The history of the creation of the aircraft is moment. History of MIG fighter aircraft. "G" in the abbreviation "MiG"

He 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 the establishment of Soviet-Cuban relations. Also in 1963, Mikoyan represented the Soviet leadership at the funeral of the assassinated US President.

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 and member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR until 1974 and 1976, respectively. In 1978, Anastas Mikoyan died.

His brother 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. The aircraft were intended to provide local air superiority to the advancing units of the 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 operation against Yugoslavia in 1999. Now the MiG-29 is used by Syrian troops to bomb ground targets.

Many Soviet and Russian combat aircraft have become widely known abroad. But among them there are several recognized champions.

They appeared in different years, had different characteristics, and differed in purpose. They had one thing in common - they all came from the bureau of aircraft designer Mikoyan.

Constructor for the party ticket

Unlike many of his colleagues, A.I. Mikoyan did not dream of flying in his youth. He entered the Air Academy not of his own free will, but according to party regulations, as an active young communist. It was not accepted at that time to refuse such offers.

Caring brother

The childhood of the future aircraft manufacturer was poor and difficult. His family was of peasant origin, his father worked as a carpenter. Anushavan Ovanesovich was born (this Armenian name was later changed into the convenient for Russians “Artem Ivanovich”) in the stormy year of 1905, on August 5 (July 23 according to the old calendar).

Before the revolution, he managed to receive only a primary education, and more often he had to help his uncle in the pasture.

When his father died in 1918, his relatives took the teenager Anushavan to Tbilisi, where he was able to study at an Armenian school. He supported the revolution, and even became the founder of a Komsomol group in his native village in 1921.

Anushavan owed much of this sentiment to his older brother. Anastas Mikoyan was a Bolshevik, a consistent revolutionary. Later he was known as a party and statesman of the USSR.

Undoubtedly, his brother’s position also influenced the career of aircraft designer Mikoyan.

But back in 1923, his brother simply helped him move to Rostov-on-Don and continue his studies at evening school, while working at the factory as a turner.

Under the influence of his brother, Mikoyan Jr. joined the CPSU (b). Anastas Mikoyan helped his brother move to Moscow in 1925. There he worked at the Dynamo plant and gradually made a party career. In this, Artem Ivanovich was helped by the widow of one of the “Baku commissars”, who was a friend of Anastas.

Party discipline

At that time, communists were not a privileged group. In 1928, Mikoyan headed the party organization at the Oktyabrsky tram depot, but this did not relieve him of other responsibilities.

In particular, he, like everyone else, was sent to military service, and in January 1931, in accordance with the decision of the Komsomol Congress on patronage of military aviation, he was sent to study at the Air Academy.

Mikoyan did not dream about this at all. Until now, nothing in his life had connected him with aviation. Moreover, his level of preparation was insufficient to study at the academy; I had to quickly “pull up” it by taking preparatory courses.

But at that time they did not argue with party or Komsomol distribution. The point was not even that they could be punished for it. Young people in the USSR were really sure that this was the right thing to do.

Despite the circumstances, Mikoyan studied diligently, defended his diploma, completed an internship at an aircraft plant in Kharkov, and in 1937 was assigned to work at aircraft plant No. 1. After 2 years, the design group of N.N. Polikarpov was transferred to this enterprise. Thus began the career of aircraft designer Mikoyan.

Fate in the spirit of the times

Polikarpov himself hired a young factory specialist who had proven himself well. Before that, Mikoyan and two classmates, while studying at the academy, designed the Oktyabrenka, a small light aircraft.

So it cannot be said that he was unfamiliar with the design business.

Polikarpov entrusted the newcomer with some improvement work (I-153). But soon the designers parted ways under not the most plausible circumstances.

Behind the boss's back

There is no reason to blame Mikoyan for all of Polikarpov’s troubles. They began in 1929, when Artem Ivanovich served in the army and did not even think about aviation. Polikarpov's strained relationship with the authorities does not have a simple explanation.

