If today we conduct a survey in different countries of the world about which Russian aviation brand is best known, then we can confidently say that MiG will win.
Soviet and then Russian MiGs earned the respect of their enemies. In the elite units of the US Air Force, a patch with the inscription “Kill the MiG!” is common. Such recognition is expensive, especially since during their career the MiGs have proven in practice that they themselves can kill anyone who stands in their way.
The history of the famous brand was not easy, just like the life of its creator, Soviet aircraft designer Artyom Mikoyan.
Artyom Ivanovich Mikoyan was born into a poor peasant family in the mountain village of Sanahin, Borchalinsky district, Tiflis province, on August 5, 1895. The name and patronymic “Artyom Ivanovich,” familiar to the Russian ear, appeared later, and at birth the future creator of aircraft was Anushavan Ovanesovich.
Artyom's older brother Anastas Mikoyan became a revolutionary, and subsequently a prominent Soviet political figure. It was about him that the famous saying “From Ilyich to Ilyich without a heart attack or paralysis” was composed.
Turner at party work
After graduating from two classes of a rural school, in 1918, 13-year-old Artyom moved to Tiflis, to live with relatives, where he continued his studies at an Armenian school. The revolutionary spirit of his older brother also affected Artyom: in 1921, he arrived in his native village and created the first Komsomol cell there.
In 1923, Anastas Mikoyan, who worked in Rostov-on-Don, called his younger brother to his place. In Rostov, Artyom worked at an agricultural machinery factory as a turner, while continuing his studies at evening school. In 1925, Mikoyan Jr. was accepted into the party.
In the same year, Artyom went to Moscow, having a letter of recommendation from his older brother, to Ekaterina Sergeevna Shaumyan, widow Stepan Shaumyan, one of the executed 26 Baku commissars, whom Mikoyan Sr. knew well. At first, Artyom, who got a job as a turner at the Dynamo plant, lived in Moscow with Ekaterina Shaumyan.
In 1928, Artyom Mikoyan was recommended for party work, being appointed secretary of the party organization of the October Tram Park. In those distant times, however, party activity did not exempt him from military service, and in December 1928 Mikoyan went to do military service.
After returning from the army, Artyom Mikoyan became the secretary of the party organization of the Compressor plant.
To aviation according to the order
All this activity was very far from aviation and aircraft manufacturing. But the life of the young party functionary changed dramatically after in January 1931, the IX All-Union Congress of the Komsomol adopted a resolution on the patronage of the Komsomol over the Air Force.
The aviation industry needed new personnel, and thousands of young communists and Komsomol members were sent to study at the relevant universities.
Responsible, disciplined and efficient, Artyom Mikoyan was recommended for admission to the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy.
It would be a gross exaggeration to say that for Mikoyan this was a lifelong dream. In addition, he clearly lacked education. But if the party said “must”, then the task had to be completed. After completing the preparatory courses, Artyom Mikoyan passed the entrance exams.
Mikoyan studied with complete dedication, without sparing himself. In addition to the training program at the academy, he mastered parachute jumping.
In 1935, Mikoyan underwent practical training in Kharkov, at the design bureau of a local aircraft plant. Upon returning with his classmates Samarin And Pavlov Mikoyan designed the light aircraft “Oktyabryonok” - this was the first independent work of future aviation engineers.
Young specialist
On October 22, 1937, Artyom Mikoyan defended his graduation project and left the academy with the rank of military mechanical engineer of the Red Army Air Force.
The young specialist was appointed as a military representative at State Aviation Plant No. 1, where he established himself as an excellent specialist.
But there is a long distance from an excellent mechanical engineer to an aircraft designer. In February 1939, the design bureau of one of the leading specialists of that time was transferred to aircraft plant No. 1 Nikolai Polikarpov.
Nikolai Polikarpov, student of the famous Igor Sikorsky, was a difficult person, in conflict with the authorities, who had behind him an overturned death sentence on charges of sabotage. At the same time, he was called the “king of fighters,” since it was his machines that formed the basis of the pre-war fighter aviation of the USSR.
