Headquarters | |
---|---|
Revenue | 1,427,583,000 Czech koruna (2016) |
106,006,000 Czech koruna (2016) | |
292,541,000 Czech koruna (2016) | |
Total assets | 2,035,641,000 Czech koruna (2016) |
Number of employees | 98 (2016) |
Website | omnipol |
The Omnipol Group of companies is headquartered in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Throughout the country the Omnipol Group employs 4000 people, out of which over 400 are dedicated to research and development.
ERA, owned by OMNIPOL and located in the Czech town of Pardubice, produces the passive surveillance systems VERA NG and PLESS. ERA is also, a global supplier of systems for, air traffic management for both civilian and military airports.
Also owned by OMNIPOL, and located in the Czech town of Uherske Hradiste, is MESIT which develops and produces, specialized products and systems such as the RF 40 Radio, which is in service in some of the most demanding sectors of service.[ citation needed ]
The latest Czech based company to join the Omnipol Group, in 2022, is Aircraft Industries based in the town of Kunovice, which produces, amongst others, the L410 aircraft.
Omnipol is, since 2015, also the strategic partner and investor in the L-39NG, a subsonic military trainer and light attack aircraft manufactured by Aero Vodochody located on the outskirts of Prague. In 2021, the OMNIPOL Group became a minority owner of this company.
As of 2024, the OMNIPOL brand has 90 years of history.
1934 - Founding of OMNIPOL
1939 - Takeover of the Joint Stock Company formerly Škoda Plzen Plants, and discontinuation of the pre-war activities of OMNIPOL.
1945 - Restoration of OMNIPOL's business activities, at the same time nationalisation of the parent Joint Stock Company formerly Škoda Plants in Plzen.
1953 - By resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, all the import and export agenda for aircraft and sports weapons is transferred to OMNIPOL a.s..
1956 - Change in the articles of association of the company, OMNIPOL a.s. becomes the Foreign Trade Enterprise (FTE) OMNIPOL.
1960 - Within the division of labour of the RVHP, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic it is recommended to concentrate on the development, and production of, trainer jet aircraft and small transport aircraft. OMNIPOL, from its position as FTE, exports all aircraft (mainly Zlin, LET, and AERO) all of which are produced in the Czechoslovakia. Furthermore, the development and production of airport equipment (Tesla Pardbubice) is focused in Czechoslovakia. OMNIPOL is also in charge of state-controlled business concerning special purpose materials.[ citation needed ]
1973 - The sporting arms agenda is separated from the OMNIPOL FTE, and transferred to FTE Merkuria.
1990 - The end of OMNIPOL's monopoly on the export and import of aircraft.
1996 - Privatisation of OMNIPOL a.s. completed.
2000 - After a period of searching for a new identity and new business opportunities in the 1990s, the company focuses on trading in high-tech products with high added value and investing in Czech traditional manufacturers. [1]
2011 - Acquisition of ERA a.s. [2]
2015 - OMNIPOL becomes the strategic partner and co-investor in the L-39NG project. [3]
2018 - Acquisition of MESIT holding a.s., a company engaged in the development and production of tactical communication systems and aeronautical instruments, as well as precision machining and specialized castings for the aerospace industry. [4]
2021 - OMNIPOL Group acquires a 25% stake in AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s., which develops and produces the L-159 Alca and the L-39NG aircraft, building on the historic global success of the L-39 Albatros. [5]
2022 - Acquisition of Aircraft Industries a.s., which developed and produces the L 410 NG, building on the global success of the L 410 Turbolet. [6]
From 1975-1981, roughly 700 tons of Semtex plastic explosive were purchased and exported to Libya by OMNIPOL. As such, implications have been drawn that Semtex usage on the part of militant factions, such as the Irish Republican Army and the Palestine Liberation Organization, may have been originally sourced from OMNIPOL, given Libyan ties to such groups. Notably, it has been alleged that the Semtex utilized to carry out the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland was indirectly sourced from OMNIPOL via Libya, which, though not entirely substantiated or corroborated, is consistent with verifiable records of OMNIPOL arms sale connections to Libya. [7] [8]
The Czech Armed Forces, also known as the Czech Army, is the military service responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic as part of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic alongside the Military Office of the President of the Republic and the Castle Guard. The army consists of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Air Force and support units.
