Ikarbus
a.d.
The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...
(''Ikarbus - Fabrika autobusa i specijalnih vozila a.d.'') is a Serbian bus manufacturer based in
Zemun
Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; hu, Zimony) is a municipality in the city of Belgrade. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown Belgrade. The developme ...
.
It was originally established as an aircraft manufacturer in 1923, under the name Ikarus. In 1954, it commenced bus production and since 1960 it completely shifted towards it. In 1992, it changed its name to Ikarbus.
History
![Logo ikarbus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Logo_ikarbus.png)
On 13 October 1923, the company was established under name "Ikarus – the first Serbian airplane, car and engine industry Kovačević and Co", with headquarters in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
.
The founders were Dimitrije Konjović, brothers Dušan and Milivoj Kovačević, Đoka Radulović and Josif Mikl. On 20 November 1923, "Ikarus" started business officially after the registration before the Novi Sad District Court. In the beginning, the company manufactured a number of foreign designs under licence, such as the French
Potez 25, Czechoslovakian
Avia BH-33 and English
Hawker Fury
The Hawker Fury is a British biplane fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was a fast, agile aircraft, and the first interceptor in RAF service capable of speed higher than 200 mph (321 kmh). It was the fighter co ...
;
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...
as well as the locally designed
Ikarus ŠM
The Ikarus ŠM (Serbian Cyrillic:Икарус ШМ), ŠM (for ''Školski Mornarički'' en:School Navy) was the first design of Eng. Josip Mikl for the Yugoslav company Ikarus, it was a side-by-side two-seat biplane flying boat powered by a ...
,
Ikarus IO
The Ikarus IO (Serbian Cyrillic:Икарус ИО – Извиђач Обални) was a biplane flying boat produced in Yugoslavia in the late 1920s. It was a conventional flying boat design for its day, featuring a large single-bay wing cellule, ...
,
SIM-VIII,
Ikarus IK-2
The Ikarus IK-2 was a 1930s high-wing, single-seat, monoplane fighter aircraft of Yugoslav design built for the Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force. The IK-2 was designed by French-trained engineers Kosta Sivčev and Ljubomir Ilić, who saw the desir ...
and
Ikarus Orkan
The Ikarus Orkan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Икарус Оркан) was a three-seat twin-engined monoplane designed as a light bomber/ reconnaissance aircraft in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World War II. It was designed and built at the Ikarus ...
.
On 3 March 1924, the first school type airplane "Brandenburg" was manufactured.
In 1927, the Yugoslavian Air Command decided that "Ikarus" should start the production of military planes; the factory for the production of military planes was built in
Zemun
Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; hu, Zimony) is a municipality in the city of Belgrade. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown Belgrade. The developme ...
. On 20 June 1927, "Ikarus" together with Military and Navy Ministry concluded an agreement to build a new factory of airplane engines in
Rakovica. In 1928, the Sports Club "Ikarus" was established, thus "Ikarus" being the first company to build gliders in the country. By December 1932, the company relocated its headquarters from Novi Sad to Zemun. In April 1935, the first model of war airplane of domestic design was completed; a single-seat glider "IK-1", designed by engineers Ljubomir Ilić and Kosta Sivčev. In January 1936, the Yugoslav Air Command and "Ikarus" signed an agreement for the manufacturing of British "Hawker Fury" fighter plane, of all-metal construction. By the spring of 1938, the Yugoslav Air Command and the company concluded an agreement on the supply of twin-engine bombers "Blenheim", under the British license. In 1938, the Administration Building of "Ikarus" in Zemun was built.
With the start of the
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 ...
(WWII) in Yugoslavia, the
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
occupation authorities confiscated the company on 17 April 1941. On 17 and 25 April 1944, the factory was heavily damaged in the Allied air-strikes. By early November 1944, the factory restarted operations.
On 12 August 1945, the first emergency Assembly of "Ikarus" shareholders in the socialist Yugoslavia was held in. On 27 March 1946, "Ikarus" was nationalized by the decision of the District Court of Zemun. Until the end of 1946, the subsequent decisions in form of property nationalization were made. On 22 October 1946, the first plane "Aero-2B" flew for the first time, the first prototype made by the air industry in socialist Yugoslavia. On 23 January 1948, the Government of Yugoslavia made a decision to establish the State Enterprise "Ikarus". Also, the Sports Club "Naša krila" was established.
In 1950, a single-seat fighter plane
S-49 was built by engineers Ilić, Sivčev, Zrnić and Popović. In the same year, "Ikarus" manufactured the first gliders in the socialist Yugoslavia; a single-seat glider "Hawk 1" was awarded the third prize at the International Championship in Sweden. By the end of October 1952, the first Yugoslav jet plane "451 M" took off. In 1954, "Kosava" twin-seat glider received the first prize at the International Championship in England.
From 1954 onward, Ikarus also commenced bus production, originally of
Sauer
The Sauer (German and Luxembourgish, , ) or Sûre ( French, ) is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. A left tributary of the Moselle, its total length is .
Rising near Vaux-sur-Sûre in the Ardennes in southeastern Belgium, the Sauer ...
and
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
designs under licence, but eventually the company's own designs.
In 1957, the airplane
Ikarus S-451MM
Icarus is a character in Greek mythology.
Icarus or Ikarus may also refer to:
People
* Roger Squires (born 1932), crossword compiler who has used the pseudonym Icarus
* Icarus (wrestler) (born 1982), wrestler with the Chikara organization
Plac ...
set the world speed record flying at 750.34 km/hour. In 1960, the
Ikarus S-451M
Icarus is a character in Greek mythology.