Polikarpov drew attention to Mikoyan, who stood out for his efficiency, desire to delve into the most complex nuances and put forward his own proposals. Polikarpov instructed Mikoyan to work on the I-153 Chaika fighter. It all started with testing small arms on the three lead aircraft of the project, but then the young engineer became increasingly involved in working on improving aircraft, sometimes going beyond the instructions he received from Polikarpov.
Where did the MiG begin?
During this work, Mikoyan became close friends with the head of the department of the group of general types of the Polikarpov Design Bureau Mikhail Gurevich. This is how a tandem of designers began to form, which later became famous throughout the world.
We are approaching the most delicate moment in the biography of Artyom Mikoyan. In 1939, while Nikolai Polikarpov was on a business trip abroad, the management of aircraft plant No. 1 decided to create an Experimental Design Department, which included some of the Polikarpov Design Bureau specialists. Artyom Mikoyan became the head of OKO, and Mikhail Gurevich became his deputy. The new structure was given the development of the promising I-200 fighter, work on which began at the Polikarpov Design Bureau. Subsequently, the I-200 project turned into the MiG-1 - the first development of the new design bureau.
Many aviation historians believe that Polikarpov was simply robbed, taking away a promising project and a large number of specialists from his design bureau. At the same time, they say that Artyom Mikoyan used his older brother’s connections to ensure a decision in his favor.
There is another way of looking at things. The Second World War was beginning, and no one had any doubt that the USSR would inevitably be drawn into it. The country needed to update its aircraft fleet, and the Air Force needed the most modern technology. Polikarpov’s models, which at that moment were in a high readiness stage, lagged behind the tasks of the day. The Soviet leadership strove to achieve results, moving in several directions at once. Prospective developments were entrusted to a whole galaxy of aircraft designers - Yakovlev, Lavochkin, Petlyakov, Ilyushin, Tupolev and others. The tandem of Mikoyan and Gurevich also managed to convince them of their readiness to create a modern aircraft with high performance in the shortest possible time.
Be that as it may, in December 1939 the new design bureau became a reality.
Test by war
On April 5, 1940, the new Soviet high-speed fighter MiG-1 made its first flight. The aircraft successfully passed tests and was accepted into mass production. In total, about 100 cars were produced.
The machine was created in an extremely short time, which inevitably entailed the presence of shortcomings. The MiG-1 had unsatisfactory static longitudinal stability due to its rear alignment. The plane easily fell into a spin and had difficulty getting out of it. The pilot's fatigue was greater than on other aircraft.
Most of the shortcomings were eliminated in the MiG-3, which became a modification of the first machine.
At an altitude of over 7000 km, the MiG-3 developed the highest speed for production aircraft of that time - 640 km per hour. The plane had an altitude ceiling of 12 thousand meters, which made it possible to successfully fight the highest altitude enemy aircraft. From December 1940 to 1941, over 3,000 MiG-3s were produced, which took an active part in the Great Patriotic War.
However, it soon became clear that the MiG-3 was not the most advanced fighter. The main air battles took place at low altitudes, where the MiG was not maneuverable enough. As a result, the losses of aircraft of this type were very significant.
As a result, the MiG-3 was transferred to the air defense forces, where it became an ideal machine for hunting high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and bombers.
One of the most famous Soviet aces achieved his first victory over the Messerschmitt-109 on the MiG-3 Alexander Pokryshkin.
Firstborn of the Jet Age
Critics of Mikoyan and Gurevich, again recalling the “robbed” Polikarpov, say that after the “Polikarpov” MiG-1, the designers were unable to create a successful aircraft for a long time.
Here, however, it must be said that a similar period occurs in the history of any design bureau. Just as every doctor has his own graveyard of patients who could not be saved, so every aircraft designer has a “graveyard of projects” that did not go into production.
At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Mikoyan Design Bureau became involved in the creation of jet aircraft. On April 24, 1946, the first Soviet turbojet fighter MiG-9 took to the skies.
The MiG-9 and Yak-15 were the first machines that began the transition of the USSR Air Force to jet technology.
The MiG-9 did not take root easily. Firstly, the first-born of jet aviation was far from perfect and difficult to control. Secondly, it required completely different approaches to maintenance from technicians. And thirdly, no matter how funny it sounds, the pilots were simply afraid of him, since in their understanding a plane could not fly without a propeller.
Nevertheless, all these difficulties were overcome.
