Malyshev Factory
Encyclopedia
The Malyshev Factory formerly the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ), is a state-owned manufacturer of heavy equipment in Kharkiv
, Ukraine
. It was named after the Soviet politician Vyacheslav Malyshev. It produces diesel engine
s, farm machinery, coal mining
, sugar refining, and wind farm
equipment, but is best known for its production of Soviet tanks, including the BT tank series of fast tanks, the famous T-34
of the Second World War, the Cold War T-64
and T-80
, and their modern Ukrainian successor, the T-84
. The factory is closely associated with the Morozov Design Bureau (KMDB), designer of military armoured fighting vehicles.
zavod.
's railway engines. After the Russian Revolution
and the establishment of the Soviet government in Ukraine, the factory was put to work designing and building tractor
s, then tank
s after 1927. The Bolshevik Factory in Leningrad
and the KhPZ were the first two Soviet tank factories, modernized in 1929 with German
assistance under the Treaty of Rapallo, 1922
.
tanks, then nearly eight thousand BT fast tanks. It also built a handful of multi-turreted T-35
tanks.
Shortly before the German invasion of the Soviet Union the KhPZ started series production of the T-34
, the most-produced and arguably the best tank of World War II
. Series production began in June 1940 in Kharkiv, and later in the Stalingrad Tractor Plant and Sormovo Shipbuilding Plant. In 1941, due to German advances, the factory and design shops were evacuated to the Ural mountains
. The plant was united with Uralvagonzavod
Plant in Nizhny Tagil
into one enterprise called Uralskiy Tank Plant No.183.
When Kharkiv was recaptured, it began production of the new T-44
tank in 1945, and the first prototypes of the T-54 were built. After the war was over, the design bureau and factory gradually transferred all operations back to Ukraine. T-54 production was started in the Urals and Kharkiv in 1947–48, and the move ended with the 1951 re-establishment of the Design Bureau, now called KB-60M, in Kharkiv. The Factory No. 183 designation was left in Nizhny Tagil, and the Factory in Kharkiv was now called Factory No. 75, renamed Malyshev Plant in 1957. The factory built tank engines, and later took up production of T-54, T-55
(1958, the most-produced tank ever), and T-64
(1967) tanks. The T-64 was also built in the Leningrad Kirov Plant
and Uralvagonzavod Plant. In the 1960s the bureau also designed OT-54 and TO-55 flame-thrower tanks, for production at the Omsk
Transport Machine Construction Plant. The T-80
tank, with a high-performance gas turbine
engine was produced beginning in 1983, and T-80UD (more conventional diesel model) in 1985.
Finished tanks were assembled in several plants, but Soviet industrial planning was planned to prevent any region from being able to establish independent arms production. Components and subassemblies were produced in different factories, the Malyshev Factory specializing in engines and transmissions.
UD tanks to Pakistan
. Fulfilling the contract was difficult — the distributed nature of Soviet military industry forced reliance on Russian factories for parts, and Russian political interference forced the development of local capabilities, resulting in the T-84
tank design.
Like many Ukrainian industries, Malyshev was not allowed to negotiate contracts directly with foreign governments, but had to rely on Ukrspetsexport
, a government arms-trading company. Although Malyshev was denied exporter status in July 1999, it was given this status by decree of President Leonid Kuchma
in November of that year, a move seen to be an election gift to the Kharkiv Oblast
(province). Malyshev joined as the leader of thirty-four companies to form an export consortium called Ukrainian Armored Vehicles.
Malyshev has demonstrated main battle tanks to Turkey
, Greece
, and Malaysia, and has entered into a contract to supply engines for Chinese
-made Al-Khalid tanks for Pakistan. In September 2000, a deal was signed to modernize Soviet-made tanks and armoured personnel carries for the United Arab Emirates
. The Malyshev factory also manufactures parts for Bizon, a Polish
producer of agricultural combines.
In April 2009, the Malyshev Factory signed a contract to upgrade 29 T-64B [Т-64Б] tanks to T-64BM "Bulat" [Т-64БМ "Булат"] standard, for the Ukrainian Army for 200 million hryvnia ($25.1 million). Ten upgraded tanks have been delivered in 2010, and a further 19 are planned to be delivered in 2011. The T-64B tanks being upgraded were originally produced at Kharkiv in 1980.
