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Foundation of the plant
Plans to create an instrument-making plant in Ulyanovsk (then Simbirsk) emerged on the eve of the war. In late 1939, construction began on a plant intended to produce aircraft compasses and tachometers, but by June 1941 only the foundations of the buildings had been completed. With the onset of the Great Patriotic War, the unfinished Plant No. 280 of the People’s Commissariat for Aviation Industry (NKAP) received an abrupt boost: three enterprises were evacuated to its site—the Moscow NII-12 (Research Institute No. 12), the Leningrad Instrument-Making Plant No. 278, and the Vyazma Instrument-Making Plant No. 149. On 4 July 1941, M. D. Berezin was appointed director and D. E. Aizenberg chief engineer. The team was tasked with launching production of defense-purpose instruments for tanks and aircraft in the shortest possible time. On 1 September 1941, the plant’s shops were partially put into operation—this date is considered the plant’s birthday. Despite unfinished equipment installation, production ramped up quickly: already in Q4 1941 the first 200 attitude/turn indicators were produced, and by the end of 1942 the plant had shipped 1,264 instruments to the front. Over the war years the Ulyanovsk plant manufactured about 292,000 instruments for aircraft and tanks (aircraft compasses, centrifugal tachometers type 262, turn indicators, etc.)—a major contribution from the home front to Victory.
In the first year alone, the enterprise’s staff grew from 76 to about 754 people (including the evacuated specialists). Men who went to the front were replaced by women, teenagers, and the elderly; an FZO (factory training school) was opened at the plant for accelerated worker training. People worked 12–16 hours a day, often sleeping right at their workplaces. Nevertheless, thanks to their dedication, production grew without interruption. In May 1942, B. I. Fridkin (formerly head of Moscow NII-12) became director; he commissioned the test and inspection shop and organized serial production of military output. In November 1944, leadership passed to I. Ya. Skorodumov, previously head of the tool shop. By the war’s end, about 1,588 people were working at the plant. Many labor feats were recognized by the government—for example, turner V. T. Logachyov received the Order of the Badge of Honor for overfulfilling war assignments.
In addition to defense products, the plant took on various assignments during the war. Already in 1944 a small workshop for consumer goods was opened: they produced children’s sleds, beds, plastic cups, buttons, and push pins to meet the home front’s needs. The plant also made spare parts for farm machinery and helped collective farms with harvests. These efforts show that even in wartime the enterprise strove to support the civilian sector of the economy.
Post-war development and specialization (1945–1960s)
After the war the Ulyanovsk Instrument Plant (UPZ) rapidly switched to the needs of national recovery. In the first post-war years the plant established production of civilian goods: various instruments and fittings. The plant manufactured, for example, shut-off valves, differential manometers, tachometers, thermometers, as well as consumer products. At the same time production for the army continued—in particular, manometers, thermometers, and other instruments for tanks and other military equipment. This dual profile enabled the enterprise to contribute to post-war reconstruction while preserving its human capital.
By the early 1950s, as primary civilian needs were being met, the plant again intensified defense work. In the first half of the 1950s UPZ became a specialized enterprise producing instruments for aviation and early rocket technology. All resources were directed to developing new aircraft instruments, and by the mid-decade the plant fully shifted to military topics—the production of consumer goods was discontinued. The technical level rose substantially, with more complex systems mastered. Existing floor space was no longer sufficient, so the plant expanded: new buildings were constructed (in 1960 the large Building No. 3 was commissioned) and technical re-equipment of shops proceeded apace.
On 14 May 1961, Plant No. 280 officially received the name “Ulyanovsk Instrument Plant” (UPZ). This marked the end of its anonymous numbered status and emphasized its connection to the city. The 1960s were characterized by sharp increases in output and the mastering of fundamentally new product lines—instruments for strategic jet aviation and for space technology. In other words, Ulyanovsk instrument makers contributed to the development of the country’s rocket-space sector as well.
During this period, the plant’s own design capability took shape. On 24 May 1954 a branch of Ramenskoye OKB-149 (Experimental Design Bureau) was created on the UPZ site—an off-site division of a major instrument-design bureau near Moscow. This branch developed aircraft instruments directly at the plant. Having accumulated experience, it spun off as an independent organization: in 1963 the Ulyanovsk Instrument Design Bureau (UKBP) opened—its own design center serving the local production. (According to some sources, final separation from Ramenskoye OKB was completed in 1966; in practice, the bureau had formed somewhat earlier.) The creation of UKBP gave a powerful impulse to new technology: Ulyanovsk designers began to develop the most complex aircraft instruments independently.
In the post-war decades, the enterprise was led by people who had risen from within. In 1959, Vyacheslav Sergeevich Zorin, who had joined the plant as a 17-year-old apprentice in 1942, became director. Under his leadership (1959–1981) the plant became one of the industry’s leaders nationwide. In those years, the chief engineer—and later the next general director—was Gennady Mikhailovich Lafazan, a seasoned instrument maker who had worked at the plant since pre-war times. These individuals, seasoned by the war and who knew production from the inside, ensured the successful specialization and growth of the Ulyanovsk Instrument Plant in the 1960s.