Škoda Auto a.s., often shortened to Škoda, is a Czech automobile manufacturer established in 1925 as the successor to Laurin & Klement and headquartered in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. Škoda Works became state owned in 1948. After 1991, it was gradually privatized to the German multinational conglomerate Volkswagen Group, becoming a partial subsidiary in 1994 and a wholly owned subsidiary in 2000.
Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications.
The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer designed and produced by Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic. In addition to performing basic and advanced pilot training, it has also flown combat missions in a light-attack role. Unusually, the aircraft never received a NATO reporting name.
Aero Vodochody is a Czech aircraft company. Its main production facilities are located at Vodochody Airport in the Prague-East District, on the municipal territories of Vodochody and Odolena Voda.
The Škoda Works was one of the largest European industrial conglomerates of the 20th century, founded by Czech engineer Emil Škoda in 1859 in Plzeň, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, Austrian Empire. It is the predecessor of today's Škoda Auto, Doosan Škoda Power and Škoda Transportation companies.
The Aero 45 was a twin-piston engined civil utility aircraft produced in Czechoslovakia after World War II. Aero Vodochody produced the aircraft in 1947–1951, after which the Let Kunovice rolled out these planes until 1961. In 1958 the Ae-45S became the first Czechoslovak plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It was the first product of the nation's postwar aviation industry and proved a great success, with many of the 590 produced being exported.
The Aero A.32 was a biplane built in Czechoslovakia in the late 1920s for army co-operation duties including reconnaissance and tactical bombing. While the design took the Aero A.11 as its starting point, the aircraft incorporated significant changes to make it suited for its new low-level role.
The Aero Ae270 Spirit was a single-engine turboprop general utility aircraft that was developed by the Czech aircraft company Aero Vodochody. A prototype made its maiden flight in 2000, with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Type Certification in 2005 and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification in 2006. No production followed.
The Aero L-59 Super Albatros is a military jet trainer produced by the Czechoslovakian aerospace manufacturer Aero Vodochody. It was developed from the firm's earlier and highly successful L-39 Albatros series.
The Aero L-159 ALCA is a subsonic light combat aircraft and advanced trainer developed in the single-seat L-159A and two-seat L-159B versions, respectively, produced in the Czech Republic by Aero Vodochody. It was derived from the Aero L-59 Super Albatros trainer, which was in turn developed from the Aero L-39 Albatros series.
Aircraft Industries, a.s., operating as Let, is a Czech civil aircraft manufacturer. Its most successful design has been the L-410 Turbolet, of which more than 1300 units have been built. Its head office is in Kunovice, Zlín Region. Let was owned by the Russian company UGMK from 2008 to 2022, when it was acquired by Czech-based Omnipol Group.
Zlin Aircraft a.s. is a Czech light aircraft company. It is located at the Zlín Airfield on the outskirts of Otrokovice. It is known for the line of Z-26 Trener and other small aircraft like crop-dusting Z-37 and aerobatics special Z-50.
The Czech Air Force is the air force branch of the Army of the Czech Republic. Along with the Land Forces, the Air Force is the major Czech military force. With traditions of military aviation dating back to 1918, the Czech Air Force, together with the Slovak Air Force, succeeded the Czechoslovak Air Force in 1993. On 1 July 1997, the 3rd Tactical Aviation Corps and the 4th Air Defence Corps of the Czech Army were merged to form an independent Air Force Headquarters.
BRUSH SEM is a manufacturer of large generators for gas turbine and steam turbine drive applications, based at Plzeň in the Czech Republic.
Škoda Transportation a.s. is a Czech engineering company that continues the legacy of Škoda Works' rolling stock manufacturing that started at the end of 19th century in Plzeň. Following the first world war, the Works commenced locomotive production in a separate factory dedicated to that purpose. This factory became a separate company in the 1990s. Today, Škoda Transportation develops and manufactures electric rail vehicles for urban and railway transport.
Jiří Diviš is a Swiss entrepreneur and manager originally from Czechoslovakia.
Marek Čmejla is a Czech entrepreneur, fraudster and musician.
The Aero L-39NG is a turbofan-powered military trainer and light combat aircraft developed and produced by the Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody. It is a successor of the Cold War era Aero L-39 Albatros.