At the beginning of the 20th century, it became clear that aviation had a great future. In 1910, the aviation department was established at the Russo-Baltic Factory in Zasengof, a district of Riga's Zadvinye. Here, talented engineers began the production of the first aircraft engines in the Russian Empire. The new factory 'Motor' was led by engineer Theodor Kalep, an aircraft designer from Livonia with Estonian roots.

Test flights were conducted by the famous Russian pilot Lydia Vissarionovna Zvereva, flying over Riga, where the racetrack was located in the Solitude area (now Zolitude), and over the Riga seaside. In 1912, the aviation department moved to Saint Petersburg, where the outstanding designer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky worked.

With the onset of World War I, many production traditions were lost. A revival occurred in the Soviet era when enterprises such as the Riga Carriage Factory, VEF, RAF, and the Popov Radio Factory became famous brands.

However, the industrial heritage of the Soviet period was lost during Latvia's independence.