History table about the creators of weapons. History of weapons - from ancient times to modern times. Tegetthoff class battleships
Armament and military equipment known since ancient times. During the existence of mankind, hundreds of thousands of samples have been developed - from a stone ax to an intercontinental missile. Huge role in the creation of weapons belongs to domestic designers.
At first in Rus' firearms(both manual and artillery) were called the same - pishchal. A significant difference in the design of hand and artillery arquebuses arose with the advent of matchlocks at the end of the 15th century. Since the 16th century, hand-held arquebuses with a wheel-flint fuse have been known, which were in service with Russian troops until the 18th century.
In 1856, rifled weapons received official name- rifle. In the same year, the first Russian six-line (15.24 mm) rifle was adopted. But practice has shown the advantages of small-caliber rifles. Therefore, in 1868, a small-caliber rifle was adopted by the Russian army. It was developed by Russian military engineers A.P. Gorlov and K.I. Ginius with the assistance of the American Colonel X. Berdan. In America, the Berdanka was rightly called the “Russian rifle.”
The patriarchs of the domestic shooting business were S.I. Mosin, N.M. Filatov, V.G. Fedorov. It was they who trained such famous gunsmith designers as P.M. Goryunov, V.A. Degtyarev, M.T. Kalashnikov, Ya.U. Roshchepey, S.G. Simonov, F.V. Tokarev, G.S. Shpagin and others.
Sergei Ivanovich Mosin
The author of the famous three-line rifle of the 1891 model was Sergei Ivanovich Mosin. For the creation of a rifle, distinguished by excellent tactical and technical characteristics, Mosin was awarded the Great Mikhailovsky Prize - the most prestigious award for inventions in the field of artillery and weapons. For Russian inventors, the Mosin three-line rifle became the foundation for research in the field of automatic small arms.
One of the talented creators domestic weapons Ya.U. Roshchepey made the first sample of a rifle “from which you can shoot automatically.”
The modernized Mosin rifle was put into service in 1930. On its basis, the designers developed a sniper version and a carbine, which had the same design principles as the 1891/1930 model rifle. It was only in 1944 that production of the Mosin rifle was discontinued. Thus, more than 50 years passed from the first sample manufactured at the Tula Arms Factory on April 16, 1891 to the last. No small arms system in the world has known such longevity.
But the life of the three-ruler did not end there either. After the Great Patriotic War constructors sporting weapons, using the excellent tactical and technical capabilities of the three-line, they created a small-caliber rifle MTs-12 and an arbitrary rifle with a caliber of 7.62 mm MTs-13. These models have become one of the world's best models and allowed our athletes to win the highest awards at Olympic Games, world championships and other major competitions.
Vladimir Grigorievich Fedorov
An outstanding developer of domestic automatic weapons was V.G. Fedorov. In the spring of 1911, Fedorov's automatic rifle passed the first test, and in the summer of 1912 it passed field tests. At the same time, the F.V. rifle, which performed well, was tested. Tokarev. Along with domestic systems, eight foreign samples were also tested, but none of them were assessed positively. This was a great victory for the Russian school of machine gunsmiths. But with the outbreak of the First World War, by government decision, work on improving automatic rifles was stopped. Only in 1916 was it possible to equip a special unit with machine guns and send it to the front. This was the first submachine gunner unit in the wars. At that time, no army in the world had them. At the end of the war, aviation began to be armed with Fedorov’s automatic systems.
One of Fedorov’s students and associates was V.A. Degtyarev. In 1927, a machine gun was adopted into service by the Red Army, which bore the DP mark - “Degtyarev, infantry”. After this, Degtyarev began working on the creation of a domestic machine gun for aviation. In March 1928, the Degtyarev aviation machine gun was accepted for mass production and replaced in Soviet aviation English Lewis machine guns.
Degtyarev worked closely with other talented designers - G.S. Shpagin and P.M. Goryunov. The result of their cooperation was a whole series of machine guns. In 1939, the 12.7 mm entered service. heavy machine gun Model 1938 DShK (Degtyarev - Shpagin, large-caliber). At first it was intended for infantry, but then found application in other branches of the military. Penetrating armor up to 15 mm, the DShK was an effective weapon in the fight against enemy aircraft.
Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev
When the Great Patriotic War began, Degtyarev was in his seventies. But the designer sought to help front-line soldiers by creating new types of weapons. Since the enemy was strong in tanks, it was extremely necessary effective means fight them.
In a very short time, two prototypes of anti-tank rifles were prepared - Degtyarev and Simonov. The Simonov gun had an advantage in rate of fire, while the Degtyarev gun had an advantage in weight and ease of action. Both guns had good fighting qualities and were put into service.
The cooperation between V.A. developed in a special way. Degtyareva with P.M. Goryunov. The young designer created a machine gun that was superior to the machine gun of the Degtyarev system and was recommended by a special commission for adoption. For Vasily Alekseevich this was a surprise and a serious moral test, but when asked which machine gun to adopt, Degtyarev did not hesitate to answer that the heavy machine gun of the Goryunov system should be adopted. Famous designer in in this case showed true nobility and a truly government approach.
In May 1943, a new heavy machine gun was put into service under the name "7.62-mm heavy machine gun of the Goryunov system, model 1943 (SG-43)." Front-line soldiers immediately appreciated the high maneuverability of the weapon, simplicity of design, reliability and reliability, relatively light weight, and simplified preparation for firing compared to the Maxim.
Experience combat use heavy machine gun of the Goryunov system, its remarkable combat qualities attracted the attention of tank weapon designers. Soon the decision was made to use the machine gun on medium tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Premature death did not allow the talented designer to realize many of his plans. State Prize P.M. Goryunov was awarded posthumously.
Fedor Vasilievich Tokarev
F.V. was also a talented and original designer. Tokarev. The “Patriarch of Russian Weapons” successfully competed with foreign designers - Browning, Mauser, Colt, Nagant and others. Tokarev created about 150 different types of weapons. He is one of those who stood at the origins of domestic automatic weapons. Tokarev first became acquainted with automatic weapons in 1907. A year later he was firing automatically from a rifle of his own design. In 1913, the Tokarev rifle passed regular tests, outperforming the best foreign models of Browning and Sjögren.
In Soviet times, Tokarev improved the Maxim 1910 model and designed several types of aircraft machine guns. The designer’s great merit is the creation of the TT pistol in the pre-war years.
But the main achievement in Tokarev’s creative life was an automatic rifle. In May 1938, Tokarev presented what he considered to be the best of the 17 rifle models he created. As a result of testing, his rifle showed high quality and was adopted for service under the name “7.62-mm self-loading rifle of the Tokarev system, model 1938 (SVT-38).” The designer worked on its creation for 30 years. On the basis of this rifle, in the same year Tokarev developed a sniper rifle with an optical sight.
