Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (russian: Челябинский тракторный завод, Chelyabinskiy traktornyy zavod, abbreviated , ) also known as CTZ-Uraltrak (''ЧТЗ-УРАЛТРАК'') is a tractor construction plant in the Russian city of

Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk ( rus, Челя́бинск, p=tɕɪˈlʲæbʲɪnsk, a=Ru-Chelyabinsk.ogg; ba, Силәбе, ''Siläbe'') is the administrative center and largest city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the seventh-largest city in Russia, with a ...

History

The Chelyabinsk Tractor plant was a project of the

first five-year plan The first five-year plan (russian: I пятилетний план, ) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was a list of economic goals, created by Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin, based on his policy of socialism in ...

. The plant was founded in 1933; the first product was a 60 hp tracked tractor C-60 (''Сталинец-60'', ''Stalinets-60'') fueled by

petroleum ether Petroleum ether is the petroleum fraction consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons and boiling in the range 35–60 °C, and commonly used as a laboratory solvent. Despite the name, petroleum ether is not classified as an ether; the term is used ...

(Benzine). In 1937 the factory produced its first diesel-powered vehicle C-65 (''Сталинец-65'', ''Stalinets-65''). By 1940 the plant had produced 100,000 tractors. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

seven other industrial entities (including most of Leningrad's

Kirov Plant The Kirov Plant, Kirov Factory or Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) ( rus, Кировский завод, Kirovskiy zavod) is a major Russian mechanical engineering and agricultural machinery manufacturing plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was establ ...

and 15,000 of its workers) were either wholly or partially relocated to Chelyabinsk, the resulting enterprise commonly known as "Танкоград" ('Tankograd', or 'Tank City'). The work force increased to 60,000 workers by 1944, from 25,000 during non-military production; during the conflict the works produced 18,000 tanks, and 48,500 tank diesel engines as well as over 17 million units of ammunition. Production included the

KV tank The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II. The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour pro ...

from 1941,

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tan ...

tank from 1942,

KV-85 The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II. The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour pro ...

tank and IS tanks from 1943, and

T-34/85 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The Chri ...

tank and SU-85 self-propelled field gun from 1944 By 1945 the plant had been awarded the

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established du ...

, 1st Class, the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

, the

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

, and other honours for its efforts in helping to defeat Nazi Germany. Post World War II conventional tractor production resumed with the С-80 (''Сталинец-80'', ''Stalinets-80'') entering serial production in 1946. The plant reverted to its original name of Chelyabinsk Tractor factory in 1958. In 1961 a tractor with diesel electric transmission entered production: DET-250 (''ДЭТ-250''). The millionth tractor from CTZ was produced in 1984. In 1990 a tractor with a hydromechanical transmission system entered production (T-10). In 2008 the company acquired 100% of amphibious tracked machine building company "Vityaz" (Витязь); both are now part of the

Uralvagonzavod UralVagonZavod (russian: ОАО «Научно-производственная корпорация «УралВагонЗавод», , Open Joint Stock Company "Research and Production Corporation Uralvagonzavod") is a Russian machine-buildin ...

holding group which Uraltrak established in association with other companies.

Operations and products

The organisation includes foundry and forging facilities, metal engineering facilities (CNC, lathes, heat treatment) as well as construction and assembly workshops. As of 2011, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant produces wheeled and tracked tractors and related modified vehicles, and related parts, as well as tractor engines up to ~. Since 2010 the company has manufactured fork lifts under license from Bulgarian company ''Balkancar Record'', The company also produces road tanker vehicles, semi-trailers and pipe installation road vehicles. By 8 May 2022, due to sanctions imposed after the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, US officials claimed that Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant’s tank production had halted, had been made “idle,” due to a lack of imported parts.

Subsidiaries

Since 2008 Machine engineering company 'Vityaz' (''Машиностроительная компания "Витязь"'') has been a subsidiary of CTZ-Uraltrak. The company produces the Vityaz line of tracked all-terrain vehicles with amphibious capabilities.

Historical products

Notes

References

External links

Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant official site

Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant official site

JSC Machine-building Company «Vityaz» company website
''www.bolotohod.ru'' *
abstract

Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, Photographs, Albert Kahn Associates, 1930s

Canadian Centre for Architecture The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA; french: Centre Canadien d'Architecture) is a Architecture museum, museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1920, rue Baile (1920, Baile Street), between r ...

digitized items
{{Coord, 55, 09, 20, N, 61, 28, 24, E, region:RU, display=title Russian brands Soviet brands Manufacturing companies of the Soviet Union Defence companies of the Soviet Union Companies based in Chelyabinsk Uralvagonzavod Construction and civil engineering companies