But it’s a fact: Mikoyan became the head of the Experimental Design Department of Plant No. 1, which consisted mainly of Polikarpov’s former employees. This happened at a time when Nikolai Nikolaevich himself was on a business trip abroad.

Because of this, Polikarpov’s bureau found itself at a disadvantage - valuable employees left, projects remained unfinished... The development of the I-200 fighter, begun by Nikolai Nikolaevich, was transferred to the new OKO.

The career of a brilliant fighter aircraft designer continued, but with considerable problems.

The story is not pretty. But there is no reason to believe that it was the work of the Mikoyan brothers. Yes, Artem Ivanovich took part in it. But what could he do? Become a dissident yourself? The decision was made by the plant management, and there is no evidence that this was done under pressure from Anastas Mikoyan. Polikarpov, as was said, found himself in bad standing in power long before the rise of the Mikoyan brothers.

"G" in the abbreviation "MiG"

Mikoyan is also accused of suppressing the name of his colleague and “accomplice” in the case of the allocation of OKO - Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich. He was the head of Polikarpov’s department, and in 1939 he became Mikoyan’s deputy at OKO. They then worked together for 25 years.

Yes, Gurevich has slightly fewer awards than Mikoyan, and his name has never been heard by millions. But all the same: he held responsible positions, and received orders and titles regularly. The letter “G” in the world-famous abbreviation “MiG” is taken from his last name.

The abbreviation means: “aircraft of Mikoyan and Gurevich.”

And his Jewish origin could prevent him from frequently mentioning the name of Mikhail Iosifovich. There were periods in the USSR when this was considered a disadvantage.
Did your brother help Artyom Ivanovich’s career? Probably yes. But there is no evidence that he did this contrary to the interests of the country and common sense.

The first step in fighter aviation

It must be admitted that Mikoyan took advantage of what he “inherited” from Polikarpov when allocating OKO. He can only be considered a “father” at a stretch. Under the name MiG-1, a modified model of the Polikarpov I-200 was produced.

The work was carried out in a short time, in a rush (prompted by the obvious proximity of a major war). The plane turned out to be imperfect - with serious difficulties in control.

The designers improved the development, and soon the MiG-3 appeared. It was distinguished by its enormous speed - 640 km/h (a record for production aircraft of that time) and high altitude ceiling (12 km). It was assumed that the aircraft would be indispensable in the fight against high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.

And so it happened. 3000 MiGs were produced in 1940-1941. Alexander Pokryshkin shot down his first Messerschmitt using this model. But the MiG was poorly suited for typical air combat of the Great Patriotic War era - at low altitudes.

In addition, the MiGs’ armament was also weak: three machine guns, of which two rifle calibers at that time could no longer reliably shoot down all-metal enemy aircraft.

The second “disadvantage” of the fighter was the AM-35 high-altitude engine; the discontinuation of the MiG-3 was justified precisely by the shortage of these engines. The country needed Il-2 attack aircraft, and they were equipped with AM-38s, for the production of which the production lines of engine factories were reoriented.

The planes of Mikoyan and Gurevich were en masse transferred to air defense, where they showed themselves well in the fight against high-altitude aircraft. Front-line fighters of the Red Army were provided by other designers.

Destination Found

It turned out that aircraft designer A.I. Mikoyan simply had a different purpose. His best models appeared after the end of the Great Patriotic War, and represented a different type of machine.

Jet-powered

A.I. Mikoyan is the creator of Soviet jet military aviation. The first jet fighter, the MiG-9, was presented by its design bureau in 1946.

It was not perfect (the first pancake after all), but it was difficult to advance for subjective reasons.

The technicians, accustomed to propeller-driven aircraft, did not know how to service jet engines, and did not quite understand why they should learn to do this.

