Letov
Czechoslovakia’s oldest aircraft works began by mending war trophies, built the country’s first series aircraft, fought on both sides in 1944 and ended up making wings for more than 6,500 Czech jet trainers.
Letov: the company and the aircraft that made its name
The army’s aircraft arsenal
Letov was founded by the Czechoslovak Ministry of Defence in 1918 as the Letecký arsenál, the air arsenal, to repair and modify trophy aircraft left over from the First World War and to build new ones. Its designer was Alois Šmolík, and in 1921 it presented the Letov Š-1 reconnaissance biplane, the first Czechoslovak aircraft built in series. Šmolík designed 36 types, 18 of which went into production, and by 1939 the works had built some 50 types, mostly for the Czechoslovak army: the advanced Š-3 monoplane, the Š-16 bomber and the Š-28 reconnaissance family.
Šmolík’s biplanes
The most important of these was the Š-328, which entered Czechoslovak service in 1935. Altogether 412 were built, production continuing under German occupation until 1940 with the last aircraft going to Bulgaria and Slovakia. Slovak S-328s flew against Hungary in March 1939, against Poland and on the Eastern Front, and in late 1944 at least 11 were seized by insurgents and flown against the Germans in the Slovak National Uprising. During the war the factory itself worked as a Luftwaffe repair shop under Junkers and set up production lines for the Ju 290.
Wings for the Warsaw Pact
After the war the works was nationalised as Rudý Letov, the Red Letov. It turned a Ju 290 into the L 290 Orel airliner, assembled 14,187 Aero Minor cars between 1946 and 1951, and built wings and rear fuselages for the MiG-15, MiG-19 and MiG-21. With Aero it then produced more than 4,000 wing and tail sets for the L-29 Delfín and 2,500 for the L-39 Albatros. After 1989 it struggled. In 1997 Aero Vodochody took over most of it, on 1 July 2000 the French group Latécoère bought it, and since 1 January 2014 it has been Latécoère Czech Republic, making parts for Airbus.
Letov in numbers
The company
- In short
- Founded 1918
- Founded by the Czechoslovak Ministry of Defence at Kbely/Letňany, Prague
- Nationalised after 1945 as Rudý Letov
- Owned by Latécoère since 2000; renamed Latécoère Czech Republic 2014
Production
- Best known for
- Š-1, Š-328
- Some 50 aircraft types built by 1939
- Š-328: 412 built
- More than 4,000 L-29 and 2,500 L-39 wing and tail sets
- 14,187 Aero Minor cars, 1946–1951
Today
- Now
- Latécoère Czech Republic
- Aerostructure parts for large passenger aircraft, including Airbus
The numbers
- Aircraft types built by 1939
- some 50
- Šmolík designs
- 36 types, 18 in series
- Š-328 built
- 412
- L-29 wing and tail sets
- more than 4,000
- L-39 wing and tail sets
- 2,500
- Aero Minor cars assembled
- 14,1871946–1951
Every notable Letov aircraft
| Aircraft | Role | First flight | Built | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letov Š-1 | Reconnaissance biplane | 1920 | Retired | First Czechoslovak aircraft built in series | |
| Letov Š-16 | Reconnaissance bomber | Retired | |||
| Letov Š-328 | Reconnaissance and light bomber | 1933 | 412 | Retired | Flew with Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, the Luftwaffe and Slovak insurgents |
| Letov L 290 Orel | Airliner (from Ju 290) | 1 | Retired | ||
| Letov LF-107 Luňák | Aerobatic glider | Retired | First post-war Letov glider |
Letov aircraft in the world’s air forces
3 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Letov types. 0 of them still have one in service.
| Air force | In service | Formerly flown |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgarian Air Force | Letov Š-328 | |
| Latvian Air Force | Letov Š-16L | |
| Slovak Air Force | Letov Š-328 |
Where Letov built, who led it, what it achieved
Factories
- Letňany works · Letňany, Prague — Home of the company since 1918
People
- Alois Šmolík · chief designer — Designed 36 types; stayed until the Nazi takeover in 1939
- Klement Adamec · first director
Records and firsts
- Letov Š-1: first Czechoslovak aircraft produced in series, 1921
- Oldest aircraft company in the Czech lands
Letov, year by year
Letecký arsenál founded by the Ministry of Defence
Letov Š-1 presented
S-328F prototype first flight
Š-328 enters Czechoslovak service
Works taken over by the Germans; becomes a Luftwaffe repair shop
Slovak insurgents fly S-328s in the Slovak National Uprising
Nationalised as Rudý Letov; Aero Minor car assembly begins
Czechoslovak aircraft factories merged into one concern
Aero Vodochody takes over most of the company
Bought by Latécoère
Renamed Latécoère Czech Republic
Everything people ask about Letov
Does Letov still exist?
What was the Letov Š-328?
Did Letov build the L-39?
When was Letov founded?
Around Letov
Every fact, checked
Verified 2026-10-03.