Soviet fighter MiG-9. Photo: RIA Novosti
"The best plane in the world"
Artyom Mikoyan himself worked his ass off. Starting with the MiG-1, his life was like an endless race against time. While working on the MiG-9, the designer suffered a heart attack, but returned to duty within two months.
On December 30, 1947, the MiG-15 fighter made its first flight. Unlike the “nine”, in the development of which captured German engines were used, the new car was a completely new and extremely successful project.
So successful that for many years to come veterans of the German aircraft industry will argue with each other, looking for traces of their old developments in the MiG-15. Experts, however, consider these attempts frivolous - the MiG-15 is undoubtedly a Soviet development.
Andrei Tupolev, not prone to compliments, remarked: “The MiG-15 was the best plane, undoubtedly the best plane in the world!”
During the Korean War, the MiG-15 “declassed” all Western modifications of aircraft that opposed it, forcing them to pit against it the latest American development, the F-86 Saber. However, the MiG-15 also won a fierce battle with the Sabers, after which the MiG brand became the main enemy and nightmare of the American aces.
The MiG-15 became the most popular jet aircraft in the history of aircraft manufacturing; in total, over 15,000 aircraft were produced. It was in service with the air forces of 40 countries and was finally taken out of service only in 2006.
“I have a nervous job”
New developments carried out under the leadership of Artyom Mikoyan only confirmed that the success of the MiG-15 was no coincidence. The MiG-17, which reached the speed of sound, the first serial Soviet supersonic fighter MiG-19, one of the most popular and successful fighters in the world, the MiG-21. Artyom Mikoyan's latest works were the MiG-23 variable-sweep wing fighter and the MiG-25 interceptor fighter.
The designer's achievements were appreciated by the state. Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service Artyom Mikoyan was twice awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, awarded six Orders of Lenin, six Stalin Prizes and one Lenin Prize.
All these successes and awards were achieved through hard work and literally cost one’s health. Starting in 1962, Mikoyan began to get sick more and more often, but even in the hospital he was constantly thinking about new projects.
In August 1970, the designer turned 65 years old - far from old age. But the enormous workload and the heart attack that I suffered made it clear. One day, elder brother Anastas Mikoyan remarked: “Artyom, how early you turned gray!” The younger brother smiled and remarked: “And I, Anastas, have such a job. Nervous work!
On December 9, 1970, after heart surgery, Artyom Ivanovich Mikoyan died. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.
I often hear the same question:
– What is the most important thing in the work of an aircraft designer? What is the basis of the aircraft creator's creativity?
I answer this:
– The ability to dream! When difficulties seem insurmountable and obstacles multiply, this means that success is close.
And yet, in ten to fifteen years, the most advanced modern aircraft will be delivered to the aviation museum. The planes of tomorrow will obviously have a completely different external shape; the wings, fuselage, and engine will change.
Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan was born on August 5, 1905 in the small Armenian village of Sanahin in the family of a poor village carpenter. At the age of six, Artem Ivanovich began working as a shepherd. A.I. Mikoyan learned to read and write in a village school, and then, in 1918, the family moved to Tbilisi, where he began school with his older brother Anastas. In 1923, he entered the technical school at the machine-building plant (Krasny Aksai) in Rostov-on-Don and for the next year worked as a turner in a railway workshop. In 1925, Artem Ivanovich joined the Communist Party and went to work at the Moscow Dynamo plant. By that time, his older brother Anastas already held high positions in the party and was a close associate of V.I. Stalin. In December 1928 he was drafted into the army, where he served for two years. After returning from the army, he went to work at the Compressor plant and in 1931 he was accepted to study at the Air Force Engineering Academy. N.E. Zhukovsky. There, among other things, he jumped with a parachute and learned to fly an airplane. In 1935, Mikoyan and two other students of the academy, Samarin and Pavlov, built the Oktyabrenok light aircraft, which had wing mechanization that was original for that time - flaps and slats. The flight weight of the aircraft was 250 kg, it reached a speed of 130 km/h with an engine of 22 hp. In 1937, a flight was made on the Oktyabrenka and the aircraft received a positive assessment from the Central Aero Club. In 1937, Mikoyan graduated from the academy with