Dux Factory

Dux Factory, also known in Russian as Zavod Duks, was a historic Moscow manufacturing enterprise whose activities moved from bicycles into automobiles and, most importantly, aircraft. Established in 1893, the factory took its name from the Latin word dux, meaning leader. It was owned by Julius Möller, whose name is also written Juli Meller in historical sources. The enterprise began as a bicycle producer. Its strategic direction changed in 1910, when it entered aircraft manufacturing and concentrated largely on building French-designed aircraft under licence or through derivative development. During the First World War, Dux produced aircraft associated with designers and manufacturers including Morane-Saulnier, Voisin, Nieuport and Farman. The factory also manufactured substantial numbers of military bicycles, reflecting the logistical and reconnaissance needs of the period. Dux was not limited to straightforward licensed assembly. Its first aircraft was a licensed Farman IV powered by an ENV engine, which made its first flight on 18 August 1910. The factory subsequently introduced modifications to imported designs, including a Farman VII derivative with improvements that entered production. The Dux Meller series represented more ambitious attempts to combine features from different aircraft designs. Some projects, such as the Dux Meller III and Dux No. 2, were unsuccessful, but they illustrate the factory's transition from assembler to aircraft developer. Following the October Revolution, the enterprise was nationalized and reorganized under Soviet state industry. The original site became associated with Aircraft Plant No. 1, also known as GAZ No. 1 and Aircraft Plant No. 1 named after OSOAVIAKHIM. Early Soviet production continued with Farman and Nieuport aircraft before the plant became an important center for domestic aircraft design and production. In 1923, a design bureau was formed there under Nikolai Polikarpov. The bureau and associated production facilities later built or supported a wide range of aircraft, including the I-5, I-15, I-15bis, I-153, I-16, R-5 and R-Zet, as well as Soviet versions of the Airco DH.4 and DH.9A. The original Dux industrial lineage subsequently divided among several numbered plants and successor organizations. Plant No. 1 produced the MiG-3 before being evacuated to Samara in October 1941 during the Second World War. The evacuated operation later became the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant and ultimately the Progress plant, with a later transition toward rocket production. Other facilities associated with the Dux lineage produced aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-2, Il-28, Lavochkin La-5 and La-7, Il-12, MiG-15, MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29. The numbered plants followed different institutional paths. Plant No. 30 became Znamya Truda Machine-Building Plant and later the Moscow Aircraft Production Organisation. Plant No. 32 was evacuated to Kirov and eventually became associated with the Vyatka Machine Building Enterprise AVITEK. Plant No. 39 moved to Irkutsk, helping establish the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. Plant No. 43 operated under the name Moscow Kommunar Machine-Building Plant from 1963 to 1992 and became an open joint-stock company named Dux in 1992. That later organization focused on air-to-air missile production and aircraft components rather than representing the original private factory in its nineteenth-century form. Dux is therefore best understood as a historical industrial lineage rather than a contemporary consumer brand. Its significance lies in the development of Russian and Soviet aviation manufacturing, the introduction of licensed Western aircraft designs into Russian production, and the subsequent dispersion of its facilities into major Soviet aerospace enterprises. The original factory no longer operates as an independent brand in its historical form.

Dux Factory was established in Moscow in 1893 as a bicycle manufacturing plant. Its name derived from the Latin term dux, meaning leader, and the business was owned by Julius Möller. Although it later became closely associated with aviation, its first industrial identity was as a producer of bicycles and related transport products. The factory entered aircraft manufacturing in 1910. Its first aircraft was a licensed Farman IV fitted with an ENV engine, which flew on 18 August 1910. Dux initially concentrated on French designs, producing aircraft from the Farman, Morane-Saulnier, Voisin and Nieuport families. It also made military bicycles during the First World War. The plant sometimes modified the designs it built, rather than merely assembling them. A Farman VII derivative entered production after receiving improvements, and the Dux Meller projects attempted to combine characteristics from different aircraft types. The Dux Meller III and Dux No. 2 were unsuccessful, but the projects demonstrate the factory's early design experimentation. After the October Revolution, the enterprise was nationalized and reorganized as Aircraft Plant No. 1 named after OSOAVIAKHIM, commonly referred to as GAZ No. 1. Farman and Nieuport aircraft remained in production during the early Soviet period. In 1923, a design bureau was created at the plant under Nikolai Polikarpov. It subsequently became associated with the Polikarpov Design Bureau and produced or supported aircraft including the I-5, I-15, I-15bis, I-153, I-16, R-5 and R-Zet. During the 1920s and 1930s, Soviet versions of the Airco DH.4 and DH.9A were also built, with the DH.9A becoming the basis for the Polikarpov R-1 and R-2. The Dux industrial complex was later represented by multiple numbered plants. Plant No. 1 built the MiG-3 until its evacuation to Samara in October 1941. The relocated facility became the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant and later the Progress plant, which shifted toward rocket manufacturing in 1958. Plant No. 30, founded in 1939 at Dubna and moved to the former Plant No. 1 site in December 1941, manufactured the Ilyushin Il-2. It later merged with Plant No. 381 and produced the Il-28 in larger quantities. Plant No. 30 was renamed the Znamya Truda Machine-Building Plant in 1965 and the Moscow Aircraft Production Organisation in 1973. Its later programs included the MiG-29, as well as civil aircraft such as the MiG-AT, T-101, T-411 and Aviatika MAI-890. Other aircraft associated with this production lineage included the Su-9, Yak-25, Il-14, Il-18 and MiG-21 and MiG-23. Plant No. 32 was separated from Plant No. 1 in 1932 and evacuated to Kirov in 1941. It became the Kirov Machine-Building Plant in 1960 and was later associated with the Vyatka Machine Building Enterprise AVITEK. Plant No. 39 produced the DB-3F before being moved to Irkutsk in 1941, where its merger with the Irkutsk Machine-Building Plant contributed to the establishment of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. Plant No. 381 manufactured the Lavochkin La-5 and La-7, as well as the Il-12, a limited series of I-250 aircraft and the first 75 MiG-15 aircraft before merging into Plant No. 30 in 1950. Plant No. 43, established in 1893 and later known as the Moscow Kommunar Machine-Building Plant from 1963 to 1992, followed a separate post-Soviet corporate path. In 1992 it became the open joint-stock company Dux. Its activities centered on air-to-air missile production and aircraft subcomponents. This later company should not be treated as identical in legal or organizational terms to the original pre-revolutionary Dux factory, although it forms part of the broader industrial lineage. The Dux name consequently represents a succession of reorganized, relocated and renamed facilities rather than a continuously operating independent brand. Its historical importance stems from its role in Russia's early aviation industry, its manufacture of French aircraft designs, the Polikarpov design connection and the contribution of its successor plants to Soviet military and civil aircraft production.