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It was named after the Soviet politician Vyacheslav Malyshev. It produces diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s, farm machinery, coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, sugar refining, and wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
equipment, but is best known for its production of Soviet tanks, including the BT tank series of fast tanks, the famous T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
of the Second World War, the Cold War T-64
T-64
The T-64 is a Soviet main battle tank, introduced in the early 1960s. It was used solely by the Soviet Army in its front-line divisions and was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62...
and T-80
T-80
The T-80 is a main battle tank designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union. A development of the T-64, it entered service in 1976 and was the first production tank to be equipped with a gas turbine engine for main propulsion.the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 of 1971 used a gas turbine alongside...
, and their modern Ukrainian successor, the T-84
T-84
The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank, a development of the Soviet T-80 main battle tank. It was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999. The T-84 is based on the diesel-engined T-80 version, the T-80UD...
. The factory is closely associated with the Morozov Design Bureau (KMDB), designer of military armoured fighting vehicles.
Naming
The factory was renamed several times. English-language sources variously refer to it as factory, plant, or works, from the UkrainianUkrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
zavod.
Timeline
- 1895—Establishment of the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory
- 1923—Production line for KommunarKommunarKommunar may refer to:*Kommunar, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia*Kommunar, Republic of Khakassia, an urban-type settlement in the Republic of Khakassia, Russia*Kommunar, Samara Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Samara Oblast, Russia...
tractors established - 1928—Renamed Kharkiv Komintern Locomotive Factory , and the tank design bureau is established
- 1936—Renamed Factory No. 183 (Zavod No. 183)
- 1941—Evacuated to Nizhny TagilNizhny TagilNizhny Tagil is a city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, situated east of the virtual border between Europe and Asia. Population: -History:...
in the Urals and merged with the Uralvagonzavod Factory, to form the Ural Tank Factory No. 183 - 1945—Re-established at Kharkiv Diesel Factory No. 75
- 1957—Renamed Malyshev Plant
History
The Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ) built about 20% of the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
's railway engines. After the Russian Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
and the establishment of the Soviet government in Ukraine, the factory was put to work designing and building tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s, then tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s after 1927. The Bolshevik Factory in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
and the KhPZ were the first two Soviet tank factories, modernized in 1929 with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
assistance under the Treaty of Rapallo, 1922
Treaty of Rapallo, 1922
The Treaty of Rapallo was an agreement signed at the Hotel Imperiale in the Italian town of Rapallo on 16 April, 1922 between Germany and Soviet Russia under which each renounced all territorial and financial claims against the other following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and World War I.The two...
.
Tank production
In 1928, a tank design bureau was established in the factory, one of several which would be responsible for the some of the most successful tanks ever built, and eventually become the Morozov Design Bureau. The KhPZ designed and produced twenty-five T-24T-24
The T-24 was a Soviet medium tank built in 1931. Only twenty-four tanks were built, and saw no combat. This was the first tank produced at the KhPZ factory in Ukraine, which was later responsible for the very successful T-34 and T-54 Soviet tanks...
tanks, then nearly eight thousand BT fast tanks. It also built a handful of multi-turreted T-35
T-35
The T-35 was a Soviet multi-turreted heavy tank of the interwar period and early Second World War that saw limited production and service with the Red Army. It was the only five-turreted heavy tank in the world to reach production but proved to be slow and mechanically unreliable...
tanks.
Shortly before the German invasion of the Soviet Union the KhPZ started series production of the T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
, the most-produced and arguably the best tank of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Series production began in June 1940 in Kharkiv, and later in the Stalingrad Tractor Plant and Sormovo Shipbuilding Plant. In 1941, due to German advances, the factory and design shops were evacuated to the Ural mountains
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
. The plant was united with Uralvagonzavod
Uralvagonzavod
Uralvagonzavod is a Russian machine building company located in Nizhny Tagil, Russia. It is one of the largest scientific and industrial complexes in Russia and the largest main battle tank manufacturer in the world....
Plant in Nizhny Tagil
Nizhny Tagil
Nizhny Tagil is a city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, situated east of the virtual border between Europe and Asia. Population: -History:...
into one enterprise called Uralskiy Tank Plant No.183.