honors and was appointed representative of military acceptance at plant No. 1 named after. Aviakhim. This plant housed the N.N. Polikarpov Design Bureau and the plant was engaged in the production of the I-153 Chaika fighter. At first, Mikoyan was involved in the acceptance of aircraft, and then was appointed representative of the customer (Air Force) at the Polikarpov Design Bureau. From that time on, he worked in constant contact with N.N. Polikarpov. Two years later, in March 1939, Polikarpov asked Mikoyan to help him organize and update the production of I-153. At this time, he was noticed by the director of the plant P.A. Voronin and the chief engineer P.V. Dementyev (after P.A. Voronin left for the post of deputy people's commissar of the aviation industry in January 1940, P.V. Dementyev became the director of the plant). At that time, the Polikarpov Design Bureau was working on the project 
high-speed high-altitude fighter and in November 1939, at a meeting with I.V. Stalin, it was decided to allocate a group of designers from the Polikarpov Design Bureau to organize a separate design bureau, which was supposed to bring the new fighter project to production. On the recommendation of P.A. Voronin and P.V. Dementyev A.I. was appointed head of the experimental design department (OKO). Mikoyan, his deputy was M.I. Gurevich, and V.A.Romodin was approved as the head of OKO. On December 8, 1939, NKAP Order No. 401 was issued, by which A.I. Mikoyan was appointed head of KB-1 and deputy chief designer of plant 1. This day is considered the day of the formation of the A.I. Design Bureau. Mikoyan. Thanks to his outstanding organizational and design abilities, A.I. Mikoyan turned his design bureau into the main fighter design bureau of the Soviet Union, whose aircraft for a long time formed the basis of the combat power of the USSR Air Force and many countries of the world. His cars played a significant role in the victory of the Soviet Union in the war with Nazi Germany. More than 3,000 MiG-1 and MiG-3 fighters took the first blow of the Luftwaffe and bore the brunt of the first years of the war. Only the need for Il-2 attack aircraft, the AM-38 engines for which were built at the same plant as the AM-35A, which were installed on the MiG-3, forced the production of these fighters to cease. The greatest fame of OKB A.I. Mikoyan received it already in the era of jet aviation. Mikoyan's fighters have always marked a new stage in the development of aviation and embodied the latest achievements of aviation science and materials science. First, the MiG-15, and then the subsequent MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-25, created under the leadership of A.M. Mikoyan, adequately resisted American, French and British vehicles in all armed conditions conflicts of modern times. It was during this period that the short word MiG firmly entered the vocabulary of pilots around the world. Merits of A.I. Mikoyan were highly appreciated in the USSR and beyond. Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service, General Designer, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1968), twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1956, 1957), laureate of 6 Stalin, Lenin and State Prizes - this is a short list of his titles. Aanastas Ivanovich was a sociable, friendly, hospitable person, a caring boss and a hospitable host.
The death of Yuri Gagarin and V.S. Seregin in 1968 on the MiG-15UTI, and later the death of his friend, commander of the air defense fighter aviation, General Anatoly Kadomtsev on the MiG-25P in April 1969, had a serious impact on the health of the General Designer, and 9 December 1970 Artem Ivanovich died during heart surgery.
Childhood, youth
Mature years
Work at Polikarpov Design Bureau
Personal life
Developments
Artyom Ivanovich Mikoyan(Armenian: Արտյոմ Հովհաննեսի Միկոյան; birth name Anushavan Ovanesovich Mikoyan(Armenian: Անուշավան Հովհաննեսի Միկոյան); July 23 (August 5), 1905, village of Sanahin, Tiflis province, Russian Empire - December 9, 1970, Moscow, USSR) - Soviet aircraft designer, Colonel General of the engineering and technical service, head of OKB-155.
Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1968), twice Hero of Socialist Labor, six-time winner of the Stalin Prize, winner of the Lenin Prize (1962). Brother of Anastas Mikoyan. Member of the CPSU since 1925. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 3-8 convocations.
Biography
Childhood, youth
A. I. Mikoyan was born on July 23 (August 5), 1905 in the mountain village of Sanahin, Borchalinsky district, Tiflis province, into a poor peasant family. In addition to Anushavan, the family had four more children - two sons (Ervand and Anastas) and two daughters (Voskehat and Astghik). His father, Hovhannes Nersesovich Mikoyan (1856-1918), worked at a copper smelter in Manes. His mother, Talida Otarovna Mikoyan (maiden name Kokanyan) (1859-1936), was a housewife.
