UFAG (Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik)
Hungary’s first aircraft factory grew out of a carpenters’ quarter of Budapest and built the Brandenburg two-seaters that made up a quarter of Austria-Hungary’s wartime air fleet.
UFAG (Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik): the company and the aircraft that made its name
Industry giants take to the air
Hungary’s first aircraft factory was set up in Budapest in 1912 by two industrial heavyweights, the Ganz works and the Manfred Weiss works, with backing from a bank and the financier Camillo Castiglioni, who would also help BMW. With no designs of its own it began by building Lohner aircraft under licence. Its first manager, Viktor Wittmann, had studied aircraft building in Reims; he died in May 1915 when he lost control of one of the factory’s machines on a demonstration flight.
A factory among the carpenters
The first site had no airfield, so aircraft were carted to Rákosmező for assembly. Wartime demand soon forced a move to Albertfalva, a district full of carpenters — exactly the skill wood-and-plywood aircraft needed — with room for hangars and a grass field. Once Hansa-Brandenburg joined the owners, the factory turned out Brandenburg C.I two-seaters by the hundred, powered by Hiero engines it also built.
The C.I goes to the Italian front
Its own best design, the UFAG C.I reconnaissance biplane, entered service in April 1918 and flew with at least 30 squadrons on the Italian front. About 250 were built, some by Phönix under licence, and production went on after the armistice. Survivors served the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic, Romania captured 20, and others became mail planes.
UFAG (Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik) in numbers
The company
- In short
- Founded 1912
- Formed by Ganz and Manfred Weiss in Budapest
- Later part-owned by Hansa-Brandenburg
- Moved to Albertfalva during the war
Production
- Best known for
- Brandenburg C.I, UFAG C.I
- Licence-built Lohner and Hansa-Brandenburg types
- Own designs: C.I, C.II, D.I
Today
- Now
- Defunct
- Production of the C.I continued briefly after 1918
The numbers
- UFAG C.I built
- about 250
Every notable UFAG (Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik) aircraft
| Aircraft | Role | First flight | Built | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hansa-Brandenburg C.I(U) | Reconnaissance biplane | Retired | Licence-built in many series with Austro-Daimler, Mercedes, Benz and Hiero engines | ||
| Hansa-Brandenburg G.I(U) | Bomber | Retired | UFAG series 62 | ||
| UFAG C.I | Reconnaissance biplane | 1918 | about 250 | Retired | Used by at least 30 squadrons on the Italian front |
| UFAG C.II | Reconnaissance biplane | Retired | Developed from the UFAG 60.01 | ||
| UFAG D.I | Fighter prototype | Retired |
Where UFAG (Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik) built, who led it, what it achieved
Factories
- Albertfalva works · Albertfalva, Budapest — Hangars and a grass airfield in a carpentry district
People
- Viktor Wittmann · first manager, test pilot — Killed in a demonstration crash in May 1915
- Camillo Castiglioni · financier
UFAG (Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik), year by year
Factory founded in Budapest by Ganz and Manfred Weiss
Manager Viktor Wittmann killed in a crash
UFAG C.I enters service
Romania captures 20 C.Is from the Hungarian Soviet Republic
Everything people ask about UFAG (Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik)
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Around UFAG (Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik)
Every fact, checked
Verified 2026-10-03.