The State Factory "Production Union Pivdennyi Machine-Building Plant named after O.M. Makarov", officially abbreviated as Pivdenmash (Ukrainian: Південмаш) and previously as Yuzhmash (Russian: Южмаш), meaning Southern Engineering is a Ukrainian state-owned aerospace manufacturer. It was formerly a Soviet state-owned factory prior to 1991.
Pivdenmash operated initially as "plant 586" in the Soviet Union. In 1954, Soviet aviation engineer Mikhail Yangel established the autonomous design bureau designated OKB-586, from the former chief designer's division of plant 586. Yangel had previously headed OKB-1 (today RKK Energiya) and was primarily a supporter of storable propellant technology – unlike Sergei Korolev at OKB-1, who was a supporter of missiles using cryogenic propellants. To pursue development of ballistic missiles using storable liquid propellants, Mikhail Yangel had received authorization to convert the chief designer's division of the plant into an autonomous design bureau. Following this, OKB-586 was designated Southern Design Bureau (better known as KB Pivdenne) and plant 586 was renamed Southern Machine-Building Plant in 1966, with a focus on the design and production of ballistic missiles. The plant was later renamed Southern Machine-Building Production Union, or Yuzhmash (Ukraine).
Missiles produced at Pivdenmash included the first nuclear armed Soviet rocket R-5M (SS-3 'Shyster'), the R-12 Dvina (SS-4 'Sandal'), the R-14 Chusovaya (SS-5 'Skean'), the first widely deployed Soviet ICBM R-16 (SS-7 'Saddler'), the R-36 (SS-9 'Scarp'), the MR-UR-100 Sotka (SS-17 'Spanker'), and the R-36M (SS-18 'Satan'). During the Soviet era, the plant was capable of producing of up to 120 ICBMs a year. In the late 1980s, Pivdenmash was selected to be the main production facility of the RT-2PM2 Topol-M ICBM (SS-27 "Sickle B").
After the beginning of perestroika, demand for military production declined significantly, and the Pivdenmash product line was expanded to include non-military uses such as civilian machinery. One line of products added after 1992 are trolleybuses. Models include the articulated YuMZ T1 (1992–2008), its non-articulated brother YuMZ T2 (1993–2008) and more modern YuMZ E-186 (2005–2006) which features a low floor cabin. Leonid Kuchma, long-time chief manager (1986–1992) of the company, became the Prime Minister in 1992, and later President of Ukraine in 1994.
In addition to production facilities in Dnipro, Pivdenne Production Association includes the Pavlohrad Mechanical Plant, which specializes in producing solid-fuel missiles. Pivdenmash's importance was further bolstered by its links to Ukraine's former President Leonid Kuchma, who worked at Pivdenmash between 1975 and 1992. He was the plant's general manager from 1986 to 1991.[citation needed]
In February 2015, following a year of strained relations, Russia announced that it would sever its "joint program with Ukraine to launch Dnepr rockets and [was] no longer interested in buying Ukrainian Zenit boosters, deepening problems for [Ukraine's] space program and its struggling Pivdenmash factory".[2] With the loss of Russian business some thought that the only hope for the company was increased international business which seemed unlikely in the time frame available.[3] Bankruptcy seemed certain as of February 2015, but was averted.[3]
On 14 August 2017, the Institute of International Strategic Studies issued a report presenting evidence that "North Korea has acquired a high-performance liquid-propellant engine from illicit networks in Russia and Ukraine", likely produced by Pivdenmash facilities.[4] Both the company [5] and the Ukrainian government[6] denied the allegation.
An Antares launch vehicle using a Pivdenmash core[which?] was launched from Wallops Island in October 2016 to deliver supplies to the ISS.[7] A Zenit launch vehicle was launched[by whom?] in December 2017, after a two-year hiatus, to deliver AngoSat 1.[8]
In February–March 2018, Pivdenmash announced plans to develop a testing platform for Hyperloop technology developed by Elon Musk and was scheduled for completion in 2019 in Dnipro.[9] Thought the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine later cancelled this the "absurd" project.[10] Even so, by 2021, the group was reported to have partnerships with 23 countries, including Saudi Arabia.[11]
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