He received his primary education in a rural school (two classes). After the death of his father in 1918, his mother sent Anushavan to Tiflis, to his cousin Verginia Tumanyan. Here he continued his studies at an Armenian school. In the summer of 1921, Mikoyan organized a Komsomol cell in his native village.
Mature years
In 1923 he moved to his older brother Anastas in Rostov-on-Don. During the day, he worked as a turner at the Krasny Aksai agricultural machinery plant, and in the evenings he attended classes at the FZU school. In 1924, during the Lenin draft, Mikoyan was accepted as a candidate member of the RCP (b), and a year later, in June 1925, he became a full member of the party. In November he arrived in Moscow, where at first he lived in the house of Ekaterina Sergeevna Shaumyan, the widow of S. G. Shaumyan, one of the 26 Baku commissars. First of all, Mikoyan got a job as a turner at the Dynamo plant, where he worked until 1928. At first I rented an apartment, later I moved to live with the design engineer Dodev. In December, he attended the XIV Congress of the CPSU(b). In 1928, he was recommended for the post of secretary of the party organizer of the October Tram Park. In December he was drafted into the Red Army. Mikoyan was enlisted in the infantry and served in the military unit of the city of Livny, Oryol region. In August 1929, he was transferred to the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Military School (later the first Soviet tank school) in the city of Orel.
After serving in the army, he worked as secretary of the party committee at the Moscow Kompressor plant. In 1931, Mikoyan was among the party's thousands sent to study at the Air Force Academy. N. E. Zhukovsky. Among the teachers of the academy were the founder of aerodynamics B. N. Yuryev, mathematician V. V. Golubev, V. P. Vetchinkin, B. S. Stechkin, V. F. Bolkhovitinov, V. P. Glushko and many others.
In 1935, Mikoyan was sent for industrial practice to Kharkov. Together with other academy students, he built his first aircraft - the light Oktyabryonok, which was highly praised by the Central Aero Club. In the spring of 1936, Mikoyan began writing his graduation project, work on which took more than a year. On October 22, 1937, he defended his graduation project and was awarded the title of military mechanical engineer of the Red Army Air Force.
Work at Polikarpov Design Bureau
After graduating from the academy, Mikoyan was appointed military representative at State Aviation Plant No. 1 (GAZ No. 1). In February 1939, the design bureau of N. N. Polikarpov was transferred to aircraft plant No. 1 from plant No. 156, who was appointed Chief Designer of the plant. Engineer Mikoyan established himself as a first-class specialist and was soon assigned to supervise the development of the I-153 fighter.
In May 1939, work on the I-180 high-speed fighter was transferred to GAZ No. 1. Soon N.N. Polikarpov was sent on a business trip to Germany. In his absence, plant director P. A. Voronin and chief engineer P. V. Dementyev separated from the design bureau some of the divisions and the best designers (including Mikhail Gurevich) and organized a new experimental design department (OKO), and in fact - a new Design Bureau, the head of which was the young aircraft designer Mikoyan. Mikoyan was also given a project for a new I-200 fighter (future MiG-1), which Polikarpov sent to the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry (NKAP) for approval before his trip to Germany.
On December 8, 1939, by order of the NKAP, Mikoyan was appointed head of KB-1 and deputy chief designer of GAZ No. 1. This day is considered the day the design bureau named after A.I. Mikoyan was founded.
Personal life
Mikoyan met his future wife, Zoya Ivanovna Lisitsina, at her birthday, where he was invited by Gevork Avetisyan. On February 23, 1936, they became husband and wife. After the wedding, the newlyweds lived in a communal apartment on Kirova Street. In December, their daughter Natasha was born.
Developments
Under his leadership (together with M.I. Gurevich and V.A. Romodin), the MiG-1 and MiG-3 fighter aircraft that participated in the Great Patriotic War were created. After the war, the Mikoyan Design Bureau created the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-25 fighters.
55 world records were set on Mikoyan Design Bureau aircraft.