And pilots were often subconsciously convinced that planes could not fly without propellers. Mikoyan himself suffered a heart attack while working on the plane.

However, the idea was still recognized as progressive, and in the next few years the world saw several aviation legends from the Mikoyan Design Bureau.

Jitters for Americans

The Korean and then the Vietnam War made the MiG brand world famous. Soviet teenagers with guitars mastered the song about the “Phantom” in the blue sky of Vietnam, and about what the pilot Li Si Qing did to it there.

For American pilots, after Korea, the word “MiG” began to cause persistent jitters.

These were no longer propeller-driven aircraft, and not the first jet model that was difficult to maintain and operate.

1. The MiG-15 took off on the eve of the new year, 1948. It went down in history as the most popular military aircraft. During the Korean War, the Americans were unable to counter them with anything with satisfactory results. Even the appearance of the latest F-86s in the war zone did not give a turning point. The MiG-15 still flies in the DPRK, and its technologically advanced neighbors look at it with caution.
2. became the first Soviet supersonic fighter. Exceeding the speed of sound was still “extreme” for him; it was impossible to fight at such speeds.
3. The MiG-19 was already a supersonic production aircraft. At the time of production (1953), it had the world's best maximum speed.
4. The MiG-21 became the most popular fighter of all time. It was supplied to many countries, manufactured under license in China and produced until 1994. Until now, aircraft of this model are in service in 19 countries. The MiG-21 is considered the first Soviet third-generation fighter. Its production was very cheap (due to mass production), which increased competitiveness.

Mikoyan’s bureau also carried out developments in the field of changing the wing sweep. They proposed the first similar models in the USSR, allowing the wing of a combat aircraft to be used as efficiently as possible. The MiG-23 and MiG-27 fighter-bombers had variable sweep.

New Generation

This does not mean that at any historical stage Mikoyan's aircraft were superior to all Western models. They gave them worthy competition, but were not always the best in everything.

Thus, the production of fourth-generation aircraft in the USA began much earlier than in the USSR, and the MiG-29 was in many ways inferior to its American “contemporaries”. The model was developed after Mikoyan’s death (he died in 1970), but this does not change matters.

Mikoyan's bureau also had unfinished work (orbital MiG-105 or MiG 1.44 MFI, which was supposed to represent the fifth generation in Soviet aviation).

Some developments were partially transferred to other programs. And based on the MiG 1.44, the Chinese are now producing their fifth generation aircraft.

Today's day

The Mikoyan design bureau had the hardest time in the first years after the collapse of the USSR, when the general “conversion” reduced defense allocations to almost zero.

But with the beginning of the new century, the situation has changed, and now the design bureau is developing several promising models.

1. The MiG-29 has undergone a number of changes. A new carrier-based aircraft MiG-29K and a modernized MiG-29SMT have appeared.
2. Further modernization turned the aircraft into a representative of the 4++ generation (non-professionals cannot understand how this differs from five). This model is known as the MiG-35.
3. The MiG-31 interceptor is being improved. Created in 1981, it has not yet exhausted its capabilities. Nowadays, stories about the model created on its basis are popular in the media. Nobody has exact data yet, but the plane is already arousing interest.
4. The Pak Fa project started in 2002. While only prototypes are flying into the sky, mass production is still ahead. But many people have already seen the plane at shows (and even on video on the Internet). One thing is clear, this is a fairly promising aircraft with great potential.

The Mikoyan and Gurevich Bureau specializes in military aviation. This is not an arms race, but a necessity determined by world realities.

Peaceful Russian aviation is being promoted by other designers.

Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan lived in the conditions of his time and adapted to its realities. There were more than just undeniable achievements in his life. But his work brought excellent results more often than failures. And the slender silhouettes of MiGs today are a reliable guarantee of the safety of the Russian sky.