Creation of G.S. Shpagin's famous submachine gun (PPSh-41) was preceded by long work on many automatic weapon systems together with V.G. Fedorov and V.A. Degtyarev. This was an important stage in the development of the future designer. The PPSh had undeniable advantages over existing models. The first batch of machine guns was tested at the front, directly in battle. The results exceeded all expectations. The commanders asked to quickly establish mass production of Shpagin assault rifles.
The simplicity of the design and manufacturing technology of machine guns made it possible already in 1941, when some military factories were dismantled and transferred to the east, to launch their production in small enterprises and even in workshops. The PPSh deprived the enemy of the advantage over our army in automatic small arms.
A.I. made a significant contribution to the improvement of domestic small arms. Sudaev. World famous M.T. Kalashnikov considers the Sudaev submachine gun (PPS) “the best submachine gun of the Second World War.” Not a single sample could compare with it in terms of simplicity of design, reliability, trouble-free operation, and ease of use. Sudaev's weapons were very loved by paratroopers, tank crews, scouts, and skiers. The manufacture of PPS required half as much metal and three times less time than for PPS.
In the forefront of gunsmith designers A.I. Sudaev appeared unexpectedly and quickly. Already at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he developed a project for a simplified anti-aircraft installation, and then began to work on creating a submachine gun. The officer ensured that he was sent to besieged Leningrad and took part directly there in organizing the production of weapons.
The whole world knows the machine gun of Lieutenant General Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, Doctor of Technical Sciences (1919). It is lightweight, compact, reliable, and elegant.
Senior Sergeant M.T. made his first sample. Kalashnikov was made in the locomotive depot where he worked before the war, and at that time was on leave after being seriously wounded and shell-shocked. At the beginning of the war, Mikhail Timofeevich was a tank driver and saw that the tank driver, having jumped out of the damaged vehicle, no longer participated in the battle. The need to arm tank crews with compact, convenient automatic weapons was obvious.
In the spring of 1942, the prototype was ready. However, the homemade machine gun was rejected “for lack of advantages over existing models.” But the commission noted the extraordinary abilities of the senior sergeant, who set a goal for himself: the machine gun must certainly be much better than all existing models.
Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov
The next tests of the new machines took place in traditionally harsh conditions. One after another, the competitors “left the race”, unable to withstand the most difficult tests. The Kalashnikov assault rifle withstood everything, was recognized as the best and was put into service under the name “7.62-mm Kalashnikov assault rifle, model 1947.” Kalashnikov is also responsible for the design of a 7.62 mm single machine gun chambered for a rifle cartridge (1961). Subsequently, a team of designers under the leadership of Kalashnikov created a number of modifications of automatic small arms. The 7.62 mm modernized assault rifle (AKM), 7.62 mm light machine gun (RPK) and their varieties were adopted for service. In 1974, AK-74 and AKS-74 assault rifles, RPK-74 and RPKS-74 light machine guns chambered for a 5.45 mm cartridge were created. For the first time in world practice, a series of unified models of small arms appeared, identical in principle of operation and a unified automation scheme. The weapon created by Kalashnikov is distinguished by its simplicity of design, high reliability and efficiency; it is used in the armies of more than 50 countries.
Russian artillery also has a remarkable history., the appearance of which is associated with the name of Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy (1350-1389). It was under him that the cannon foundry business was born.
Russian artillery developed quickly and independently. This is confirmed by its numbers. By the end of the 14th century, there were up to 4 thousand artillery pieces in Rus'.
In the middle of the 15th century, under Ivan III, “cannon huts” appeared, and in 1488 - 1489 the Cannon Yard was built in Moscow. In the workshops of the Cannon Yard, Andrei Chokhov in 1586 cast the largest caliber cannon in the world, its weight is 40 tons, caliber is 890 mm. Currently it is located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. The cannon yard was rich in the talents of other foundry masters. Entire “cannon” dynasties and schools appeared. On the squeak of 1491 it was cast that it was made by “Yakovlev’s disciples Vanya and Vasyuk.” The gunners Ignatius, Stepan Petrov, Bogdan Pyatoy and others are known for their successes.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Russian craftsmen made a three-inch bronze arquebus with rifling in the bore. It was the world's first rifled weapon, more than 200 years ahead of the development of artillery technology in other countries. Other evidence has reached our time that advanced technical ideas existed in Russian artillery of that period. Foreigners knew about this and sought to obtain samples of Russian weapons.
After Northern War Chief of Russian Artillery Ya.V. Bruce wrote to Peter I: “The British fell in love with Siberian cannons... and are asking for one cannon as a sample.”
Andrey Konstantinovich Nartov
The developed industrial base and the talent of domestic designers allowed Peter I to create artillery, which throughout the 18th century remained the most numerous and technically advanced artillery in the world. The famous Russian mechanic A.K. made a great contribution to the development of domestic artillery. Nartov, who in the second quarter of the 18th century created special machines and tools for the production of artillery pieces, was the first in the world to propose an optical sight. However, the most famous invention A.K. Nartov had a 44-barreled circular rapid-fire battery. 44 bronze mortars were placed on a wheel-shaped machine, divided into 8 sectors of 5-6 barrels each. The design made it possible to fire from all mortars in the sector simultaneously. Then the machine was turned, fired from another sector, and at this time reloading could be done from the opposite side.
A major contribution to the development of Russian artillery was made by Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov (1710-1762). Under his leadership, Russian artillery officers M. Danilov, M. Zhukov, M. Martynov, I. Meller, M. Rozhnov in 1757-1759. developed several samples of smooth-bore howitzers for firing with flat and mounted fire. These tools, depicting a mythical beast with a horn in its forehead, were called “unicorns.” Light and maneuverable guns fired buckshot, cannonballs, explosive grenades, and incendiary shells at a range of up to 4 km. After Russia, unicorns were adopted first by France, then by other European countries and remained in service for over 100 years. Russian artillery already in those days accompanied the infantry in battle and fired over their battle formations.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Danilov (1722 - 1790) made a great contribution to the improvement of artillery and pyrotechnics. He invented a 3-pound gun with two barrels, called “twins.” He prepared and published the first Russian artillery course, as well as a manual for preparing fireworks and illuminations, in which he gave brief information on the history of pyrotechnics in Russia.
Vladimir Stepanovich Baranovsky
In 1872-1877 artillery engineer V.S. Baranovsky created the first rapid-fire artillery piece and used cartridge loading on it. Unfortunately, the talented designer died tragically during artillery tests. None of the foreign guns could surpass the domestic three-inch gun of the 1902 model, created according to Baranovsky’s ideas by professor of the Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy N.A. Zabudsky.
Russian engineers showed great skill in creating powerful projectiles. Thus, the high-explosive grenade V.I. Rdultovsky appeared in artillery in 1908 and, under the name of the “old high-explosive grenade,” survived until the Great Patriotic War.