Icarus or Ikarus may also refer to:
People
* Roger Squires (born 1932), crossword compiler who has used the pseudonym Icarus
* Icarus (wrestler) (born 1982), wrestler with the Chikara organization
Plac ...
, ultra light jet plane set the world speed record, flying at 500.2 km/hour. On 14 November 1961, by the official act of the Administration for Military Industry Affairs, "Ikarus" ceased to be a military company.
Most of the personal and equipment from the aircraft section of "Ikarus" had been relocated during the previous decade to a new aircraft factory
SOKO
Soko ( sh-Cyrl, Соко) was a Yugoslav aircraft manufacturer based in Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company was responsible for the production of many military aircraft for the Yugoslav Air Force.
SOKO was created in 1950 by the rel ...
, located in
Mostar
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg
, image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...
,
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
.
In 1992, the company was privatized, and the following year changed its name to "Ikarbus", due to name usage conflicts with the
Hungarian bus manufacturer with the same name.
File:0611-Nrd-001.jpg, Old Ikarus IK-4 bus in Bucharest
File:Skopje Sudska palata.jpg, Ikarus IK-160 articulated bus in Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
Image:beo ikarbus 00.jpg, Ikarbus buses delivery in Belgrade
During the 1990s
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
and international sanctions imposed on
FR Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yug ...
, the company's production stagnated. As there was no political will to adjust a state-owned company to a transition, that trend continued during the 2000s and 2010s, causing Ikarbus to become indebted and work in limited capacity. In March 2019, the Chinese "Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy" company began the process of acquiring a majority stake in company's ownership structure.
Products
![Ikarbus IK-218N Studentski trg GSP](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Ikarbus_IK-218N_Studentski_trg_GSP.jpg)
Every vehicle made by Ikarbus has a name starting with 'IK', followed by a hyphen and then the vehicle's code: IK-1xxs are solo city buses, IK-2xxs are articulated city buses and IK-3xxs and IK-4xxs are coaches. Earlier IK 160(P)/161/166 models are also articulated buses. The letter N disambiguates integral models from non-integral ones.
Currently produced models under Ikarbus brand are:
* IK-103 solo,
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
or
Mercedes engine
* IK-103 CNG (meets EURO-5 standards)
* IK-107 minibus, Cummins engine
* IK-112M,
MAN NL 323 chassis
* IK-112N solo low floor,
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
engine
* IK-112LE,
Mercedes-Benz OC 500 LE
The Mercedes-Benz OC 500 LE is a modular, heavy-duty, twin-axle bus chassis produced by Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus Ibérica, Spain. It was designed as a modular platform for low-entry city, suburban, and intercity buses with a maximum gross vehicle w ...
chassis
*
IK-206 articulated, vertical
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
engine
* IK-218N articulated low floor,
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
engine
* IK-218M articulated low floor,
MAN NG 363 chassis
* IK-308, midibus coach
* IK-312, regional coach
* IK-412, long-distance coach
* IK-415, three-axle coach
Historical
Aircraft
![Ikarus Meteor 57 (YU-4103) glider](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Ikarus_Meteor_57_%28YU-4103%29_glider.png)
In 1927 an aeronautical section of the factory was found in Zemun where numerous planes were designed and manufactured, as well as under license. The factory included its own airfield. After the end of the World War II, in 1946, another two aeronautical companies,
Zmaj and
Rogožarski
Rogožarski () was a Yugoslav aircraft manufacturer.
History
Officially established on 22 April 1924 under the name of ''Prva Srpska Fabrika Aeroplana Živojin Rogožarski'' ( en, First Serbian Aircraft Factory of Živojin Rogožarski), the f ...
joined Ikarus as a wholly nationalised state aircraft industry. The Ikarus factory had manufactured in its workshops 475 aircraft up until 1962, when it stopped working for the aviation industry.
Buses
The historical models under Ikarus brand are:
* IK-4 (solo bus based on Leyland chassis, produced in the early 1970s)
* IK-5A / IK-5B (solo and articulated based on
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
Metrobus (
de) license, produced in 1972-1981)
* IK-61 (solo, Raba D2156 engine, manual transmission) produced in the 1970s
* IK-83 (solo,
FAP chassis, FAMOS 2 F-207 engine, manual transmission) produced in the 1970s
* IK-102 (solo, MAN D2866 engine, automatic VOITH transmission) produced until 1996
* IK-105 / IK-108 / IK-110B / IK-115 (solo, Raba D2156 engine, manual transmission) produced until 1988
* IK-111B (solo, MAN D2866 engine, manual transmission) produced until 1996
* IK-160B / IK-180 (articulated, Raba D2156 engine, manual transmission) produced until 1988
* IK-160P (articulated, SW680 engine ) produced for the Polish market until 1989
* IK-161B (articulated, MAN D2866 engine, manual transmission) produced until 1996
* IK-161R (articulated, Raba D2156 engine, manual transmission) produced until 1996
* IK-166 (articulated, MAN D2866 engine, automatic VOITH transmission) produced until 1996
The historical models under Ikarbus brand are:
* IK-101 (solo,
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
engine)
* IK-102 (solo,
RABA engine)
*
IK-201 (articulated, horizontal
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
engine)
*
IK-202 (articulated, horizontal
RABA engine)
* IK-203 (articulated, horizontal
Mercedes engine)
See also
*
Aircraft industry of Serbia
References
Footnotes
Notes
Bibliography
*
External links
Official website(Serbian)
{{European bus builders
1923 establishments in Serbia
Aircraft manufacturers of Yugoslavia
Bus manufacturers of Yugoslavia
Manufacturing companies based in Belgrade
Serbian brands
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1923