Video

On January 12, 1893, Mikhail Gurevich was born, a Soviet aircraft designer who, together with A.I. Mikoyan was involved in the design of the first high-speed jet fighters of the MiG series in the USSR (the abbreviation is given by the names of the designers Mikoyan and Gurevich). Today is a review of the most famous Soviet MiGs.

MiG-1 and MiG-3

The first MiG was designed in 1939. In 1941, about 25 MiG-3 fighters rolled off the assembly lines of factories in the USSR per day.

MiG-1 and MiG-3 fighters made a significant contribution to victory in the war against the Nazi invaders. MiG-3 aircraft were in service with two elite fighter regiments, and the most experienced test pilots fought on them. It was on the MiG-3 that the famous Soviet ace A.I. Pokryshkin won his first victory by shooting down a German Me-109E. The high standardization and maintainability of MiGs ensured their long service life even in wartime conditions. After the war, MiG-3 fighters were in service with air defense fighter regiments for a long time.

MiG-15

On December 30, 1947, a prototype of the first jet aircraft took off. It also became the first Soviet serial fighter with a swept (35 degree) wing. Another innovation implemented in this model is the chassis with a new wheel. The distinctive features of the MiG-15 were reliability and simplicity of design, high flight and operational qualities and powerful weapons - one 37 mm cannon and two 23 caliber cannons. Thanks to its rate of climb, maximum speed and flight range, this fighter became the best Soviet fighter of that time. At an altitude of 5000 m, the speed of the MiG-15 was 1028 km/h, and at an altitude of 2620 m – 1042 km/h. Serial production of the MiG-15 and its various modifications was carried out at nine (!) aircraft factories of the Soviet Union. A total of 13,131 fighters of this type were built. The MiG-15 was mass-produced in Poland and Czechoslovakia under Soviet license. In total, more than 18 thousand of these aircraft were produced in the world, which is a record in the class of jet fighters.

It is worth noting that today a stylish luxury-class civilian “fighter” has already appeared.

MiG-19

The MiG-19 is the world's first aircraft capable of reaching supersonic speed in horizontal flight when launched from the ground. After successful tests of this fighter, various modifications with enhanced weapons appeared. Thus, blocks with unguided rockets were suspended on one of the modifications, and the MiG-19PM was armed with K-5M guided air-to-air missiles for the first time in the USSR.

In total, during serial production at the factories in Novosibirsk and Gorky, 1890 MiG-19 fighters of all modifications were produced. Fighters were produced under license in China and Czechoslovakia. Although the MiG-19 was produced in a large series, another supersonic Soviet fighter, the MiG-21, received mass recognition.

MiG-21

The MiG-21 multirole fighter was developed in the mid-1950s. This is the first Soviet aircraft with a delta wing and the most common supersonic combat aircraft in the world. The main structural material for this aircraft was aluminum alloy, and the main type of connection was riveting. MiG-21 fighters demonstrated their excellent combat qualities during the Vietnam War, the Indo-Pakistani conflict, the Arab-Israeli war, and during combat operations in Angola, Afghanistan and other armed conflict zones.

On August 15, 1966, Iraqi pilot Munir Redfa, who had once undergone an internship in the USSR, hijacked a MiG-21 from Iraq to Israel. The hijacking was carried out by prior agreement with the Mossad. The flight took 25 minutes. In Israel, the plane was subjected to flight tests, and later transported to the United States for research. Today this plane is on display in a museum in Israel.

MiG-23

The MiG-23 is a multi-role fighter with a variable-sweep wing. These aircraft could fly at angles of attack up to 24-26 degrees, which gave them certain advantages over Western-made fighters of the second and third generations. But with the advent of fourth-generation fighters in the West, in particular the F-16, the superiority was lost.

These fighters took part in many armed conflicts in the 1980s. Thus, a regiment of MiG-23MLD aircraft covered Kabul, and later Bagram. As a rule, in Afghanistan these aircraft “worked” against ground targets. Each successful combat mission was indicated by a small white star on the forward fuselage. There is a known case of an air battle when a MiG-23MLD shot down a Pakistani F-16A with an R-60M missile.

In 1984, a squadron of 14 MiG-23MLDs was based at the Vietnamese military base at Cam Ran, covering Soviet Tu-16 and Tu-95 bombers over the sea. MiG-23 fighters have shot down reconnaissance balloons in the Moscow region more than once. It is a known fact that an air regiment based at the Tunoshna airfield (near Yaroslavl) intercepted a UFO

MiG-25P

Serial production of MiG-25P interceptor aircraft began in 1966, and in the early 1970s, MiG-25P began to arrive in fighter aviation units of the air defense forces. This aircraft became the basis for the creation of the MiG-25PDSL aircraft with devices for ejecting false thermal targets and with a container with a jamming station, the MiG-25PDZ aircraft with an in-flight refueling system, and the MiG-25M aircraft with uprated R15BF2-300 engines with a thrust of 13,500 kgf.

MiG-25

Pilots say about the Soviet single-seat supersonic high-altitude interceptor MiG-25 3.2M that there are speed limits for it only on paper. This, of course, is an exaggeration, but the MiG-25 3.2M is truly the fastest aircraft in the world. This aircraft set several world speed records. True, they were not officially registered.

On September 6, 1976, USSR Air Force pilot Viktor Belenko hijacked a MiG-25 to Japan. The Japanese returned the plane, but before that they dismantled it down to the smallest screw. Belenko asked for political asylum in the United States.

MiG-29

The MiG-29 fighter and its various modifications were developed in the USSR in the period 1972–1982. The main goal of the creators of these aircraft was to achieve reliability indicators that exceeded the world level achieved at that time. Aircraft designers have also mastered a fundamentally new type of work - shaping the appearance of an aircraft at the request of a foreign customer. In total, more than 1,600 MiG-29 fighters of various modifications have been built to date. More than 800 MiG-29 fighters were exported to 30 countries.

MiG-31

MiG-31 is a two-seat supersonic all-weather long-range fighter-interceptor designed to intercept and destroy air targets day and night, at low, extremely low, medium and high altitudes, in all weather conditions, when the enemy uses passive and active radar jamming and heat traps . A group of 4 MiG-31 interceptors can control airspace with a frontal length of up to 900 km. Maximum permissible speed at an altitude of 3000 km/h

MiG-29 SMT

The MiG-29 SMT generation 4+ fighter, a multifunctional fighter with an open avionics architecture and modern on-board radar, is today one of the most advanced aircraft in the world. The aircraft is equipped with 2 conformal tanks with a capacity of 2020 liters, due to which the range of action has increased by 3.5 times. The refueling boom can be installed in a maximum of 2 hours, and the use of refueling makes the MiG-29 SMT an aircraft that has no restrictions on flight range. The aircraft's navigation system was supplemented with GLONASS and NAVSTAR receivers. The signal is received from 12 satellites at once and combined, which allows the pilot to determine the location of the MiG-29 SMT with an accuracy of 50 meters. The air combat system has also been improved.

By the way...
Over the entire history of the MiGs, about 450 projects of these combat aircraft were developed, and 170 were brought to life. Domestic aircraft factories built 45 thousand MiGs, 11 thousand of them were exported. 14 thousand MiGs were produced abroad under license. MiG fighters defended the skies of more than 40 countries from armed aggression.

Soviet MiG fighters are known all over the world. Why are they called that and who is the aircraft designer who invented these planes? Artem Mikoyan (1905-1970) - Soviet aircraft designer, brother of the famous USSR political figure Anastas Mikoyan - and aircraft design engineer Mikhail Gurevich are the creators of these fighters. And their name comes from the merger of the first letters of the authors’ surnames with the union “I”. In the article we will talk about the life and work of the first of them. Readers will be interested to know how Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan became an aircraft designer.

Life story: childhood

In 1905, in the distant mountain village of Sanahin, which was located in the Borchali district of the Tiflis province, part of the Russian Empire (today Sanahin is a district of the city of Alaverdi, Armenia), a boy was born who was named Anushavan. His family was large: he was the youngest child of carpenter Hovhannes Nersesovich Mikoyan, who worked at a local copper smelter, and Talida Otarovna, a housewife. Older children also took part in raising the baby, especially brother Anastas, a future famous political, party and statesman of the USSR. So, Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan, an aircraft designer, spent his childhood in the mountains, where he loved to watch the flight of eagles soaring high in the sky. From about the age of 5, he helped his elders herd goats and accompanied the herd to the mountains.

Education

Artem Mikoyan received his primary education at the rural school of Sanahin, which was located in the ancient Christian monastery of the same name - the center of Armenian culture in this region. After the sudden death of the father of the family, Talida Otarovna decided to enroll her youngest son in a parish Armenian school in the city of Tiflis. He graduated from it in 1918. After that, he returned to his native village and, like his older brother, became interested in revolutionary activities, joined the ranks of the Komsomol and was even appointed head of the local Komsomol cell. A few years later, Anastas Mikoyan received the position of secretary of the South-Eastern Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Immediately after his appointment, he calls his younger brother to his place in Rostov.

Labor activity

Having moved to Russia, Artem Mikoyan entered the Krasny Aksai factory school, where he began to study to become a turner, and then got a job at a local factory. Then he ended up in the railway workshops. For some time he honed his skills, but realized that this could not be his calling.

In a word, Artem Mikoyan, whose biography is presented in this article, was thirsty for knowledge and, in order to obtain it, decided to go to Moscow. Here he got a job at the very first electrical engineering enterprise in the USSR. It was here that he changed his name Anushavan to Artem, and his patronymic Ovanesovich to Ivanovich.

He was so carried away by his work that he did not even find time to enter any university. But at the factory he received a different, life-changing education and gained experience that was valuable in all respects. In Moscow, Artem rented a corner from the janitor and literally slept under the washbasin.

And at this time, his older brother Anastas already held a high position in the government of the country, but the younger did not allow himself to turn to him with a request to provide him with housing. This was not accepted in their family: everyone strived for independence and did not annoy the other with requests. Artem just wrote to Anastas that he was in Moscow, got a job and everything was fine with him.

Military service

At the end of 1928, A. Mikoyan was drafted into the Red Army and was sent to the city of Livny, and then, to his own pleasure, he was sent to the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Military School in the city of Orel. After completing his military service, he was offered to stay at the school and receive a military education, but he refused this and returned to his previous studies. But this time at the Compressor plant.

Vocation

From this plant he was already able to enter the Air Force Academy, named after N. Zhukovsky. Finally, he is closer to his childhood dream. During the First World War, a French plane made an emergency landing in his home village. The village boys, among whom was Anushavan, ran to look at the giant bird-machine. Little Anush (as his relatives called him for short) watched in fascination as the French mechanic tinkered with the flying car, and even risked getting closer. And he, seeing the boy’s burning eyes, called him closer and allowed him to look at the “insides” of the miracle bird.

Until he got to the Air Force Academy, the dream of airplanes did not leave him. And now he is already a student at the only educational institution in the country where one can learn the profession of aviation engineers. As a third-year student at the academy, Artem Mikoyan once again confirmed his desire: aircraft design is the specialty that he wants to pursue all his life. In 1935, he underwent practical training at the University of Kharkov. Here he was included in the design bureau for the first time, and he was able to take part in the process of constructing an aircraft, moreover, the experimental model KhAI-1.

Independent work: debut as a designer

Upon returning from Kharkov, Artem Mikoyan became eager to take up his own project - manufacturing a new aircraft using an old aircraft engine, which was given to him by engineer Shitikov. Together with his friends Pavlov and Samarin, Artem designed a model of a sports aircraft. However, they could not go further than this, since there was neither money nor equipment. But they submitted drawings of this aircraft to the all-Union competition held by Osoaviakhim. To the delight of the guys, their project was recognized as the best, and in this regard, the jury decided to give young designers the opportunity to build demonstration copies of this flying machine.

Personal life

The end of the 30s was successful for Mikoyan not only in terms of his career, but also on the personal front. He met a beautiful girl Zoya Lisitsina at the birthday party of his friend Gevorg Avetisyan. Sympathy developed between them, which later developed into love. After his family approved his choice, Artem Oganesovich married Zoya Ivanovna, and then the young family was allocated a room in a communal apartment on Kirova Street. Talida Otarovna moved there to live with them. Later, in his memoirs, Anastas Mikoyan wrote about his daughter-in-law that she fit perfectly into their Armenian family, was very kind and flexible, and respected Armenian traditions. By the way, she was an employee of TASS.

Further activities

A. Mikoyan, after graduating from the university, was sent as a research assistant to a design bureau. Its leader was the famous aircraft designer Nikolai Polikarpov. He was already familiar with the aircraft modeled by Mikoyan, which by that time had already been built, was called “Oktyabrenko” and was used for training purposes at Osoaviakhim. He considered Artyom as a promising aircraft designer and included him in the group working on the I-15 fighter.

Polikarpov soon realized that Mikoyan could be trusted not only with the process of improving existing models, but also with the development of new ones. It was in this group that Artem Ivanovich met Gurevich, who would later become the co-author of the world-famous MiGs. However, work on them began only after A. Mikoyan was appointed head of the design bureau of Osoaviakhim plant No. 1. It was here that he was able to fully work on the implementation of his plans.

Artem Mikoyan: MiG is the best of the best

What he managed to create became a real breakthrough in the history of Soviet aviation. The MiG-1 was the first aircraft ever to be tested in a life-size wind tunnel. This meant that the time frame could be significantly reduced, and the dynamics of the aircraft could be significantly improved. And all this was confirmed during the first flight. All testers came to the general opinion that this aircraft is superior in performance to all previously existing ones. However, Artem Mikoyan - an aircraft designer (you see his photo in the article) - did not limit himself to what had already been created and soon developed a more advanced model, which was called the MiG-3. It was he who became the most popular aircraft in Soviet aviation.

The Great Patriotic War

However, during the war it turned out that our MiGs were inferior to German aircraft in some respects. And then Mikoyan set about improving the aircraft he had invented. In 1942, he already offered a more powerful aircraft model with an AM-29 engine. Despite the fact that it was recognized as the best, Mikoyan himself realized that piston aircraft had no future and it was necessary to come up with something completely new. And then he came to the conclusion that Soviet aviation needed aircraft with jet engines. However, he managed to implement this plan only after the end of the war, although their developments were made during the difficult war days. In 1946, the MiG-9 he built became the first production jet fighter of the USSR.

In peacetime

In 1947, Mikoyan created another model - the MiG-15. Its tests were carried out in Korea during hostilities in 1950-1953. He was recognized as the best fighter of the 40s. And it was not only the improved engine, but also the swept-back shape of the wings. A clear advantage of this aircraft was also the ejection seat of the pilot. For a long time, the MiG-15 remained the main aircraft. It began to be called the “soldier plane.”

As a conclusion

In subsequent years, A. Mikoyan developed new and more improved aircraft models. His name became known throughout the world. The last model he developed was the MiG-21, although the MiG-25, created on the basis of his developments, set a world record in 1975, which has not yet been broken. Artem Mikoyan retired with the rank of Colonel General. Twice he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. The outstanding aircraft designer died in December 1970. On the wall of the house where he lived was installed

MiG-29 (product 9-12, according to NATO codification: Fulcrum - fulcrum) is a Soviet and Russian multi-role fighter of the fourth generation, developed at the MiG Design Bureau.
The first developments on the project of a new generation light front-line fighter (LFI) began in the late 1960s. In 1969, the USSR learned about the US Air Force's F-X program (the program resulted in the creation of the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle). Soon the leadership of the USSR realized that the new American fighter was significantly superior to any of the existing Soviet fighters. The MiG-21 was quite modern, but inferior in flight range, armament and improvement capabilities. The MiG-23, designed to counter the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, was fast enough and provided more space for fuel and equipment, but was not maneuverable or agile enough in close air combat. The air force needed a high-tech, well-balanced fighter with good agility. In 1969, a competition was announced for the development of such an aircraft, which received the designation PFI (advanced front-line fighter). The tactical and technical requirements for such an aircraft were very ambitious: long range, the ability to use short runways (including the use of poorly prepared runways), excellent agility, speed above 2M and heavy weapons. The aerodynamic design of the new aircraft was carried out by TsAGI in collaboration with the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The design bureaus of Sukhoi Design Bureau and Yakovlev Design Bureau, as well as Mikoyan and Gurevich, took part in the competition. OKB "MiG" was recognized as the winner.
In 1971, it became clear that PFI aircraft were too expensive to satisfy the Air Force’s need for fighters exclusively. Therefore, the project was divided into TPFI (heavy advanced front-line fighter) and LPFI (light advanced front-line fighter). The creation of TPFI was undertaken by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, and the development of LPFI was transferred to Mikoyan. Work on the LPFI began in 1974. The result was Product 9, designated MiG-29A. The first flight of the prototype was made on October 6, 1977. The pre-production aircraft was first spotted by US reconnaissance satellites in November 1977 and received the designation Ram-L (meaning the city of Ramenskoye - the place over which the aircraft was first spotted).
Due to delays associated with the loss of two prototypes in accidents, serial production was launched only in 1982 at the Moscow plant No. 30 “Znamya Truda”. In August 1983, the first production MiG-29Bs began to arrive at the Kubinka airbase. The vehicle successfully passed state acceptance tests in 1984, after which its deliveries to front-line aviation units began. The first regiments to receive the MiG-29 were the 234th IAP (Kubinka) and the 145th IAP (Ivano-Frankivsk). By the beginning of 1985, the first two air regiments (145 and 234 IAP) flying the MiG-29 reached operational readiness. After the delivery of the first machines, the distribution of tasks between TPFI and LPFI became clear. The heavy Su-27, having a large range, had the unusual and dangerous task of deep air search and destruction of advanced NATO aircraft, the smaller MiG-29 replaced the MiG-23 in front-line aviation. According to military theorists, MiG-29 aircraft are deployed near the front line and should provide local air superiority to the advancing units of the Soviet motorized army. At that time, Soviet military leaders relied on the rapid advancement of mechanized units, which implied the use of damaged or poorly prepared runways by front-line aviation, and the MiG-29 was equipped for this with a durable chassis and protective air intake grilles. The MiG-29 was also supposed to perform a ground attack escort mission, protecting vulnerable aircraft from NATO fighters such as the F-15 and F-16. The MiG-29 of front-line aviation was supposed to provide Soviet ground units with a safe air umbrella, moving along with the units.
The Russian Air Force's MiG-29 fleet - about 200 aircraft - is for the most part very outdated, except for the 30 new MiG-29SMT. The remaining machines, manufactured in the 1980s and early 1990s, are worn out and have reached the end of their service life. Today, these aircraft are maintained in good condition through ongoing repairs, but in the future they need to be replaced with new aircraft - a major overhaul with modernization will be too expensive and therefore impractical,” a representative of the Ministry of Defense explained the decision. It is planned to gradually replace all MiG-29s with MiG-35s. On April 14, 2014, a contract was signed for the supply of 16 MiG-29SMT multirole fighters to the Russian Air Force.