Artillery was called the “God of War” during the Great Patriotic War. Soviet designers artillery systems Before the war, they created quite powerful and sophisticated guns and mortars. 76-mm cannon designed by V.G. Hitler's artillery consultant, Professor Wolf, considered Grabin "the best 76-mm gun of the Second World War" and one of "the most ingenious designs in the history of cannon artillery." Under the leadership of Grabin, the 57-mm was created before the war anti-tank gun, which knew no equal, as well as a powerful 100 mm anti-tank gun. The 152-mm howitzer designed by F.F. was very effective during the war. Petrova.
Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin
In 1943, about half of all artillery weapons of the Red Army were mortars. Many of them were developed under the leadership of B.I. Shavyrina. These are 50-mm company, 82-mm battalion, 120-mm regimental mortars. In October 1944, a 240 mm mortar appeared. Germany lagged behind the USSR in the creation of such powerful mortars. Only in 1942, using drawings captured from one of the factories in Ukraine, German engineers began production of 122-mm mortars, which were an exact copy Soviet
From the second half XVII century, rockets began to be used in Rus'. At the end of the 17th century, the young Tsar Peter was also involved in the production of rockets. He founded a special “rocket establishment”, where Peter himself manufactured and launched rockets, and came up with compositions of “fire projectiles”. Peter’s signal flare existed in the army for almost a century and a half. In subsequent years, missile technology in Russia is constantly being improved: new missile shells and launchers are being created, and the basics of missile firing are being developed. The initiator of these cases was Alexander Dmitrievich Zasyadko. Zasyadko’s work was successfully continued by Konstantin Ivanovich Konstantinov. Rockets of his design were used in the Crimean (Eastern) War of 1853-1856.
Subsequently, domestic rocket systems were continued in the famous Katyushas and other multiple launch rocket systems. The developers of new design ideas were domestic scientists N.I. Tikhomirov and V.A. Artemyev. Back in 1912 N.I. Tikhomirov proposed using a missile for military ships. On the basis of the Tikhomirov-Artemyev group and the Moscow group for the study of jet propulsion (GIRD), a jet research institute was formed in 1933. Already in 1939, rocket weapons were first used in the form of aircraft missiles. In 1938, the institute began to develop a installation designed for 24 projectiles of 132 mm caliber.
On June 21, 1941, literally one day before the start of the Great Patriotic War, ground rocket launchers were demonstrated Government Commission. After the demonstration, a decision was made on the immediate serial production of installations and missiles. Less than a month later, on July 14, 1941, the baptism of fire of a new weapon - the famous Katyusha - took place near Orsha. The formidable weapon was used by the battery of captain I.A. Flerov.
After the war, our scientists I.V. Kurchatov, M.B. Keldysh, A.D. Sakharov, Yu.B. Khariton and others created atomic weapons, and long-range bomber divisions were formed to deliver them. Thus ended the US monopoly on this type of weapon.
Born in 1959 Rocket Forces strategic purpose(Strategic Missile Forces). The creators of intercontinental ballistic missiles, liquid jet engines, control devices and complex ground equipment for them were academicians S.P. Korolev, V.P. Glushko, V.N. Chelomey, N.A. Pilyugin, V.P. Makeev, M.F. Reshetnev, V.P. Barmin, A.M. Isaev, M.K. Yangel and others.
Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel
Thanks to their talent and dedication to their work, launch complexes for medium- and medium-sized ballistic missiles were created. short range, Proton rockets and the universal space system Energia - Buran, delivered to combat duty intercontinental missiles(R-16, R-7 and R-9) and missiles medium range(R-12, R-14).
A new stage in the technical equipment of the Strategic Missile Forces is associated with the creation and placing on combat duty of the RS-16, RS-18, RS-20 missile systems. In these missile systems, our designers used fundamentally new technical solutions, which made it possible to increase the effectiveness of the combat use of missiles and enhance their protection from enemy attacks.
The situation and level of development of military affairs also determined the creation of military space forces. Our scientists and designers have developed a unique military space system that has made it possible to greatly increase the efficiency of various types of troops and types of weapons. Our military satellites are constantly in space, with the help of which reconnaissance, communications and command and control of troops are carried out, the location of ships, aircraft, mobile missile launchers is determined, weapons are aimed at targets, and other tasks are solved.
The history of creation and improvement is very interesting and dynamic. tanks, which began in our country. In May 1915, a tracked vehicle of the Russian designer A. Porokhovshchikov, armed with two machine guns placed in a rotating turret, was tested at the training ground. This is how it appeared in principle new look weapon - tank. Since then, intense competition in the world has not stopped for the creation of the best armored combat vehicle, increasing its combat properties - firepower, mobility, security.
Mikhail Ilyich Koshkin
Soviet designers M.I. Koshkin, N.A. Kucherenko and A.A. Morozov created the T-34 medium tank, which became the most popular armored vehicle in the world - more than 52 thousand were produced. This is the only car that spent the entire Second world war passed without significant constructive changes- it was so brilliantly conceived and executed.
American military historian M. Caidin wrote: “The T-34 tank was created by people who were able to see the battlefield of the mid-20th century better than anyone else in the West could.” Since December 1943, an 85-mm cannon was installed on the T-34, and its armor-piercing projectile from a distance of 1000 meters it penetrated armor 100 mm thick, and a sub-caliber, from a distance of 500 meters, penetrated 138 mm armor, which made it possible to successfully fight German “tigers” and “panthers”.
Together with the T-34, our heavy KV and IS tanks, created under the leadership of Zh.Ya., successfully operated against the enemy. Kotin and N.L. Dukhova.
Currently, measures are being taken to replace the currently operating T-72 and T-80 tanks with a unified and more advanced T-90 model. The new vehicle has an optical-electronic suppression system, a complex that allows firing on the move guided missile to a range of 5 kilometers, with a backup fire control system for the crew commander.
The achievements of domestic scientists and designers in the field of shipbuilding. In the mid-nineteenth century, the transition from wooden construction began throughout the world. sailing ships to steam ships, ships made of metal appear. The Russian Navy is becoming armored.
History has left us with the names of the most famous shipbuilders who were ahead of their time. Particularly interesting is the fate of Pyotr Akindinovich Titov, who became the chief engineer of the largest shipbuilding company and did not even have a certificate of completion of a rural school. The famous Soviet shipbuilder Academician A.N. Krylov considered himself a student of Titov.
In 1834, when the fleet did not have a single metal ship, a submarine made of metal was built at the Alexander Foundry. Its armament consisted of a pole with a harpoon, a powder mine and four launchers for launching missiles.
In 1904, according to the project of I.G. Bubnov - the famous builder battleships- The construction of submarines began. The Akula and Bars boats created by our craftsmen turned out to be more advanced than the submarines of all the countries that fought in the First World War.
Sergey Nikitich Kovalev
An important role in improving domestic submarine fleet played by the Soviet designer, shipbuilder and inventor, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences Sergei Nikitich Kovalev (1919). Since 1955, he worked as the chief designer of the Leningrad Central Design Bureau "Rubin". Kovalev is the author of over 100 scientific papers and many inventions. Under his leadership, nuclear missile-carrying submarines were created, known abroad under the codes "Yankee", "Delta" and "Typhoon".
