LWS-2

The LWS-2 was the Polish air ambulance aircraft prototype, designed in the late-1930s in the LWS factory (Lublin Aircraft Factory).

Design and development

The LWS-2 was designed as a light ambulance aircraft, for a requirement of the Polish Air Force and the Polish Red Cross (PCK), which was operating military ambulances. A preliminary design was made in 1936 by Zbysław Ciołkosz, the main designer of the LWS factory, a detailed design - by Jerzy Teisseyre. It was influenced by RWD-9 and RWD-13 planes of the RWD team, especially their wing construction with rich wing mechanization, that gave it STOL capabilities. The prototype was built using PCK funds. Aircraft was registered SP-ATP and flown in autumn of 1937.

The Polish Red Cross ordered six aircraft, but the LWS factory was busy at that time with military production (RWD-14 Czapla and LWS-3 Mewa), and they were not built by the outbreak of World War II. LWS's next design, the LWS-3 Mewa close reconnaissance plane, utilized many features of the LWS-2, and was generally similar.

LWS

LWS is an acronym which may refer to:

LWS (aircraft manufacturer)

LWS - Lubelska Wytwórnia Samolotów (Lublin Aircraft Factory) was the Polish aerospace manufacturer, located in Lublin, created in 1936 of Plage i Laśkiewicz works and producing aircraft between 1936 and 1939.

History

The LWS was created of a nationalized Plage i Laśkiewicz works, the first Polish aircraft manufacturer. Due to plans of the Polish aviation authorities, headed by Ludomił Rayski, to gather all aviation industry in state hands, Plage & Laśkiewicz works were forced to go bankrupt in late 1935. Then, they were nationalized under the name LWS in February 1936. Formally, it was owned by the PWS state aircraft manufacturer, in fact it was subordinated to the PZL. A director was Maj. Aleksander Sipowicz, a technical director and main designer was initially Zbysław Ciołkosz; from autumn 1937 the technical director was Ryszard Bartel and the main designer Jerzy Teisseyre.

The first LWS aircraft were Plage & Laśkiewicz developments. 18 almost ready Lublin R-XIIIF army cooperation aircraft were completed in 1936 and bought by the Polish Air Force (their quality was the pretext for forcing Plage & Laśkiewicz bankruptcy), and the next series of 32 was built for the Polish Air Force by 1938. The factory also continued works upon a two-engine torpedo bomber seaplane Lublin R-XX prototype, now designated LWS-1, but it was not ordered due to a low performance.

LWS-6 Żubr

The LWS-6 Żubr (PZL.30 Żubr) was a Polish twin-engined medium bomber, produced by the LWS factory before World War II. A short series was used for training only, because it was inferior to the PZL.37 Łoś design.

Design and development

It was designed by PZL in the early 1930s, initially as a passenger aircraft (the main designer was Zbysław Ciołkosz). Since the Polish Airlines LOT bought Douglas DC-2 planes instead, the project was converted to a bomber aircraft, with a projected bomb load of 1,200 kg. It was developed as an alternative less-advanced design, in case the modern bomber design, PZL.37 Łoś would fail. The first prototype, designated PZL.30 (or PZL.30BI) was flown in March 1936 by Bolesław Orliński (only three months before the PZL.37 prototype).