Yuzhmash

A.M. Makarov Southern Machine-Building Plant (Yuzhmash)
Native name
 Південмаш
Yuzhmash
State-owned enterprise
Industry launch vehicles, strategic missiles, rocket engines, spacecrafts, landing gears, tractors, castings, forgings
Founded July 21, 1944 (1944-07-21) in Dnipro, Ukraine
Headquarters 1, Krivorozhskaya street, Dnipro, Ukraine
Key people
 Sergii N. Voyt, General Director
Products Zenit, Dnepr, Tsyklon-4, RD-843, R-36,
Parent State Space Agency of Ukraine
Website http://www.yuzhmash.com/

The Production Association Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant named after A.M. Makarov, PA Pivdenmash or PA Yuzhmash (Ukrainian: Виробниче Об'єднання Південний Машинобудівний Завод імені А.М. Макарова) is a Ukrainian state-owned aerospace manufacturer. It produces spacecrafts, launch vehicles (rockets), liquid-propellant rockets, landing gears, castings, forgings, tractors, tools, and industrial products. The company is headquartered in Dnipro, and reports to the State Space Agency of Ukraine. It works with international aerospace partners in 23 countries.

History

Yuzhmash operated initially as "plant 586" in the Soviet Union. In 1954 Mikhail Yangel established the autonomous design bureau designated OKB-586, from the former chief designer's division of plant 586. Yangel had previously headed OKB-1 (today RKK Energiya) and was primarily a supporter of liquid fuel technology – unlike Sergei Korolev at OKB-1, who was a supporter of missiles using cryogenic fuels. To pursue development of ballistic missiles using storable liquid fuels, Mikhail Yangel had received authorization to convert the chief designer's division of the plant into an autonomous design bureau. Following this, OKB-586 was designated Southern Design Bureau (better known as Pivdenne) and plant 586 was renamed Southern Machine-Building Plant in 1966, with an focus on the design and production of ballistic missiles. The plant was later renamed Southern Machine-Building Production Union, or Pivdenmash.

Missiles produced at Yuzhmash included the first nuclear armed Soviet rocket R-5M (SS-3 'Shyster'), the R-12 Dvina (SS-4 'Sandal'), the R-14 Chusovaya (SS-5 'Skean'), the first widely deployed Soviet ICBM R-16 (SS-7 'Saddler'), the R-36 (SS-9 'Scarp'), the MR-UR-100 Sotka (SS-17 'Spanker'), and the R-36M (SS-18 'Satan'). During the Soviet era, the plant was capable of producing of up to 120 ICBMs a year. In the late 1980s, Yuzhmash was selected to be the main production facility of the RT-2PM2 Topol-M ICBM (SS-27 "Sickle B").

After the beginning of perestroika, demand for military production declined significantly, and the Yuzhmash product line was expanded to include non-military uses such as civilian machinery.

One line of products added after 1992 are trolleybuses. Models include the articulated YuMZ T1 (1992—2008), its non-articulated brother YuMZ T2 (1993—2008) and more modern YuMZ E-186 (2005—2006) which features a low floor cabin.

Leonid Kuchma, long-time chief manager (1986-1992) of the company, became the Prime Minister in 1992, and later President of Ukraine in 1994.

Today

Yuzhmash' "Antares II" rocket designed for NASA to deliver commercial cargo to the International Space Station
Yuzhmash' "Antares II" rocket designed for NASA to deliver commercial cargo to the International Space Station

In addition to production facilities in Dnipro, Pivdenne Production Association includes the Pavlohrad Mechanical Plant, which specialized in producing solid-fuel missiles. Pivdenmash's importance was further bolstered by its links to Ukraine's former President Leonid Kuchma, who worked at Pivdenmash between 1975 and 1992. He was the plant's general manager from 1986 to 1991.

In February 2015, following a year of strained relations, Russia announced that it would sever its "joint program with Ukraine to launch Dnepr rockets and [was] no longer interested in buying Ukrainian Zenit boosters, deepening problems for [Ukraine's] space program and its struggling Yuzhmash factory."[1]

The firm imposed a two-month unpaid vacation on its workers in January 2015. With the loss of Russian business the only hope for the company was increased international business which seemed unlikely in the time frame available. Bankruptcy seemed certain as of February 2015.[2] As of October 2015, the company was over 4 months late on payroll. The employees worked only once per week, the last space related product were shipped in early 2014. 2014 revenues (in severely depreciated Ukrainian Hrivnas) are 4 times less than 2011.[3]

Products

Missiles

The company had been the key missile producer for Soviet ICBM and space exploration programs. Historic and Yuzhmash launch systems included:

Space Launch Vehicles

Civil Products

YuMZ E186

Trolleybuses

Tractors

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yuzhmash.

References

  1. ↑ Messier, Doug (6 February 2015). "Russia Severing Ties With Ukraine on Dnepr, Zenit Launch Programs". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Doug Messier (February 10, 2015). "Ukraine Space Industry on Verge of Collapse". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ http://rian.com.ua/story/20151007/374851236.html

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