The Russian fleet was far ahead of foreign fleets in the development of mine weapons. Effective mines were developed by our compatriots I.I. Fitztum, P.L. Schilling, B.S. Yakobson, N.N. Azarov. The anti-submarine depth charge was created by our scientist B.Yu. Averkiev.
In 1913, Russian designer D.P. Grigorovich built the world's first seaplane. Since then, work has been carried out in the Russian Navy to equip ships as carriers of naval aviation. Air transports created on the Black Sea, which could accommodate up to seven seaplanes, took part in combat operations during the First World War.
A prominent representative of domestic ship designers is Boris Izrailevich Kupensky (1916-1982). He was the chief designer of the Ermine-class patrol ships (1954-1958), the first anti-submarine ships in the Soviet Navy anti-aircraft missile systems and a gas turbine all-mode power plant (1962-1967), the first surface combat ship with a nuclear power plant in the USSR Navy and the lead in the series of nuclear-powered missile cruisers "Kirov" (1968-1982) with powerful strike and anti-aircraft weapons, an almost unlimited cruising range.
In no other area of Russian design thought are there so many renowned minds as in aircraft industry. OK. Antonov, A.A. Arkhangelsky, R.L. Bartini, R.A. Belyakov, V.F. Bolkhovitinov, D.P. Grigorovich, M.I. Gurevich, S.V. Ilyushin, N.I. Kamov, S.A Lavochkin, A.I. Mikoyan, M.L. Mil, V.M. Myasishchev, V.M. Petlyakov, I.I. Sikorsky, P.S. Sukhoi, A.A. Tupolev, A.S. Yakovlev and others created models of airplanes and helicopters that were in mass production for many years, and many of the technical solutions they found are still used in the design of modern aircraft.
Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky
The designer A.F. became a true innovator. Mozhaisky, 10-15 years ahead of foreign competitors. Mozhaisky created a working model of the aircraft, which in 1877 was presented to the aeronautics commission. The Russian inventor not only showed in detail the design of the future device, but also demonstrated all the elements of flight: takeoff run, takeoff, flight and landing. Subsequently, Captain Mozhaisky created aircraft life-size, but the commission gave a negative opinion on Mozhaisky’s airplane and recommended that he abandon the creation of an aircraft with a fixed wing and build it “on the model of birds with flapping wings,” with which the designer did not agree. The first unsuccessful flight tests did not stop the officer, and he persistently improved the airplane until his death (spring 1890).
One of the first Russian aviation designers who glorified domestic science and technology was Ya.M. Gakkel (1874-1945). Between 1908 and 1912, he designed 15 aircraft of various types and purposes. At the same time, he continuously improved the quality of the machines and their flight performance.
A landmark event in the history of aviation took place on May 13, 1913 near St. Petersburg. Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (1880-1992) took into the air an unprecedented aircraft of his own design. Its weight was four times that of the largest airplane at that time. In terms of carrying capacity, the new machine could only be compared with the largest airships of that time. This truly revolutionary aircraft was the Russian Knight.
For a long time, people abroad could not believe that the Russian aircraft designer had succeeded in what was considered impossible in the West. In 1912-1914, under the leadership of Sikorsky, the Grand and Ilya Muromets aircraft were also created, which were distinguished by their long flight range and laid the foundation for multi-engine aviation.
Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev
Of great importance in the history of aviation was the creation, under the leadership of Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev (1888-1972), of the world's largest passenger plane ANT-20 "Maxim Gorky" (1934), as well as medium and heavy bombers, torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Together with N.E. Zhukovsky, he took an active part in the organization of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI). Under his leadership, more than 100 different types of aircraft were designed and built, 70 of which were put into mass production. Aircraft TB-1, TB-3, SB, TB-7, MTB-2, Tu-2 and torpedo boats G-4, G-5 were used during the Great Patriotic War. In the post-war years, under the leadership of Tupolev, a number of aircraft were created for the Soviet Army and Navy, civil aviation, including the first Soviet jet bombers Tu-12 (1947), Tu-16; the first jet passenger aircraft Tu-104 (1954); the first turboprop intercontinental passenger airliner Tu-114 (1957) and the subsequent Tu-124, Tu-134, Tu-154, as well as a number of supersonic aircraft, including the passenger Tu-144.
Tupolev trained many aviation designers, around whom independent design bureaus subsequently developed: V.M. Petlyakova, P.O. Sukhoi, V.M. Myasishcheva, A.A. Arkhangelsky and others.
An outstanding contribution to the development of domestic aviation was made by designers A.S. Yakovlev, S.A. Lavochkin, A.I. Mikoyan, S.V. Ilyushin and G.M. Beriev. In the design bureaus led by them for very short terms new fighters, bombers, attack aircraft were designed, tested and put into mass production, flying boats and ship-borne aircraft were created.
Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi
A talented aircraft designer was Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi (1895-1975). Under his leadership, more than 50 aircraft designs were created, many of which were distinguished by high flight performance and combat characteristics. A multi-purpose aircraft of his design (Su-2) was successfully used during the Great Patriotic War. In 1942-1943, he created the Su-6 armored attack aircraft. Sukhoi is also one of the founders of Soviet jet and supersonic aviation. In the post-war years, the design bureau, under his leadership, developed jet aircraft Su-9, Su-10, Su-15, etc., and in 1955-1956 - supersonic jet aircraft with swept and delta wings (Su-7b, etc.). Aircraft designed by Sukhoi set 2 world altitude records (1959 and 1962) and 2 world speed records on a closed route (1960 and 1962).
In the coming years, the Su-24M front-line bomber will be replaced by the Su-34 multifunctional bomber, which has no analogues in the world. Its main purpose is to hit highly protected point targets at any time of the day and in any weather conditions.
The talent and dedication of our scientists and designers make it possible to have such types of weapons that no other army in the world has. So, only Russia has ekranoplanes. The general designer of the first ekranoplanes is R.E. Alekseev. At the end of the 40s, he created a hydrofoil torpedo boat with a speed unprecedented at that time - 140 km/h and high seaworthiness. The subsequent “Rockets” and “Meteors” were the brainchild of a military scientist.
In the West, ekranoplanes were also designed, but after a number of failures they stopped working. In our country, ekranoplanes were created in various options: shock, anti-submarine, rescue. The ekranoplan with a displacement of more than 500 tons and a speed of 400-500 km/h was tested by the general designer himself. Unique technique capable of not only landing for military purposes, but also carrying out peaceful passenger and cargo transportation, and conducting rescue and research work.
The Ka-50 anti-tank helicopter, called the “Black Shark,” also has no analogues. Since 1982, this combat vehicle has won more than once various competitions, amazed experts at various exhibitions.
The helicopter has powerful weapons. It is equipped with NURS units, Vikhr ATGM launchers with laser beam guidance, and a 30 mm cannon with 500 rounds of ammunition. Missiles are launched from 8-10 kilometers, that is, outside the range of enemy air defense. The pilot's ejection seat and preliminary shooting of the helicopter blades ensure the pilot's rescue over the entire range of speeds and altitudes, including zero.
