by Vladimir YEFANOV, Dr. Sc. (Tech.), Deputy Head of the Experimental Design Bureau for Science; Maxim MARTYNOV, Can. Sc. (Tech.), Deputy Chief Designer, Head of the Experimental Design Bureau; Konstantin PICHKHADZE, Dr. Sc. (Tech.), First Deputy Chief Designer and Deputy Director General of Lavochkin Research and Production Association (Moscow) In 2012 Lavochkin Research and Production Association awarded the Order of Lenin and two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor--a leading enterprise (from 1965) of the Russian rocket and space industry creating automatic space vehicles intended for fundamental scientific research--celebrates its 75th anniversary. According to the decision of the USSR Council of Labor and Defense, our enterprise (a former furniture factory) switched to the production of aircraft in 1937. This newly established aircraft plant manufactured propeller fighters Lagg-3, La-5, and La-7 (the latter was reputed as the best national fighter of the World War II). From 1945 Lavochkin Experimental Design Bureau launched production of jet fighters. They were designed on the basis of vast scientific and experimental data in cooperation with the leading Soviet institutes of aircraft industry--the Central Institute of Aerohydrodynamics named after N. Zhukovsky, Flight Research Institute named after M. Gromov, Central Institute of Aircraft Motor Engineering named after P. Baranov, All-Union Institute of Aircraft Materials, National Institute of Aircraft Technologies, etc. Their fruitful cooperation is still in progress. The prominent designer Semyon Lav- стр. 66 ochkin (corresponding member of the USSR AS from 1958), head of our enterprise, established a number of specialized laboratories: a laboratory for static tests, laboratory of hydropneumatics, laboratory of on-board equipment, engine laboratory, technological laboratory, etc. These laboratories formed a well-equipped ground experimental base. Production facilities were als ... Читать далее