The heyday of aircraft instrument engineering (1970s–1980s)
At the turn of the 1970s, the enterprise reached a new stage. By this time the Ulyanovsk Instrument Plant was one of the flagships of Soviet aircraft instrument engineering. In 1971, for its labor achievements, the plant was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor—a high state honor—symbolically 30 years after its wartime birth. From 1971 to 1975 UPZ mastered serial production of 58 fundamentally new, highly complex instruments for the newest aviation equipment: the MiG-25 fighter, the Su-24 bomber, the Il-62 and Tu-154 civil airliners, and others. Thus, many key cockpit instruments on these aircraft were products of the Ulyanovsk plant and design bureau. Gyroscopic sights, artificial horizons, automatic control systems, and other high-precision devices for aviation were mastered. In parallel, infrastructure expanded: new shops opened, CNC machines were introduced, and headcount grew. By the early 1980s the workforce reached nearly 10,000—effectively making the plant a city-forming enterprise.
Notably, alongside aviation equipment the plant resumed production of civilian goods in the 1970s, leveraging its enhanced capabilities. During these years UPZ produced medical instruments and consumer products, some of which became widely known. In particular, household aneroid barometers manufactured by the plant were popular: such atmospheric pressure instruments served a practical purpose and decorated interiors. In 1977, chief engineer G. M. Lafazan presented a barometer as a gift to cosmonaut Yevgeny Khrunov during his visit to the enterprise. In addition to barometers, the plant produced wall clocks and other household devices—essentially carrying out “conversion” well before the crisis-ridden 1990s. These items not only generated additional revenue but also carried the quality mark of Ulyanovsk aircraft instrumentation, rooted in aviation technologies.
In 1980, the enterprise structure was enlarged: the Ulyanovsk Instrument-Making Production Association (UPPO) was formed, incorporating, besides the main plant, the Staromainsk Instrument Plant in the region. The association enabled coordinated efforts and specialization across sites. The 1980s were a period of high achievement: UPPO was regarded as a leader in domestic avionics, mastering ever more systems and instruments. Products from Ulyanovsk were installed on most Soviet aircraft, helicopters, and even space vehicles. However, by the end of the decade, the enterprise—like the entire Soviet defense industry—faced the darkening clouds of new economic realities.
The challenges of the 1990s and transformations into the new era
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing crisis in defense procurement put the Ulyanovsk Instrument Plant in a difficult position. By 1990, about 90% of UPZ’s output was aviation equipment. A sharp contraction in orders for military avionics and a deep crisis in aircraft manufacturing pushed the enterprise to the brink of bankruptcy. At the same time the state stopped financing social infrastructure, and the plant was forced to transfer previously built housing, childcare facilities, a House of Culture, and other properties into municipal ownership. To survive, management sought new niches: the plant pursued conversion, expanding civilian production and mastering fundamentally new products. In the 1990s the earlier experience of household production proved useful: the enterprise launched serial production of medical equipment, wall clocks, barometers, and other consumer goods, offsetting the decline in military orders. Products under the “Utyos” brand (see renaming below)—medical tonometers, household barometers, and more—became well known on the Russian market, providing essential revenues.
Structural reorganization began as well. On 6 June 1990, the Ulyanovsk production association was renamed the production association “Utyos”. The new name was not an acronym but a brand intended to promote both military and civilian products. In December 1991, after privatization reforms, the association became the Open-Type Joint-Stock Company “Utyos” (AOOT “Utyos”), and on 14 July 2000 it became OAO “Utyos” (an open joint-stock company—the brand “Utyos” remained). During these years the plant opened an entirely new line—automotive components: since 1996, production of electric fuel pumps and other automotive assemblies began, and by 2005 auto components accounted for up to 40% of output. Gradually the negative trend was reversed—since 1998 production volumes began to grow again. By the early 2000s the enterprise had not only survived but also preserved its core competencies in avionics. Development and deliveries of onboard radio-electronic equipment resumed: the “Utyos” plant again became a supplier of sophisticated avionics for domestic aviation and firmly held its position as one of the industry’s leading enterprises.
In parallel, the Ulyanovsk Instrument Design Bureau (UKBP) also evolved, becoming an independent joint-stock company in the post-Soviet years. The bureau continued close cooperation with the plant, developing new instrument complexes. In the 2000s both Ulyanovsk enterprises entered the KRET (Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies) holding of the Rostec State Corporation, which unites leading enterprises of the sector. Longstanding proximity and cooperation naturally led to a decision to combine efforts: on 1 March 2016 the merger of JSC “UKBP” and OAO “Utyos” into a single company was completed. In effect, 75 years after its founding, the plant and the design bureau created at it once again became a single entity. The new integrated enterprise retained the name JSC “UKBP”, forming a large science-and-production complex with vast experience and a powerful manufacturing base. Bringing together two related teams that had worked on the same industrial site for six decades concentrated resources and competencies for competitive products.
Today the Ulyanovsk Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau (JSC “UKBP”) is one of Russia’s leaders in avionics. The enterprise serves as a center of competence for onboard equipment; its instruments and systems are installed on modern aircraft and helicopters, including MC-21, Il-114-300, Mi-171A2, Mi-8AMTSh, Ka-52, and others. Beyond aviation, UKBP continues to produce auto components, automatic control systems for ground vehicles and hydropower, medical equipment, and maintains its longstanding tradition of household barometers and meteorological instruments. The company is part of Rostec/KRET, and its systems are installed even on the aircraft of the Special Flight Detachment “Rossiya” (the fleet serving the President and Government of the Russian Federation). Having traveled the road from wartime Plant No. 280 to a high-tech enterprise of the 21st century, Ulyanovsk’s UKBP carefully preserves the traditions of domestic instrument-making and continues to develop them for the benefit of Russian aviation and industry.
Evolution of the enterprise’s name
Over its long history, the company has changed names multiple times, reflecting its development:
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