The Russian land has always been rich in talents; we showed the world Mendeleev and Korolev, Popov and Kalashnikov. The list of outstanding domestic military designers can be continued for a very long time. The sword of the Russian army was forged by the labor and intellect of many hundreds and thousands of our compatriots.
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To protect themselves from wild animals and hostile people, they began to use various objects: driftwood and sticks, sharp stones, etc. It was from those distant times that the history of weapons began. With the development of civilization, new types of it appeared, and each historical era corresponds to more advanced ones than at the previous stage. In a word, weapons, like everything else on our planet, have followed their own special evolutionary path throughout the history of existence - from the simplest to nuclear warheads.
Types of weapons
There are various classifications that divide weapons into different types. According to one of them, it can be cold and gunshot. The former, in turn, also comes in several types: chopping, piercing, percussion, etc. It is powered by the muscular strength of a person, but firearms operate by the energy of a gunpowder charge. Consequently, it was invented precisely when people learned to make gunpowder from saltpeter, sulfur and coal. And the Chinese were the first to distinguish themselves in this (back in the 9th century AD). The history of weapons does not have exact data on the date of creation of this explosive mixture, but the year is known when the “recipe” for gunpowder was first described in a manuscript - 1042. From China, this information leaked to the Middle East, and from there to Europe.
Firearms also have their own varieties. It comes in small arms, artillery and grenade launcher types.
According to another classification, both cold and firearms are melee weapons. In addition to them, there are weapons related to means of mass destruction: nuclear, atomic, bacterial, chemical, etc.
Primitive weapons
We can judge what the means of protection were at the dawn of human civilization from the finds that archaeologists managed to obtain in their habitats. All these finds can be seen in various historical and local history museums.
The most ancient types of primitive weapons were stone or bone arrowheads and spears, which were found on the territory of modern Germany. These exhibits are about three hundred thousand years old. The figure is, of course, impressive. For what purposes they were used, for hunting wild animals or for war with other tribes, we can only guess. Although rock paintings to some extent help us restore reality. But about the periods when writing was invented by humanity, literature, historiography, and painting began to develop, we have enough information about new achievements of people, including weapons. From this time on, we can trace the complete path of transformation of these defensive means. The history of weapons includes several eras, and the initial one is primitive.
At first, the main types of weapons were spears, bows and arrows, knives, axes, first bone and stone, and later metal (bronze, copper and iron).
Medieval weapons
After people learned to process metals, they invented swords and pikes, as well as arrows with sharp metal tips. For protection, shields and armor (helmets, chain mail, etc.) were invented. By the way, even in ancient times, gunsmiths began to make rams and catapults from wood and metal for the siege of fortresses. With each new round in the development of mankind, weapons also improved. It became stronger, sharper, etc.
The medieval history of the creation of weapons is of particular interest, since it was during this period that firearms were invented, which completely changed the approach to combat. The first representatives of this species were arquebuses and arquebuses, then muskets appeared. Later, gunsmiths decided to increase the size of the latter, and then the first ones appeared on the military field. Further, the history of firearms begins to record more and more new discoveries in this area: guns, pistols, etc.
New time
During this period, edged weapons gradually began to be replaced by firearms, which were constantly modified. His speed increased, lethal force and projectile range. With the advent of weapons, I could not keep up with inventions in this area. During the First World War, tanks began to appear in the theater of operations, and airplanes began to appear in the sky. In the middle of the 20th century, the year the USSR was involved in World War II, a new generation was created - the Kalashnikov assault rifle, as well as various types grenade launchers and types of rocket artillery, for example the Soviet Katyusha, underwater military equipment.
Weapons of mass destruction
None of the above types of weapons can be compared with this one in terms of their danger. This, as already mentioned, includes chemical, biological or bacteriological, atomic and nuclear. The last two are the most dangerous. For the first time, humanity experienced nuclear force in August and November 1945, during the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US Air Force. The history, or rather, of its combat use, begins precisely from this black date. Thank God that humanity never had to experience such a shock again.
Sylvester Crnka
The inventor of the rifle that changed the 19th century had a surname that was strange to our ears - Krnka. Czech Sylvester Krnka invented a single-shot rifle in 1849, and in 1850 his weapon was tested, praised, but not accepted for service. At that time it was believed that such weapons were unsuitable for military use.
But since the 1860s the situation has changed. Tactics changed - the soldiers had to become more independent, show dexterity and have the ability to make quick decisions.
Krnka rifle
The scattered chain of independent shooters, naturally, could no longer be satisfied with old guns with a smooth barrel, which must be loaded from the front after each shot. Soldiers, above all, needed reliable guns that could be loaded from the breech and in any position.
And already in 1869, the Russian Tsar decided to include the Krnka gun in the equipment of the Russian army. Perhaps it is precisely for this reason that some still consider Krnka to be Russian. Despite the fact that immediately after Russia, other countries drew attention to Krnka’s invention.
From seeder to machine gun
Richard Gatling
American Richard Gatling became the inventor of the most powerful machine gun, whose ancestors still appear in Hollywood films. The US Army uses Gatling's "grandson" - the six-barreled Minigun.
Gatling, who received numerous patents during his life and whose very first invention was the seeder, became famous for creating one of the first true examples of a machine gun, which fired more than 700 rounds per minute. But Gatling himself called his invention a grapeshot, and the machine gun was driven by muscular force - the fighter rotated the handle, accelerating the barrels to the required speeds.
Gatling gun
In addition, the machine gun was equipped with a gravitational system for feeding ammunition from the magazine, which ensures automatic loading and firing of each barrel when the block is rotated. After its first brief appearance in the American Civil War, the Gatling gun proved far more effective in the Spanish-American War, and the British used its deadly force in the colonial wars against the Zulus in South Africa and the Mahdists in Sudan.
"Peacemaker" Colt
Samuel Colt with a revolver
Samuel Colt was not the inventor of the revolver, but it was he who first replaced their piece production by skilled gunsmiths with an assembly line one. It was the Colt company that introduced into mass production weapons such as the single-action revolver, better known as the Peacemaker or Colt 45. The Peacemaker was originally designed for the American cavalry, but it was most widely used during the Wild West. According to one version, the Colt six-shooter used .44-40 Winchester cartridges, so cowboys could use the same cartridges for both their rifles and pistols.
Winchester
Oliver Winchester
A rifle with a tubular under-barrel magazine, a longitudinally sliding bolt and reloading from a lever located under the neck of the butt, developed and released in the late 1850s. American inventor Henry based on the Volcanic pistol from Smith and Wesson. But the weapon brought world fame to businessman Oliver Winchester, who in 1864 bought Henry’s enterprise and began producing a rifle under his own name.
In 1866, the rifle underwent some changes in the magazine - now it began to be filled through the side window, and not from the muzzle, as in the original model. True, the magazine capacity decreased from 15 rounds to 12, but at the same time loading was accelerated. Over time, Winchester founded the Winchester Arms Company, which produced weapons.
Maxim machine gun
Hiram Maxim with his brainchild
Sir Hiram Maxim was an American inventor who emigrated to Europe. Among his inventions are a fire extinguishing system and the development of an aircraft with a steam engine, but the greatest success was achieved by another of his creations - the fully automatic Maxim machine gun. This weapon operated on the principle of recoil of the barrel - it did not need to be reloaded manually, like a Gatling gun. In contrast, the recoil force in the Maxim machine gun ejected the empty cartridge and loaded a new one. Due to its obvious advantages, the Maxim turned out to be much more effective and reliable than its competitor weapons, so in the First World War both warring parties They used this particular type of weapon, which remained in use until the 1960s.
Inventor of pistols and machine guns
John Browning
In 1904, designer John Browning invents a new type of .45 caliber cartridge with improved stopping power. Based on this development, the designer creates a pistol - the M1911, which was put into service in 1911. Over the decades of its service, the M1911 not only gained special respect, but also inspired great fear. Only after going through 2 world wars in Korea and Vietnam, the M1911 was replaced by the 9-mm Beretta M9. The M1911 has earned respect for its accuracy and reliability, and despite the Beretta's twice the magazine capacity and lower chance of an accidental discharge, the M1911 is still preferred by many.
Another significant contribution of John Browning to the development of military technology was the invention of the most impressive machine gun ever created by man. Designed during the final stages of the First World War, the M2 was originally equipped with a water cooling system, which was later replaced by an air cooling system, which required replacing the barrel with a heavier one. The “fifty dollar” is a rather bulky weapon (about 40 kilograms), but the .50 caliber projectile fires with energy 4 times greater than the energy of a conventional bullet. Such a projectile penetrates an inch of steel armor and is fatal when hit from a distance of two kilometers. M2 is still relevant, in addition, the model itself has not undergone any fundamental changes.
John Browning and the Browning Machine Gun
In total, over the 71 years of his life, John Moses Browning created 37 models rifled weapons and 18 - smoothbore.
Brotherly revolver
Emil and Leon Nagan
The famous revolver was developed by brothers Emil and Leon Nagan from Belgium. The elder brother Emil presented the first revolver of the original design to the Belgian military department for testing, and it was adopted as an officer and non-commissioned officer weapon under the name “revolver model 1878”. Several modifications of the revolver were produced in different calibers and barrel lengths. Soon, Emil Nagan almost completely lost his sight as a result of illness, and the main work to improve the design was undertaken by Leon Nagan.
Your word, Comrade Mauser
Peter Paul and Wilhelm Mauser
Another development from the brothers, but this time from Germany. Brothers Peter Paul and Wilhelm Mauser owned a company that produced small arms (mainly rifles).
In 1871, the brothers created a single-shot rifle chambered for the 11 mm cartridge, demonstrated at the Prussian Royal Rifle School in Spandau, and it was adopted as the Gewehr 1871.
As for the legendary pistol, glorified by Mayakovsky, before its creation, the brothers managed to create the Zig-Zag revolver, and in 1896 it was developed self-loading pistol model Mauser C96, which, thanks to cinema and literature, became an integral part of the image of a security officer or commissar during the civil war era in Russia.
In total, 15 models of rifles, eight models of pistols, three machine guns and six machine guns were created.
Berdanka
Hiram Berdan
Berdan Rifle No. 1 was designed by American Colonel, hero Civil War in the USA by Hiram Berdan and improved by the Russians Colonel Gorlov and Lieutenant Gunius. It had a folding bolt with a direct trigger.
Berdanka
It was adopted by the Russian army in 1868 as a “rifle rifle”, since, taking into account its excellent ballistics at the end of the 1860s - beginning of the 1870s, it was primarily armed with rifle units (organizationally separate from the line infantry, light infantry, mostly operating in loose formation with firearms and avoiding close combat).
Mosin rifle
Sergey Mosin
Artilleryman Mosin was sent to the Tula Arms Factory in 1875, where he developed his first repeating rifles. So, he improved the Berdan rifle by attaching an eight-round magazine to it. On April 16, 1891, a model of a rifle was approved, the basis of which was developed by Mosin. Its original name was “Russian three-line rifle model 1891.”
Mosin rifle
The rifle served until the end of the Great Patriotic War, although it was modernized several times.
Vladimir Dergachev
Probably even every dog knows the “heroes” of Russian show business - who, where, when and with whom. Many people know the inventors of the famous T-34 tank, but hardly anyone can name the names of the creators of the most powerful weapon of the Great Patriotic War. This is a separate tragic story with repressions and executions. During his lifetime, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and the Stalin Prize were received by a man who, according to colleagues, including the future designer of rocket and space technology Sergei Korolev, wrote a denunciation against his comrades to the party committee and was subsequently appointed chief engineer and then head of the Jet Research Institute ( Research Institute No. 3) of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition of the USSR. Yes, and the Soviet government before last year throughout her existence, she tried not to touch upon this painful issue for her. Since most of the engineers involved in the appearance of rocket and mortar launchers were repressed - they were shot or served time in Gulag camps. Only when a mortal threat loomed not only over the country, but also over the government, did it become partially sober.
Half a century later, the first and last Soviet president plucked up courage and signed Decree of the USSR President of June 21, 1991 No. UP-2120 “On awarding the title of Hero of Socialist Labor to the creators of domestic jet weapons” (posthumously)
I.T. Kleimenov, G.E. Langemak, V.N. Luzhin, B.S. Petropavlovsky, B.M. Slonimer and N.I. Tikhomirov). Sometimes this list mistakenly includes Ivan Gvai, who managed to survive and receive the Order of Lenin and the Stalin Prize during his lifetime.
The tsunami of repression swept not only through the Jet Research Institute (Research Institute No. 3), where developments were carried out rocket artillery. In 1939, the People's Commissar of Armaments of the USSR Boris Lvovich Vannikov (1887 - 1962) was arrested. When interruptions in the supply of ammunition began, on July 20, 1941, he was taken from the Lubyanka prison to the leader’s Kremlin office and was again appointed People’s Commissar of Armaments. Stalin asked not to hold a grudge for what happened. Subsequently, Vannikov became a three-time Hero of Socialist Labor (1942, 1949, 1954) and a holder of six Orders of Lenin.
The Last Heroes of Socialist Labor (posthumously)
Information in Russian Wikipedia about the inventors of formidable weapons is very scarce. The most detailed articles about Kleimenov and Langemak are posted on a website dedicated to the History of Russian Soviet Cosmonautics and compiled on the basis of the archive of academician Valentin Glushko by his son Alexander.
 Ivan Terentyevich Kleimenov(1899 - 1938) - a native of the Tambov province, one of the organizers and leaders of rocket technology development. In 1921/22 successfully studied at the mathematics department of the 1st Moscow Faculty of Physics and Mathematics state university, and in 1923, by order of M.V. Frunze was enrolled to study at the Air Force Engineering Academy named after. NOT. Zhukovsky, which he graduated in 1928. In 1929, he was sent by one of the Directorates of the People's Commissariat of Defense to work in Germany, and returned with his family from Berlin in 1932. Perhaps he was connected with foreign military intelligence. Head of the Jet Research Institute No. 3 (1933-1937) of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition of the USSR, on his initiative K. E. Tsiolkovsky was elected an honorary member of the scientific council of the institute. In 1937, together with chief engineer Georgy Langemak, he was nominated for a government award for the development of new types of weapons, but was arrested on November 2, convicted and executed on January 10, 1938 at the age of 38. He was buried in the cemetery near the crematorium of the Donskoy Monastery in the grave of “unclaimed” ashes. In 1955, Kleimenov was completely rehabilitated by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR for lack of evidence of a crime. |
 Georgy Erikhovich Langemak(1898 - 1938) - a native of Starobelsk, Kharkov region (German father, state councilor of the Ministry of Education, Swiss mother) - one of the main creators of the Katyusha rocket launcher. Since childhood, he was fluent in French and German. In 1916 he graduated from high school with a silver medal and entered the philological faculty of Petrograd University to study Japanese philology. But he was drafted into the army and in the summer of 1917 he was promoted to midshipman. In 1918 he entered the Faculty of History and Philology of Novorossiysk University, but in the same year he was mobilized again, but into the Red Army. He served in Kronstadt, became a member of the CPSU (b), but was expelled from the party due to his marriage to future wife at the Lutheran Church. In 1923 - 1928 studied at the Military Technical Academy (now the Military Academy of Strategic Missile Forces named after Peter the Great). During his studies, he took part in the work of the Gas Dynamics Laboratory of N.I. Tikhomirov, who proposed a project for a rocket project back in the Russian Empire. Since 1934 - Deputy Head (Chief Engineer) of the Jet Research Institute No. 3 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition of the USSR. In 1935, Georgy Langemak, together with future rocket engine designer Valentin Glushko (a native of Odessa), wrote the first book in the Soviet Union, “Rockets, Their Design and Application.” The work summarized the experience of designing liquid and solid fuel rockets. On August 15, 1939, Glushko was also repressed and sentenced to 8 years in the camps, but left to work in a closed technical bureau (sharashka). |
Georgy Langemgak was arrested on November 2, 1937 as a German spy, and executed on January 11, 1938 at the age of 39. Burial in the grave of “unclaimed ashes” of the cemetery near the Don Crematorium. The execution list with the names of Kleimenov and Langemak was endorsed by the “beloved” leaders of the Soviet people Zhdanov, Molotov, Kaganovich and Voroshilov.
 Vasily Nikolaevich Luzhin(1906-1955) - design engineer. Born in the Nizhny Novgorod province into the family of a wealthy peasant, Russian. Since 1918, he lived with his family in the city of Vyksa. Arrested on April 8, 1940, sentenced by a Special Meeting of the NKVD of the USSR under Article 58 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR (counter-revolutionary agitation) to 8 years. Completed his sentence while working in construction. railway in Pechora, then in the special design bureau of the NKVD-MVD of the USSR at the aircraft plant in Rybinsk. In 1955, at the age of 49, he died suddenly of a heart attack. In 1958, at the request of his widow, the designer’s case was reviewed, and he was completely rehabilitated. Only in 1994 was it possible to find the Hero’s widow, who was awarded the Order of Lenin and Gold medal"Sickle and Hammer". There is no article about Vasily Luzhin in Russian Wikipedia. |
Boris Mikhailovich Slonimer(1902 - 1980) - scientist and military chemical engineer, organizer of the production of weapons and ammunition, head of the Jet Research Institute (1937 - 1940), one of the leaders of the creation of rocket launchers"Katyusha". There is no photograph of him on the Internet.
 Nikolai Ivanovich Tikhomirov(1859 - 1930) - inventor and specialist in rocket technology, back in 1912 he presented to the Ministry of the Navy a project for a rocket projectile (“self-propelled rocket mines”). But only in 1921, already under Soviet rule, the invention was subjected to new examinations and was already called upon Soviet power of great defensive importance. At Tikhomirov’s suggestion, a laboratory of “self-propelled mines” (later gas-dynamic) was created, specializing in the creation of rocket shells using smokeless powder. He died of his own death and was buried in Moscow at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. He became a Hero of Socialist Labor 130 years after his birth! |
 During his lifetime, by order of Joseph Stalin, the following were awarded high awards:On July 28, 1941, he received the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, and in 1942 he received the Stalin Prize of the first degree for his participation in the development and introduction of rocket launchers into service. Andrey Grigorievich Kostikov(1899 - 1950), native of the Ukrainian city of Kozatin. After graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1933. N.E. Zhukovsky “in aircraft engines and rocket specialty” worked at the Rocket Research Institute as an engineer, head of the rocket engine department, and chief engineer. Half a month before the start of the war, on June 7, 1941, the head of the Rocket Research Institute Kostikov demonstrated Soviet leader led by Joseph Stalin, the work of a multiple rocket launcher. Despite the high awards, Kostikov did not escape disgrace; he was arrested in 1944 for failing to deliver a military product and spent almost a year in prison. However, the charges of espionage and sabotage brought against him were not confirmed, and in February 1945 he was released. In 1950, Major General and Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences died suddenly in a Moscow apartment from a myocardial infarction at the age of 51. In 1942, the Stalin Prize for participation in the development and introduction into service of the Guards Katyusha rocket mortars was received by: |
 Ivan Isidorovich Gwai(1905 - 1960), native of Ekaterinoslav (Dnepropetrovsk),designer of missile launchers was awarded the Order of Lenin, laureate of two Stalin Prizes (1941, 1942). In 1942 he was awarded the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences without defending a dissertation. Eyewitnesses recall that when Ivan Grai came to the Higher Attestation Commission for a candidate of sciences diploma, he was asked about the manuscript of his dissertation. In response, he said that she was “shooting at the front.”He died of a heart attack at the age of 55 and was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery. Referring to technical examinations of 1944 and 1956, opponents deny the direct involvement of Kostikov, Aborenkov and Gvai in the authorship of the BM-13 and its launch devices. |
Every year on September 19, Russia celebrates the holiday of all workers of enterprises of the military-industrial complex, the creators of domestic weapons.
Gunsmith's Day was established by decree of the President of the Russian Federation on December 3, 2011. The holiday appeared thanks to the creator of the legendary AK-47 assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, during a conversation with Vladimir Putin during a tour of defense enterprises in Izhevsk in 2010.
September 19 was chosen as the date of the holiday - the day when Orthodox Church honors Archangel Michael, patron of the heavenly army.
TASS has collected the top 10 outstanding Russian and Soviet designers small arms.
Sergey Mosin
M.S. Tula/TASS Photo Chronicle
In 1889, Sergei Mosin proposed a new rifle of 7.62 mm caliber (in the old length measures there are three Russian lines, hence the name “three-line”) for the competition of the Military Ministry of the Russian Empire. Another participant in the competition was Belgian Leon Nagant. The commission chose Mosin's "three-line" design, deciding to supplement it with details from the Nagant project, which sold its patents and drawings to the Russian side. In 1891, the modified “three-line” was adopted by the Russian army. After World War I, production continued in the USSR; Finland, Poland, and others produced their modernized versions. different years Mosin rifles were in service in about 30 countries, and in Belarus the “three-line” rifle was officially withdrawn from service only in 2005.
Fedor Tokarev
Valentin Cheredintsev, Naum Granovsky/TASS
Born June 14 (June 2, Old Style), 1871, died June 7, 1968. Hero of Socialist Labor (1940).
While still at the officer rifle school in 1907, based on the Mosin rifle of the 1891 model, he developed an automatic rifle, which he then improved at the Sestroretsk plant from 1908 to 1914. He repeatedly won open competitions for the development of small arms.
In just a few years design work Fedor Tokarev created about 150 models of small arms, mass-produced in the USSR and other countries of the world in millions of copies. Among the weapons he designed are the MT light machine gun ("Maxima-Tokarev", 1925, based on the Maxim heavy machine gun), the first Soviet submachine gun (Tokarev submachine gun, 1927), the TT self-loading pistol ("Tula, Tokarev", 1930), self-loading rifle SVT-38 (1938), its modification SVT-40 (1940), etc.
Vasily Degtyarev
TASS
Born January 2, 1880 (December 21, 1879, old style), died January 16, 1949. Hero of Socialist Labor (1940), laureate of the Stalin Prize (1941, 1942, 1944, 1949 - posthumously).
In 1916 he invented an automatic carbine, in 1918 he headed an experimental workshop arms factory in Kovrov, which later became the design bureau of automatic small arms, where, under the leadership of Degtyarev, the DP ("Degtyarev, infantry") light machine gun of 7.62 mm caliber, aviation machine guns DA and DA-2, a tank machine gun DT, and a pistol- machine gun PPD-34, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun DK (after modification by Georgy Shpagin - DShK), heavy machine gun DS-39, anti-tank rifle PTRD, light machine gun model 1944 (RPD), etc.
Georgy Shpagin
B. Fabisovich/TASS
Born on April 29 (April 17, Old Style), 1897, died on February 6, 1952. Hero of Socialist Labor (1945), laureate of the Stalin Prize (1941).
Due to injury, he did not participate in the First World War; he served in weapons workshops. After the revolution, he served in the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army as a gunsmith. In 1924, he simplified the Ivanov system tank machine gun. He improved Vasily Degtyarev's heavy machine gun, which had previously been discontinued due to identified shortcomings, by developing a belt feed module for it (DShK, in service since 1939).
Created the most massive automatic weapons Red Army during the Great Patriotic War - submachine gun model 1941 (PPSh, was in service with the Soviet army until 1951).
Nikolay Makarov
"KBP named after Academician A.G. Shipunov"
Born on May 22 (May 9, Old Style), 1914, died on May 13, 1988. Laureate of the Stalin Prize (1952), State Prize of the USSR (1967), Hero of Socialist Labor (1974).
During the Great Patriotic War, he worked in Zagorsk at a factory that manufactured Shpagin submachine guns, later graduated from the Tula Mechanical Institute and began designing weapons himself. Developer of a 9 mm caliber pistol (“Makarov Pistol”, adopted for service in 1951), AM-23 aircraft cannon (together with Nikolai Afanasyev), participated in the creation of anti-tank missile systems “Fagot”, “Konkurs”, etc. civil inventions of the designer - machines mass-produced in the USSR for manually sealing lids for canning.
Evgeny Dragunov
Press service of the Kalashnikov concern
Born on February 20, 1920, died on August 4, 1991. Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1964), State Prize of the Russian Federation (1998, posthumously).
He graduated from an industrial technical school in Izhevsk, during the Great Patriotic War he served as a senior gunsmith in the Far East. In 1949 he developed the S-49 sporting rifle, in 1957–63. - a self-loading sniper rifle of 7.62 mm caliber (SVD), which is still in use in a modernized form. In total, with the participation of Dragunov, at least 27 designs of shooting systems were created at the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (now part of the Kalashnikov concern), including the S-49 sports rifle, sniper rifles MS-74 and TSV-1, rifles "Zenit", "Zenit-2", "Strela", "Strela-3", "Taiga", submachine gun "Kedr", etc.
Igor Stechkin
Yaroslav Igorevich Stechkin/wikipedia.org
Born on November 15, 1922, died on November 28, 2001. Honored Designer of the Russian Federation (1992), holder of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1971) and Honor (1997), laureate of the Stalin Prize (1952).
Author of more than 60 developments and over 50 inventions. As part of the defense of his institute diploma, he developed an original design for an army automatic pistol of 9 mm caliber (APS, adopted for service in the USSR in 1951); dealt with the issue of silent shooting and the creation of weapon systems disguised as household items; in the 1960s participated in the creation of the Fagot and Konkurs anti-tank missile systems, developed the Abakan and TKB-0116 assault rifles, the Cobalt and Gnome revolvers, the Dartik, Berdysh, Pernach pistols, etc.
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Fedor Savintsev/TASS
Born November 10, 1919, died December 23, 2013. Hero of the Russian Federation (2009), twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1958, 1976).
Developer of the legendary AK assault rifle ("Avtomat Kalashnikov") of 7.62 mm caliber, which entered the Soviet army in 1949. The assault rifle was adopted in 55 countries and entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most common weapon in the world.
Based on the AK, the designer created over a hundred standardized models of automatic small arms (modernized AKM and AKMS assault rifle with a folding stock, AK-74, AK-74 with a grenade launcher, shortened AKS-74U, Kalashnikov PK, PKM / PKMS light machine guns, etc.). Kalashnikov was also involved in the creation hunting weapons: AK-based Saiga self-loading carbines have gained popularity in Russia and abroad.
Arkady Shipunov
Yuri Mashkov/TASS
Born on November 7, 1927, died on April 25, 2013. Hero of Socialist Labor (1979), academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1991), laureate of the Lenin Prize (1982) and three USSR State Prizes (1968, 1975, 1981).
A graduate of the mechanical engineering department of the Tula Mechanical Institute, in 1950 he began working at NII-61 (now - TsNIITOCHMASH JSC, Klimovsk, Moscow region), in 1962 he headed TsKB-14 (now - JSC " Design Bureau instrument making", Tula). Together with Vasily Gryazev, he developed the GSh family of aviation cannon weapons - the GSh-23, GSh-30-1 and GSh-6-23 cannons, which are installed on most modern Russian combat aircraft and helicopters. In addition, the design duo Gryazev and Shipunov created the 9mm "Rook" pistol.
Vladimir Yarygin