History

From 24 June, 1941 till 23 July, 1941 following the order of South-West front Commander in the 8th Air Force the 38th Mobile Railway Aircraft Repair Workshops were set up under storage No.2 of People's Commissariat of Defense in the city of Kharkov receiving the conventional name of Military Unit No. 21951. Vladimir Rostislavov, skilled and experienced specialist, 3 rank engineer was appointed as executive officer of the 38th Mobile Railway Aircraft Repair Workshops.

Repositioning by rail, the Workshops were supposed to be located near the front line in order to carry out the repair of combat-damaged aircraft. But on the ground of absence of required rolling equipment (apart from 3 railcars) on 1 August, 1941 following the Order of Air Force Headquarters of South-West Military District the workshops became a part of the 257th stationary air workshops in the city of Kharkov and being a part of the 257th stationary air workshops they were removed to the city of Uriupinsk (Stalingrad region) on 1 October.

Upon arrival at base the repair workshops were located on the territory of state horse stables which were retooled for production premises and workshops.

Based on Decree of UERTU of the Air Forces of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army No. 386 and the Order of Repair department of South-West front line Air Force Headquarters dated 26 October, 1941, the 257th stationary air workshops were redeployed to Sorochinsk (Chkalov region), and the 38th Mobile Railway Aircraft Repair Workshops stayed in Uriupinsk started functioning as an independent combat unit.

Since 16 November 38th Mobile Railway Aircraft Repair Workshops were engaged in repair of Su-2 light bomber, Y-2 aircraft, M-88 and M-1 motors of the 8th Air Army of South-West front line. For the time of combat performance in Uriupinsk the workshop-related personnel reactivated 151 aircraft and 143 aviation engines.

For the prompt recommission of combat-damaged aircraft in January 1942 the workshops were reorganized into repair brigades of type PARM-3 and moved to Leninsk (Stalingrad region) for carrying out of aircraft repair work at field aerodromes and airfields.

Following the instruction No. 4596 of the Red Army Air Force Commander dated 11 July, 1942 the 38th Mobile Railway Aircraft Repair Workshops were redeployed by two railway trains from Uriupinsk over the Volga to the station named Bezymjannaya (Saratov region). The workshops were provided with a special aircraft repair train for allocation of all the technical equipment, tools and personnel.

Since that moment the workshops have become fully consistent with their name and purpose - to be as close to their units as possible in order to provide for the prompt recovery of aircraft damaged in combat. In this train the 38 Mobile Aircraft Repair Workshops followed their battle route from Stalingrad to East Prussia over the remaining period of the Great Patriotic War.

In the second half of 1942, when the Battle of Stalingrad began, apart from Su-2 and Po-2 aircraft and their engines, the workshops started to repair IL-2 ground attack aircraft, Hurricane fighters, and AM-38, Merlin XX, M-82 engines.

A team of aircraft repairmen on the Stalingrad front accomplished the invaluable work in the fight for the new lease of life of disabled, half-burnt aircraft - literally rising from the ashes, they rushed back to the sky to fight the enemy.

In 1943 the situation changed. The front was moving quickly to the West. In February the workshops were relocated to Afrosimovskiy crossing point, in May - to Proletarskaya station, in October - to Donetsk.

On the Commander's initiative the 38th Mobile Railway Aircraft Repair Workshops were located in combat regiments for the prompt restoration of aircraft in the field.

At the beginning of 1944 there was an order received of relocation to Kaunas of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic to join the 1st Air Army.

After the liberation of the Crimea the 38th Mobile Railway Aircraft Repair Workshops were were transferred to join the 3rd Belorussian Front and relocated in July 1944 to Yelnya station in Smolensk region where they participated in the Bagration operation to liberate Belarus.

The unit was relocated to Gumbinnen (now Gusev, Kaliningrad region), and here it continued its combat engagement in restoration of aircraft until the end of the Great Patriotic War.

During the wartime the unit personnel restored 286 aircraft of various types which is equivalent to the number of 8-9 air regiments, repaired 1285 aircraft engines of various types.

The workshops were relocated to Novoelnya, Grodno region, and joined the 26th Air Army.

1958 by the order of the Air Force Commander the 38th Order of the Red Star Mobile Railway Workshops became a part of Aircraft Repair Base and were awarded name the "32nd Order of the Red Star Military Base" with subordination to the 26th Air Army.

In the same year the military base was relocated from railway cars to the new production space in the area existing nowadays. Now it can be seen that the "railway period" which lasted 17 years was finished. After accommodation at a new location the personnel of the base began to master the overhaul of the first Soviet tactical bomber Il-28.

In connection with the transfer to the staff of the aviation base and the assignment of a new name ("32nd Order of the Red Star Military Base") on February 14, 1961 the banner of the unit was placed in the custody at the Central Museum of the Soviet Army, and the Order of the Red Star was handed over to in the Main Personnel Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

During this period, the plant began major repairs of handling equipment, 8K63 training missiles and refueling mock-ups 8K63D, serial production of complex simulators for combat crews of silo-based ballistic missile systems with 8K63 (R-12) and 8K65 (R-14) missiles — 15K3 and 15K5.

The Air Force Command recognized the value of personnel's effort. In February 1970 all personnel were awarded Diploma of the Council of Ministers of USSR and All-Union Central Trade Union Council in All-Soviet Union festival on upgrading of production practices.

The enterprise was reorganized into Joint Stock Company "558 Aircraft Repair Plant".

In JSC "558 ARP" established a structure for the design and manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as other armament and military equipment.

Since 2015, OJSC "558 ARZ" has been implementing an enterprise development program in the field of production of parts and assemblies for the benefit of aircraft manufacturing enterprises.

A new workshop with an area of 2160 m2 was put into operation, equipped with modern machine tools that allow the production of parts of varying complexity and nomenclature from aluminum and titanium alloys, structural, heat-resistant and stainless steels.

Today, the total production area equipped with machine tools and technological equipment is more than 13,000 m². The machine park has more than 30 CNC machines and more than 40 units of universal equipment.

At the facilities of JSC "558 Aircraft Repair Plant" in Baranovichi there was a solemn ceremony of handing over the Colours from the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, a copy of the Certificate of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet and the Order Book, and a duplicate of the Order of the Red Star to JSC "558 Aircraft Repair Plant". From now on, the relics transferred by the Russian party are kept in the museum of JSC "558 ARP".

Since 2023, within the framework of the Comprehensive Interdepartmental Program for Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the field of aircraft construction, the implementation of the project for the development and organization of serial production of the twin-engine 19-seat light multi-purpose aircraft "Osvey" has begun.

A workshop for assembly of airframe parts has been put into operation. The workshop was built to perform work on the slipway assembly of the cockpit canopy frame, cockpit door, emergency exit door, cargo door, fin, rudder, elevator, stabilizer, engine mount.