheme twin-engine high-wing aircraft with single fin empennage. The first prototype aircraft, equipped with Pratt&Whitney RT6A27 engines, took off on April 16, 1969. The first to regularly use L-410A aircraft was the Czechoslovakian airline Slov Air (Bratislava) on local routes. In 1973, testing of the L-410M aircraft with Czech Walter M601A engines began. By the end of 1978, the USSR received about a hundred L-410 aircraft.

“According to the designers’ plans, this turboprop will in the future replace the An-2 and Li-2 on local airlines of the CMEA member countries,” wrote in those days.

In 1979, the aircraft was modified, and the L-410UVP model became the main production model. The aircraft was distinguished by a longer fuselage, the use of spoilers and increased wing dimensions, which made it possible to improve one of its main characteristics - the abbreviation “UVP” meant “short take-off and landing”.

In total, more than 1,200 L-410 units were produced, most of of which (862) were sent on flights Soviet Union, where they have rightfully earned popularity for their reliability and unpretentiousness. L-410 could carry up to 19 passengers with a cruising speed of 380 km/h and were not very demanding on the runway - a normal dirt strip was enough.

The geography of their routes covered the entire territory of the USSR, from Sukhumi to Omsk. By paying not much more for a ticket than for a train, passengers could, for example, fly

from Krasnodar to Kerch, from Rostov-on-Don to Donetsk, from Sukhumi to Kutaisi, from Ryazan to Mariupol or Poltava.

By the beginning of 1992 in former USSR There were about 750 of these aircraft left. Among them were transport, transport-landing and training aircraft used by the military, including in the USSR. After the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, the Kunovitsa plant fell into decay, serial production of the L-410 was curtailed and the plant changed owners several times. The production rate fell tenfold - from 50 cars per year to two to five. In 2008, 51% of the shares of Let Kunovice (Aircraft Industries) were bought by the Russian company Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, after which the production rate was eight to ten aircraft per year. Today the company, having purchased the remaining shares, is the sole owner of the production.

In 2017, preparations for production of L-410 aircraft in Russia were announced, which should begin in 2018.

According to the Russian State Research Institute of Civil Aviation, by 2020, from 604 to 822 aircraft with a capacity of 4 to 19 seats will be sold in Russia.