Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS) - Podlasie Aircraft Works - was the Polish aerospace manufacturer between 1923 and 1939, located in Biała Podlaska.
Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów SA was created in 1923. The first aircraft, produced from 1925, were 35 Potez 15 bombers for the Polish Air Force, under the French licence[1]. Then, by 1929 the works produced 155 Potez 27 and 150 Potez 25, also under the French licence, and 50 fighters PWS-A under the Czech licence (Avia BH-33). It also produced 50 Bartel BM-4 trainers in 1931, of the Samolot factory design[1].
From 1925, an own construction bureau was established. The designers were, among others, Stefan Cywiński, Zbysław Ciołkosz, August Bobek-Zdaniewski[1]. Despite a big number of prototypes, only some were produced in series. The first was PWS-10 fighter of 1930 (80 aircraft). Short series of a trainer PWS-14 and a passenger plane PWS-24 were also made (PWS-10 and PWS-24 were the first fighter and the first passenger plane of the Polish construction built in series). In 1929 the factory built a wind tunnel, first in Poland. All PWS-designed aircraft had wooden or mixed construction[1].
In 1932 the PWS works were nationalized because of a bad financial condition[1]. Then it produced 500 trainers RWD-8 (designed by the RWD) and 50 trainers PWS-18 under the British licence (Avro Tutor)[1]. Soon the factory designed own successful advanced trainers PWS-16 and PWS-26, the later built in 320 units in 1936-1939.
In 1936 the factory was subordinated to the PZL national concern. It developed a series of projects of military planes, but they were not built due to outbreak of World War II. Twin-engine advanced trainer PWS-33 Wyżeł and a sports biplane PWS-35 were ordered to serial production, but it did not start due to war.
A division of the PWS was Lwowskie Warsztaty Lotnicze (LWL, Lwów Aviation Workshops), created in October 1937. It built gliders, among others designated with letters PWS. Some 160 gliders were made by the war[2].
After the outbreak of World War II, the PWS factory was bombed by the Germans on September 4, 1939, who destroyed about 70% of the factory. The remains of equipment were captured by the Soviets after their invasion of Poland.
| Name | description and first flight year |
| PWS-A | 1-engine, 1-seater, fighter biplane, 1929 (licence Avia BH-33) |
| PWS-1 | 1-engine, 2-seater, heavy fighter high-wing monoplane, 1927 (prototype) |
| PWS-3 | 1-engine, 2-seater, sports high-wing monoplane, 1927 (prototype) |
| PWS-4 | 1-engine, 1-seater, sports low-wing monoplane, 1928 (prototype) |
| PWS-5 | 1-engine, 2-seater, army cooperation biplane, 1928 (short series) |
| PWS-6 | 1-engine, 2-seater, liaison biplane, 1930 (prototype) |
| PWS-8 | 1-engine, 2-seater, sports biplane, 1929 (prototype) |
| PWS-10 | 1-engine, 1-seater, fighter high-wing monoplane, 1930 (series) |
| PWS-11 | 1-engine, 1-seater, trainer fighter high-wing monoplane, 1929 (prototype) |
| PWS-12 | 1-engine, 2-seater, trainer biplane, 1929 (prototype) |
| PWS-14 | 1-engine, 2-seater, trainer biplane, 1931 (series) |
| PWS-16 | 1-engine, 2-seater, trainer biplane, 1933 (series) |
| PWS-18 | 1-engine, 2-seater, trainer biplane, 1935 (licence Avro 621) |
| PWS-19 | 1-engine, 2-seater, reconnaissance-bomber high-wing monoplane, 1931 (prototype) |
| PWS-20 | 1-engine, 2+6-seater, passenger high-wing monoplane, 1929 (prototype) |
| PWS-21bis | 1-engine, 2+4-seater, passenger high-wing monoplane, 1930 (prototype) |
| PWS-24 | 1-engine, 2+4-seater, passenger high-wing monoplane, 1931 (short series) |
| PWS-26 | 1-engine, 2-seater, trainer biplane, 1935 (series) |
| PWS-33 Wyżeł | 2-engine, 2-seater, trainer low-wing monoplane, 1938 (prototype, series ordered) |
| PWS-35 | 1-engine, 2-seater, sports biplane, 1938 (prototype, series ordered) |
| PWS-40 | 1-engine, 2-seater, sports low-wing monoplane, 1939 (prototype) |
| PWS-50 | 1-engine, 2-seater, sports mid-wing monoplane, 1930 (prototype) |
| PWS-51 | 1-engine, 2-seater, sports low-wing monoplane, 1930 (prototype) |
| PWS-52 | 1-engine, 2-seater, sports high-wing monoplane, 1930 (prototype) |
| PWS-54 | 1-engine, 1+3-seater, passenger high-wing monoplane, 1933 (prototype) |
| PWS-101 | 1-seater glider, 1937 (short series) |
| PWS-102 | 1-seater glider, 1939 (short series) |
| PWS-103 | 1-seater glider, 1940 (prototypes completed by the Soviets) |
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