Origins
The aircraft manufacturing facility at Kunovice in Moravia was established in 1936, initially as a repair and overhaul workshop. After the Second World War it was reorganised as LET n.p. Kunovice — a nationalised enterprise that became one of Czechoslovakia's principal manufacturers of light transport aircraft, regional airliners, and gliders. Unlike Aero, Avia, and Letov — which were primarily military aircraft manufacturers — LET Kunovice specialised in civil and utility aviation, producing aircraft that served airlines, aeroclubs, agricultural operators, and military transport units across the Eastern Bloc and beyond. Following the post-Communist privatisation of the 1990s the company was reorganised as Aircraft Industries, continuing production of the L-410 family to the present day.
Aircraft Involved
Early Licence Production and Utility Aircraft
LET's earliest postwar production consisted of licence-built types from other Czech manufacturers: the Let Ae-45S (228 built) and Let Ae-145 (162 built) were twin-engine utility aircraft licence-built from Aero designs, and the Let C-11 (707 built) was a licence-built Yakovlev Yak-11 single-engine trainer — one of the largest production runs at Kunovice. The Let E-33 was an L-200 converted as a testbed for tail configurations and boundary layer control research.
The L-200 Morava Family
The Let L-200 Morava (1957, 361 built) was LET's first major original design — a twin-engine utility monoplane that became a popular light transport and air taxi aircraft across the Eastern Bloc and was exported to Western markets. Named after the Morava river region where Kunovice is located, it was a modern, capable design that demonstrated LET's ability to produce competitive civil aircraft. The Let L-210 (1966, 1 built) was a six-seat development with more powerful engines. Several enlarged developments were studied but not built: the L-300 nine-to-eleven seat air taxi and the L-400 turboprop feederliner project of the 1960s.
The L-410 Turbolet — LET's Global Success
The Let L-410 Turbolet (1969, 1,200+ built) is LET Kunovice's defining achievement and one of the most produced regional transport aircraft in history. A twin-turboprop short take-off and landing regional airliner powered by Walter M601 engines, the L-410 was designed for operations from unprepared airstrips in remote and challenging environments — making it the standard regional transport of the Soviet Union, Eastern Bloc, Cuba, and numerous developing nations. Robust, reliable, and capable of operating in extreme conditions from Arctic Siberia to tropical Africa, the L-410 served with Aeroflot and dozens of regional airlines worldwide. The Aircraft Industries L-410 NG (2015) is a modernised next-generation variant with upgraded avionics and engines, continuing production into the 21st century. Various developments were studied over the decades: the L-420 westernised variant, L-430 stretched development, L-450 and L-510 replacement projects, and the Let L-610 (1988, 6 prototypes) — a larger twin-turboprop transport intended as an L-410 successor that did not reach production.
Gliders — The Blaník Family
LET Kunovice was also one of the world's most prolific glider manufacturers. The Let L-13 Blaník (1956, 3,000+ built) is the most produced all-metal glider in history — a two-seat high-wing training sailplane that became the standard glider trainer of the Eastern Bloc and was exported worldwide, serving with aeroclub and military glider training programmes across four continents. The Let L-23 Super Blaník (1988) was a modernised derivative with T-tail and two-piece canopy. The Let L-33 Solo (1992, 94 built) was a single-seat sailplane, and the Let LF-109 Pionýr (1950, ~470 built) an earlier single-seat training glider. The US military designation TG-10 covered L-13, L-23, and L-33 gliders operated by American forces. The Let L-21 Spartak (1958) was a single-seat high-wing sailplane, and the Let LF-114 Standard (1956) a single-seat training glider.
Legacy
LET Kunovice / Aircraft Industries occupies a unique position in Czech aviation history: while Aero built jet trainers and Avia built fighters, LET built the aircraft that connected remote communities, trained glider pilots, and kept regional aviation alive across the developing world. The L-410 Turbolet's 1,200+ production run and continued manufacture under Aircraft Industries makes it one of the longest-lived regional aircraft programmes in history — a testament to a design that was right for its environment from the beginning. The L-13 Blaník's 3,000+ production run tells a similar story: a glider so well-conceived that it trained generations of pilots worldwide and remains in service decades after its introduction.