Current achievements of the state-owned enterprise LOM PRAHA and future vision | CZDEFENCE
The state enterprise LOM PRAHA is celebrating its 108th anniversary this year. The company has seen remarkable development especially in the last two years. Behind this transformation into a modern company, which has something to replace both the Army of the Czech Republic and other partners, is a team of experienced employees headed by company director Jiří Protiva. According to him, the needs of the Army of the Czech Republic were met, and that is essential – just like the management of the company.
Video: So far achievements of the state-owned enterprise LOM PRAHA and future vision – balance sheet interview with the director of the enterprise Jiří Protiva / CZ DEFENSE
There is no general recipe for starting a positive economy and development of a state-owned enterprise. In this case, Jiří Protiva was helped by his previous experience with the management of another state institution, namely the Military Technical Institute, which at the time dealt with a similar situation. “LOM PRAHA is specific, it has a different portfolio, a different focus, a different operating process. However, the customer and the military environment are the same, and management methods can be used similarly,” says Protiva. According to him, the vision and development of the company, which will be supported by a team of employees and managers, is important. “Of course, it’s about preserving and developing the capabilities of the state-owned enterprise. It is necessary to present those skills well enough to convince customers that you can do it. It is important to verify real work, which is the basis for returning customers and acquiring new customers,” explains Protiva. The primary customer of the state enterprise is the Army of the Czech Republic. It represents 85% of the company’s output volume. Does LOM PRAHA have room for further cooperation, for example with the private sector? According to the director of Protiva, their “military portfolio” was also successfully installed in the civilian sector. “And not only in the field of the aviation industry, but also in engineering, the automotive industry, even in the healthcare industry,” the director specifies. According to him, the use of electroplating and engineering machining, which is of great interest on the national market and abroad, can be cited as an example.
LOM PRAHA is no longer just the original three plants – aircraft, power units, modernization and modification. It is mainly the Aviation Training Center in Pardubice. The center is primarily intended for training pilots of the Air Force of the Army of the Czech Republic, but there is also space here to offer free capacities for foreign clients. “Primarily, these are EU and NATO countries, and of course we also target countries outside this territory, with the fact that it must be in accordance with the foreign policy of the Czech Republic. We must respect that we only train participants from countries that conform to the Czech foreign policy. And there are many of those countries, whether they are European Union countries such as Austria, Poland, Slovakia, or even more exotic countries, such as Thailand, calculates Jiří Protiva.
Photo: The state enterprise LOM PRAHA is celebrating its 108th anniversary this year. The company has seen remarkable development especially in the last two years. Behind this transformation into a modern company, which has something to replace both the Army of the Czech Republic and other partners, is a team of experienced employees headed by company director Jiří Protiva | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENSE
The newest part of the state enterprise is the H1 plant, which was established last year. It is a service and simulation center for the operation of the new UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper helicopters. You are located in Náměšt nad Oslavou in the area of the 22nd helicopter base of the Army of the Czech Republic. It should start heavy traffic this year. According to the director of Protiva, LOM PRAHA first had to prove that it had the competence and ability to successfully apply for this project. Next, expand and train staff accordingly and build facilities. Final works remain in this period. These are the installation of the simulator in the new simulation hall and the cataloging and acceptance of various parts and components for servicing the Venom and Viper machines.
Photo: UH-1Y Venom | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENSE
Photo: AH-1Z Viper | Michal Pivoňka / CZ DEFENSE
In order for LOM PRAHA to be a successful enterprise, it must invest and support its offer and service. Currently, there are several projects that help the company deviate from its original assignment, i.e. the servicing of post-Soviet helicopters and aggregates. They are oriented towards new projects. These are, for example, the Krovka projects, the system and the installation of protective equipment for CASA aircraft. “These projects show that we are westernizing our activities. This means that we are able to implement Western avionics and other equipment into the Eastern platform, and we are getting the original AČR technology to NATO level in accordance with their standards and regulations,” Protiva presents. The Krovka project is actually the modernization of the Mi-171Š helicopter so that in 2026-2027 the army will have all these machines modernized according to the new standards. As for CASA aircraft, it is the installation of so-called flares. According to Jiří Protiva, this shows the company’s effort to focus not only on the Mi platform, but also to include the service of other machines available to the AČR. System Project Mi-17 is a modernization project of helicopters for transport capacity. It is a new construction of the seating system. These machines will gradually replace the aging and decommissioned Mi-8 helicopters in the lounge version.
In addition to the transition from Eastern to Western platforms and the use of original experience, which can bring the company service and repair offers in countries using the original Soviet technology, there is a pursuit of completely new opportunities. Recently, the cooperation that is being mentioned more and more often is potentially with Lockheed Martin, with which the Ministry of Defense is negotiating the purchase of 24 supersonic F-35 II Lightning aircraft. “It is another example that the state-owned enterprise LOM PRAHA has a lot to offer. It has its own logic, because when the Army of the Czech Republic acquires something from the field of aviation, in my opinion, there should be a LOM to some extent, be it bigger or smaller,” says director Protiva. The first bilateral negotiations have already taken place. They opened up areas of possible cooperation in which the state enterprise could be a partner. It is the area of training, simulation technologies, maintenance and of course it is also the area of logistics for the Army of the Czech Republic. As Jiří Protiva says, it is still a negotiation phase, however, the American side admitted this scope of possible cooperation. “At the same time, we are also negotiating with the Czech army, how they would imagine the involvement of a state-owned enterprise,” adds Protiva, adding that it is necessary to take into account that the Ministry of Defense will only prepare material for the government, where it will decide whether the F-35 will be purchased or will not buy. “However, we want to be prepared. No matter how it turns out, we want to have the so-called work done and we want to have our share there. Any cooperation with Lockheed Martin would be an important matter for LOM PRAHA. It would be a reference that would definitively complete the transformation of the state-owned enterprise from the eastern to the western platform.”
Photo: In addition to the transition from Eastern to Western platforms and the use of original experience, which can bring the company service and repair offers in countries using the original Soviet technology, there is a quest for completely new opportunities. Recently, the cooperation that is being mentioned more and more often is potentially with Lockheed Martin, with which the Ministry of Defense is negotiating the purchase of 24 supersonic F-35 II Lightning aircraft. | Lockheed Martin
A good reference for the company would certainly also be the developing cooperation within the project of new helicopters with BELL Textron, GE as an engine manufacturer. It is the scope of cooperation in this project that shows the strong and promising sides of the state-owned enterprise for further possible industrial cooperation.
At the beginning of our interview, we mentioned that behind the success of LOM PRAGUE in the last two years is the team around the director Jiří Protiva, who at the beginning of the celebration in February has been with the company for two years. We were interested in what I would like to achieve as part of the company’s activities by the end of this year: “Positive management, healthy financing of the company is the basis for us to be able to make any progress at all. At the end of 2023, I see LOM PRAHA as a stable partner for the Army of the Czech Republic, as a stable partner for the American side in the H1 platform and as a partner that will also be strong in that it can transform as a state enterprise and bring a new portfolio on which we will build to the future.”
Source: LOM PRAHA sp, Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic