Valtion lentokonetehdas
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Valtion lentokonetehdas (English: [Finnish] State aircraft factory) was a Finnish aircraft manufacturing company that was founded on 23 February 1928 from the IVL or I.V.L. factory. The company was transferred from being subordinate to the Finnish Air Force to being subordinate to the Finnish Ministry of Defence. The company, and its products were named with the prefix VL.
The company began its production at Suomenlinna and Santahamina in Helsinki. However, the company was looking for a new production facility near the Soviet border, as Helsinki's strategic military location was bad from a strategic viewpoint. The factory was moved to Tampere in the 1930s. The move gave work to hundreds of people in the depression of the 1930s.
Valtion lentokonetehdas was moved to Härmälä, near Tampere in 1936. During the Second World War, the VL serviced and assembled German (Junkers Ju 88) and British (Bristol Blenheim) bomber aircraft.
The Tampere factory employed 665 persons in 1936 and 1,697 persons by 1941. During the wars, the production was dispersed all over Finland to avoid destruction of the whole factory at once; the engine factory was moved to Kokkola, the wooden factory to Kylmäkoski, storages to Viiala and Pirkkala. Other facilities were located at Pori and Kolho. The Karhumäki brothers' factory was entirely transferred under VL's supervision at the end of the war.
After WWII, the Finnish state consolidated its industrial assets, and VL was integrated as part of VMT (Valtion Metallitehtaat, State Metal Works), later Valmet. After the Finnish state privatized Valmet 1996, the aviation division was detached and integrated to Finnish defence industries, Patria, as Patria Finavitec.
[edit] Aircraft
- IVL A.22 Hansa
- IVL C.24
- IVL C.VI.25
- IVL D.26 Haukka I
- IVL K.1 Kurki
- IVL D.26 Haukka II
- VL Sääski I
- VL Sääski II
- VL Viima I
- VL Viima II
- VL Paarma
- VL Kotka I
- VL Kotka II
- VL Tuisku I
- VL Tuisku II
- VL Pyry
- VL Myrsky
- VL Humu
- VL Pyörremyrsky
- Valmet Tuuli II
- Valmet Vihuri
- Valmet Vinka
- Valmet L-90 TP Redigo
[edit] References
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