Memory
- There is a memorial plaque in his honor at the famous "waterfront house" where he lived.
- Postage stamps dedicated to Mikoyan were issued in Armenia.
- In Moscow there is Aircraft Designer Mikoyan Street.
Awards
- Twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1956, 1957),
- 6 Orders of Lenin,
- Order of the Red Banner,
- Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree,
- 2 Orders of the Red Star,
- Lenin Prize (1962),
- 6 Stalin Prizes (1941, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953).
The father and uncle of Ivan (Vano) Mikoyan were born into a poor large peasant family in the village of Sanahin, Tiflis province. Father, Anastas Mikoyan, studied at the Armenian theological seminary, was engaged in party propaganda work in Tiflis and Baku, and fought on the Turkish front during the First World War. In 1926, he became the People's Commissar of Domestic and Foreign Trade in the USSR, by 1935 he received membership in the Politburo, and from 1938 to 1949 he was Minister of Foreign Trade. After Stalin's death he became Minister of Trade.
Mikoyan was the first to condemn Stalin's personality cult and criticize his works.
He believed that the USSR should coexist peacefully with the West and calmly move toward socialism. It is not surprising that his personality turned out to be attractive to Khrushchev, who replaced Stalin - in 1957, he made Mikoyan one of his main confidants. In this role, Mikoyan visited Asian countries and even held negotiations with Fidel Castro on establishing Soviet-Cuban relations. Also in 1963, Mikoyan represented the Soviet leadership at the funeral of assassinated US President John Kennedy.
And it was thanks to Mikoyan that the famous “fish days” appeared in the USSR in 1932.
In 1964-1965, Mikoyan was chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He tried to support Khrushchev, but in the end it all ended with his dismissal - Brezhnev, who came to power, was clearly not satisfied with this approach. He retained the titles of member of the CPSU Central Committee and member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR until 1974 and 1976, respectively. In 1978, Anastas Mikoyan died.
His brother, Artem (Anushavan) Mikoyan, was less attracted to a political career. In his youth, he lived for some time with Anastas in Rostov-on-Don, where he worked as a turner at a factory during the day and studied in the evenings. In 1925, he moved to Moscow, where he continued to work as a turner, and a few years later, after serving in the army, he became secretary of the party committee at the Compressor plant. In 1931, he entered the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N.E. Zhukovsky, while studying there he ended up at a production factory in Kharkov, where, together with other students, he built his first aircraft. After training, Mikoyan was appointed as a military representative at State Aircraft Plant No. 1, and just a few years later, in 1939, he became deputy chief designer and head of the Design Bureau there.
This day is considered the day of the formation of the Design Bureau named after A.I. Mikoyan (now RSK MiG JSC),
where, under his leadership, more than a dozen fighter aircraft were created, including the legendary MiG-29. Mikoyan received many awards, including six Orders of Lenin, six Stalin Prizes, and two Orders of the Red Star. Twice he became a Hero of Socialist Labor. Like his older brother, he was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
Ivan Mikoyan followed in his uncle's footsteps. He also studied at the Zhukovsky Academy, and then, in 1953, got a job at the A.I. Design Bureau. Mikoyan as assistant leading engineer. In this position, he made a significant contribution to the development and improvement of the very first Soviet supersonic fighter, the MiG-19. He later became the lead flight test engineer and lead designer. In this position, he did a great job of creating, testing and improving the MiG-21 family of fighters.
In 1965, Mikoyan was appointed lead designer of the MiG-23 fighter and carried out a complex cycle of work related to the design, construction and fine-tuning of aircraft systems. Since 1968, he was on a long expedition, where he led joint state tests of a modified MiG-23M fighter. The aircraft successfully passed tests and was put into service.
In 1973, Ivan Mikoyan took the post of acting deputy chief designer for the MiG-29 front-line fighter and was involved in its testing and improvement.
For his work on the MiG-29, he twice became a laureate of the USSR State Prize.
In addition, he was awarded the Order of the October Revolution, the Order of the Badge of Honor, the highest corporate insignia “Medal of Academician A.I. Mikoyan" and several other medals.
The MiG-29 is a fourth generation jet fighter. It differs from its older “brothers” including the presence of guided weapons and more advanced on-board electronics. Fourth generation aircraft were developed until 2010.
