The Rostov Helicopter Plant was founded in 1939 and has subsequently become one of the world's leading helicopter manufacturers. For the first forty years, the company only produced military helicopters but, more recently, it has also manufactured aircraft for civilian use. A further significant change came in 1992, when the Plant was reorganised from a state enterprise into a public limited company and renamed Rostvertol. Since then, it has diversified into a variety of consumer goods including cargo trailers for cars, vans and foldable beds.