• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

ZTS-Special

The former Heavy Engineering Plants (ZTS) in Dubnica at one time employed 13-thousand people. But come the revolution, and the good old days at the factory ended, and the firm stood in bankruptcy. The Grey Eminence of the industry, Julius Toth, thought that would shame the name of that factory, and founded another company - ZTS - Hejnice plus (ZTSP). The subsidiary of the state DMD Holding took over the old ZTS subsidiaries. The site of the former ZTS Dubnica now houses 31 companies. Instead of the original thirteen thousand works there are now barely four thousand employees. One of the three dozen companies are ZTS-Special, Inc., which is actually the granddaughter of the state DMD Holding.

ZTS Špeciál had 202 employees as of the year 2002. The background of defence equipment production in Dubnica nad Váhom is dated since 1928 when a contract was signed between SKODA Plant and the Ministry of Defence of the Czechoslovak Republic to build a plant for artillery materiel in the area where the company has its office today. The production started in 1937, first of all, at a tool shop and a gun manufacturing plant. The first outputs included anti-tank guns of 37 mm, model 1937. After the 2nd World War, the product line was extended by civil outputs. The defence equipment in the company reached its maximum performance in the 1980s. In course of its existence, the company changed its name several times and now the defence equipment is produced by the company ZTS-ŠPECIÁL, a.s.

During the second world war the establishment was under the control of Herman Goring Waffenwerke c.o. and produced in addition to the weapons and ammunition and parts of maritime torpedo, aircraft engines and V-2. In 1945 the enterprise was almost completely destroyed when the allied air force bombed the plant.

In the years 1945 to 1948 the enterprise was gradually restored. The first products were the construction of bridges and cranes for rebuilding war-destroyed country. This was followed by the production of dredges and machine tools.

In the period after the year 1957 there was a substantial development of civilian production. From Plzen was moved part of the production facilities and production of aluminium from CKD Praha diesel-electric and electric locomotives. In this period were produced and delivered thousands of tonnes of lines, most of whom work to this day. Among the most significant customers included the Soviet Union, Poland, Iran, Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, from domestic VSŽ Košice. Diesel-electric T669 locomotives manufactured today are used. The company was involved in the production of technological equipment for the first Ms of i. the atomic power plant A1.

In 1970, occurred the cooperation agreements with SAUER-SUNDSTRAND on production by axial hydrostatic converters, which became the basis for the development and production of road and construction machinery. From Martina was to ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom delineated manufacture of hydraulic rýpadiel, produced in the licence of the French firm Poclain.

The production was still an arms production. In its history the plant has produced about 50 types of weapons or repaired, modernised in the number of about 50,000 pieces. Since 1987 there is a systematic decline in weapons production, in particular the cessation of deliveries to the Soviet Union's largest trading partner in the past, the end of production — former tanks and fighting vehicles.

The company was renamed several times during its existence, and currently since 1998 military equipment produced under the banner of ZTS-SPECIALS, a.s. Company is currently in its production program includes the production of the Castle: 155 mm howitzers ZUZANA Samohybnej kanónovej w. 2000 COBRA vežového ensemble, the production of the main and the cannon from the 30-modernization of T-72 tank, 155 mm M2 Moderna, spare parts for the T-72, BVP-1 and BVP-2, 152 mm ShKH ZUZANA 155 mm ShKH DANA,, the repair of military technology, technology transfer, technical assistance, training, training. Since 2003, was the increase in the civilian production. In the civil production program includes the production of the company: impact mobile, intended for recycling and shredder 35t 50t and crushing stone, reinforced concrete for wind power and alternative energy sources, chassis and components for the construction and forestry machines, and other program components for the railway.