The first flight of the MiG prototype, then called Product 9, took place on October 6, 1977. By 1983, MiG-29s began to arrive at the Kubinka airbase, and a year later, after state acceptance tests, to front-line aviation units. MiG aircraft were intended to provide local air superiority for advancing units of a motorized army. Due to the fact that aviation often had to use damaged or unprepared runways,
The MiG-29 was equipped with a durable landing gear and closable lower air intakes.
Today, the MiG-29 has more than 20 modifications and is in service in 26 countries. Most of them, with the exception of Russia and Ukraine, are in India and Iran.
The MiG-29 was used in many wars, including the Afghan war in 1979-1989, the Persian Gulf in 1991, and the NATO operation against Yugoslavia in 1999. Now the MiG-29 is used by Syrian troops to bomb ground targets.
110 years ago, the outstanding aircraft designer of the USSR Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan was born - he stood at the origins of domestic jet aviation and headed the MiG research aircraft design bureau.
Mikoyan Artem Ivanovich was born on August 5, 1905 in Tiflis province. In the early 20s, the Mikoyan family moved to Rostov-on-Don. Artem Mikoyan begins training at the factory at the Krasny Aksai plant, mastering turning skills.
In 1925 he joined the ranks of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and moved to Moscow, where he worked at the Dynamo plant, and then in 1927 he went to party work at the Oktyabrsky tram park in Moscow.
In 1928, Artem Mikoyan began serving in the Red Army, graduated from the military school named after M.V. Frunze, and in 1931 entered service at the Air Force Academy named after. N. E. Zhukovsky. At the air academy, future aircraft designer Artem Mikoyan realizes that he has found his calling; together with his classmates he designs his first aircraft, the Oktyabryonok.
In 1937, a young, promising aircraft designer, Artem Mikoyan, an Air Force mechanical engineer, began serving at the Moscow Aviation Plant. Osoaviakhima. In 1938, Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan headed the department of N.N.’s design bureau. Polikarpov on the creation of fighter aircraft.
In 1939, talented aircraft designers Artem Mikoyan and M.I. Gurevich were assigned to head one of the country's most promising design departments at the Osoaviakhim plant for the development of fighter aircraft. A year later, a group of Soviet designers led by Mikoyan and Gurevich created the MiG-1 fighter aircraft. This is the fastest fighter of its time, capable of maneuvering at high altitudes.
After a series of successful tests, a modified model of the MiG-3 fighter, created by Mikoyan and Gurevich, was put into production. Mikoyan Artem Ivanovich becomes the chief designer of the plant. Osoaviakhima. In the same year, Mikoyan, among the particularly promising Soviet scientists and designers - creators of flight technology, went to Germany to get acquainted with the German aviation industry.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in 1941, Mikoyan and Gurevich’s MiG-3 aircraft had already successfully carried out combat operations, serving the air defense of the USSR. During the evacuation in 1941 - 1942. The design bureau of the Moscow plant named after Osoaviakhim Mikoyan heads the pilot plant.
In the spring of 1942, the design bureau returned to Moscow and Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan headed the work on the creation of a new series of MiG-7 fighters and the I-224 high-altitude aircraft. In the spring of 1945, shortly before the end of the Second World War, Mikoyan began experimental testing of the I-250 fighter model, equipped with an air-jet engine. The fighter made its first flight on the eve of Victory, in May 1945.
After the Second World War, under the leadership of aircraft designer Mikoyan, supersonic high-speed fighter models were created, including the famous MiG-9, MiG-19 and MiG-21 - the speed of which is twice the speed of sound.
In 1956, for outstanding, unprecedented services to the Motherland, aircraft designer Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and appointed general designer of the MiG Design Bureau.
In 1968, the creator of high-speed jet aircraft Artem Mikoyan became a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. One of the last creations of aircraft designer Artem Mikoyan in 1968 were the MiG-23 and MiG-24 fighters, whose speed exceeded the speed of sound three times.
The entire biography of Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan is an example of devoted service to the Motherland. His services to the domestic aircraft industry are enormous. The fighter models he created account for about a hundred world records. His school for creating supersonic flight technology has trained many talented and promising aircraft designers.
Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan died in December 1970 and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.