When Kharkiv was recaptured, it began production of the new T-44
T-44
The T-44 was a medium tank first produced towards the end of the Second World War by the Soviet Union. It was the successor to the famous T-34...
tank in 1945, and the first prototypes of the T-54 were built. After the war was over, the design bureau and factory gradually transferred all operations back to Ukraine. T-54 production was started in the Urals and Kharkiv in 1947–48, and the move ended with the 1951 re-establishment of the Design Bureau, now called KB-60M, in Kharkiv. The Factory No. 183 designation was left in Nizhny Tagil, and the Factory in Kharkiv was now called Factory No. 75, renamed Malyshev Plant in 1957. The factory built tank engines, and later took up production of T-54, T-55
T-55
The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...
(1958, the most-produced tank ever), and T-64
T-64
The T-64 is a Soviet main battle tank, introduced in the early 1960s. It was used solely by the Soviet Army in its front-line divisions and was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62...
(1967) tanks. The T-64 was also built in the Leningrad Kirov Plant
Kirov Plant
The Kirov Plant Kirov Factory or Leningrad Kirov Plant is a major Russian machine-building plant in St. Petersburg, Russia....
and Uralvagonzavod Plant. In the 1960s the bureau also designed OT-54 and TO-55 flame-thrower tanks, for production at the Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
Transport Machine Construction Plant. The T-80
T-80
The T-80 is a main battle tank designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union. A development of the T-64, it entered service in 1976 and was the first production tank to be equipped with a gas turbine engine for main propulsion.the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 of 1971 used a gas turbine alongside...
tank, with a high-performance gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
engine was produced beginning in 1983, and T-80UD (more conventional diesel model) in 1985.
Finished tanks were assembled in several plants, but Soviet industrial planning was planned to prevent any region from being able to establish independent arms production. Components and subassemblies were produced in different factories, the Malyshev Factory specializing in engines and transmissions.
After Ukrainian independence
The Malyshev factory's million-square-metre facility produced 800 tanks in 1991, but underwent difficult times after the breakup of the Soviet Union, producing only 46 tanks until 1996, when a $650 M contract was signed to supply 320 T-80T-80
The T-80 is a main battle tank designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union. A development of the T-64, it entered service in 1976 and was the first production tank to be equipped with a gas turbine engine for main propulsion.the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 of 1971 used a gas turbine alongside...
UD tanks to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Fulfilling the contract was difficult — the distributed nature of Soviet military industry forced reliance on Russian factories for parts, and Russian political interference forced the development of local capabilities, resulting in the T-84
T-84
The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank, a development of the Soviet T-80 main battle tank. It was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999. The T-84 is based on the diesel-engined T-80 version, the T-80UD...
tank design.
Like many Ukrainian industries, Malyshev was not allowed to negotiate contracts directly with foreign governments, but had to rely on Ukrspetsexport
Ukrspetsexport
Ukrspetsexport a Ukrainian state-owned arms trading company, formed in November 1996 by merging Ukroboronservice and Ukrinmash.Ukrspetsexport not only sells the products of the Ukrainian arms industry, but also the excess weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Army...
, a government arms-trading company. Although Malyshev was denied exporter status in July 1999, it was given this status by decree of President Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
in November of that year, a move seen to be an election gift to the Kharkiv Oblast
Kharkiv Oblast
Kharkiv Oblast is an oblast in eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the south-east, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the south-west, Poltava Oblast to the west and Sumy Oblast to the north-west...
(province). Malyshev joined as the leader of thirty-four companies to form an export consortium called Ukrainian Armored Vehicles.
Malyshev has demonstrated main battle tanks to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and Malaysia, and has entered into a contract to supply engines for Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-made Al-Khalid tanks for Pakistan. In September 2000, a deal was signed to modernize Soviet-made tanks and armoured personnel carries for the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. The Malyshev factory also manufactures parts for Bizon, a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
producer of agricultural combines.
In April 2009, the Malyshev Factory signed a contract to upgrade 29 T-64B [Т-64Б] tanks to T-64BM "Bulat" [Т-64БМ "Булат"] standard, for the Ukrainian Army for 200 million hryvnia ($25.1 million). Ten upgraded tanks have been delivered in 2010, and a further 19 are planned to be delivered in 2011. The T-64B tanks being upgraded were originally produced at Kharkiv in 1980.