1. 1992Plant No. 43 became Dux open joint-stock company

   The facility formerly known as the Moscow Kommunar Machine-Building Plant became an open joint-stock company named Dux.

   Source
2. 1958Plant No. 1 shifted toward rocket production

   The Samara successor of Plant No. 1 moved into rocket manufacturing and became associated with the Progress plant.

   Source
3. 1950Plant No. 381 merged into Plant No. 30

   Plant No. 381, known for producing Lavochkin aircraft and early MiG-15s, was merged into Plant No. 30.

   Source
4. 1941Wartime evacuation of major plants

   Plants associated with the Dux lineage were evacuated to locations including Samara, Kirov and Irkutsk during the Second World War.

   Source
5. 1923Polikarpov design bureau established

   A design bureau was established at Aircraft Plant No. 1 under Nikolai Polikarpov, later becoming associated with the Polikarpov Design Bureau.

   Source
6. 1914First World War production

   The factory produced aircraft from the Morane-Saulnier, Voisin, Nieuport and Farman families and manufactured military bicycles.

   Source
7. 1910Entry into aircraft manufacturing

   Dux shifted into aircraft production, initially concentrating on French designs and licensed manufacture.

   Source
8. 1910First Dux-built aircraft flight

   A licensed Farman IV with an ENV engine made its first flight on 18 August 1910.

   Source
9. 1893Factory established in Moscow

   Dux was founded as a bicycle manufacturing plant in Moscow under the ownership of Julius Möller.

   Source

A historically important Russian and Soviet aerospace manufacturing enterprise, initially positioned as a bicycle and general transport manufacturer and later recognized for licensed aircraft production, aircraft adaptation and military aviation manufacturing.

• BicyclesBicycles1893

  Bicycles were the factory's original core product after its establishment in Moscow in 1893. During the First World War, Dux also produced military bicycles, extending its early manufacturing capabilities into equipment used for military transport, dispatch and reconnaissance support.

• Farman aircraftAircraft1910

  Dux's first aircraft production centered on French Farman designs. A licensed Farman IV powered by an ENV engine became the first aircraft made by the factory and flew in August 1910. Later Farman models, including the Farman VII, XVI and XXX, were also produced, with some receiving local modifications.

• Dux Meller aircraftExperimental aircraft1912

  The Dux Meller series represented attempts to develop aircraft beyond direct licensed production. The Dux Meller I combined a Blériot-derived fuselage with a Farman XV nacelle and a 100-horsepower Gnome-Rhône engine in pusher configuration. The Dux Meller II modified the Farman XVI, while the Dux Meller III and Dux No. 2 were more experimental projects that did not succeed.

• Nieuport and Voisin aircraftMilitary aircraft1914

  During the First World War, Dux built aircraft associated with the Nieuport and Voisin families, including the Nieuport 17, Nieuport 24, Voisin L and Voisin LAS. These programs reflected the factory's role as a Russian producer of contemporary French-designed military aircraft.

• Polikarpov aircraftMilitary and utility aircraft1923

  After nationalization and the creation of a design bureau at Plant No. 1, the Dux-associated production system built or supported Polikarpov designs including the I-5, I-15, I-15bis, I-153, I-16, R-5 and R-Zet. Soviet derivatives of the Airco DH.4 and DH.9A were also produced.

• Aircraft produced by successor plantsMilitary and civil aircraft1941

  Successor plants in the Dux industrial lineage produced a broad range of Soviet aircraft, including the Ilyushin Il-2, Il-28, Il-12, MiG-3, MiG-15, MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29, along with civil programs such as the MiG-AT, T-101, T-411 and Aviatika MAI-890.

1. Dux Factory
2. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995