Mikhail Kalashnikov and Mikhail Simonov - behind the AK-47 rifle and Sukhoi jet fight

JBH22

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Two of the greatest names in weaponry design - Mikhail Kalashnikov and Mikhail Simonov - celebrate their 90th and 80th anniversaries, respectively.




Kalashnikov is the father of the AK-47, an assault rifle that inspires admiration and fear in equal measure. It represents a precise and ruthless killer with a human name. Yet we know little about the man behind the brand.

Mikhail Kalashnikov still works in the city where the manufacture of the AK-47 was launched 60 years ago. He is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished persons of the 20th century for his invention.

Meanwhile, Mikhail Simonov was behind what are widely regarded as the best fighter aircraft ever produced, the Sukhoi SU-27 and the SU-30. Like his compatriot, his work has never stopped.
 

JBH22

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Interview with AK-47 rifle inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov

For years a hidden, almost mythological figure, the designer of the world's most famous gun has rarely been seen in public. But as he reveals here, when he does leave his homeland, he is revered wherever he sets foot"¦ from America to the Middle East.

Why did the world learn about the Kalashnikov rifle many years ago in the era of the USSR, while it remained ignorant of the inventor until the 1990s?

For years, I had a top secret clearance and never left Russia. Just once did I go to Bulgaria with my wife for a holiday at the Golden Sands resort, but I could not mention my real name. I was allowed to travel abroad only in the early 1990s. As an adviser to the managing director of Rosoboronexport, a government-controlled weapons export company, I visited many high-profile weapons exhibitions and at last could hold in my hands the most recent products. I do not consider the AK to be the best ever assault rifle. I am saying it over and over again: only the sky is the limit.

Had you followed the progress of your international colleagues before?

In the world of weapons, everybody is watching each other and knows each other's systems. When I met Eugene Stoner, the famous designer of the ?16 rifle, and teased him about my rifle being slightly better, he replied that he doubted that I would have been able to design a decent 2800g piece as required by the Pentagon based on the original 5kg prototype. When Stoner and I arrived at a Marine Corps base, its commander, General Coffield, confessed: "For combat, I would personally choose your rifle, Mr Kalashnikov. I fought in Vietnam as a unit commander, and I wanted to have your rifle all the way. What stopped me was a different rate of fire and report compared to the M16. If I had started using it, my soldiers would have shot at me thinking that I had been attacked by the Vietcong guerrillas, so I could only feast my eyes on your masterpiece."

The word "Kalashnikov" is recognised in every part of the world. Clearly, it does not always have a positive ring to it as in "reliable like a Kalashnikov".

When I met the defence minister of Mozambique, he said: "Please come to visit us! We won our freedom with your rifle, and when soldiers got back home, many gave the name of Kalash to their new-born boys."

Of course, there is a downside too. People often ask me how I feel about my invention being used to kill people every day and the AK being a common weapon of ethnic conflicts. I want to make it clear that I created my assault rifle to protect my country. You can blame politicians for its spreading out of control on a global scale.

Once when I was thinking it over, I recalled our specialist term – ricochet. At least the three of us – Eugene Stoner, Uziel Gal, and me – developed guns to do away with fascists as soon as possible"¦ But the bullets fired from the ?16 hit Vietnamese people who fought to unite their homeland. Uzi bursts shatter the slim hope for peace in Palestine and the countries next door"¦ Let alone my ???

The rumour has it that somebody even suggested you should convert to Islam and become a living icon of the Arab world?

As we were exchanging farewells before leaving Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, one of the Arabian majors suddenly began speaking passionately: "Mr Kalashnikov, has it ever occurred to you that you simply ought to convert? In Christian eyes you are a sinner"¦ you are responsible for tens of thousands of lives lost around the world. But in Islam, things would be completely different for you." I said, not without embarrassment, that I would consider the idea. And at the same moment I recalled an old Russian proverb wisely admonishing that changing your faith is not as easy as changing your shirt"¦

In recent years, the media has come up with many myth-busting "revelations", claiming that the ??-47 was designed by someone else and that the figure of designer Kalashnikov emerged as part of a well-staged Soviet publicity stunt.

Any designer believes his gun is the best, and when its test performance is a bit less impressive compared to others, he feels bitterness and envy. It is all about competition, and in any competition the loser starts plotting against the winner and spreading nonsensical rumours. But you can see for yourself that I am still a weapons designer! Well, some think I was gone long ago"¦ but I am used to it."
 

JBH22

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Interview with Mikhail Simonov - the inventor of the Sukhoi jet fighters


Mikhail Simonov, designer of the iconic fighter jets Su-27 and Su-30, has been at the forefront of aircraft design for more than 50 years. To celebrate his 80th birthday this month, we hear from the man who gave Russia the edge in aerial combat.

Many would need two lifetimes to accomplish the things that Mikhail Simonov has packed into his 80 years. His Su-27 jet fighter – which has become as well known as Kalashnikov's AK-47 assault rifle – is recognised as the best jet fighter of the 20th century and brings billions of dollars into the Russian economy.

A virtuoso in the skies

When the International Aviation and Space Salon – MAKS – announced it would be showing the Su-27 in flight"¦ people crowded at the edge of the airfield. The blue-grey "Su", with red stars on the wings and tail, leant toward its landing wheels as if welcoming the audience, turned on the afterburner and quickly took off.

The sharp ascent was greeted with a universal sigh of admiration, but the truly awe-inspiring spectacle was yet to come. The 30-ton machine, with the ease of a ballet dancer, began performing aerobatics: two and a half loops within 800 metres of the ground with a "flip" at the end; vertical rolls; 90- and 270-degree loops.

Finally, the jet suddenly gained speed and lifted its nose – but did not fly up as everyone expected. Instead, at full speed and leading with its fuselage, it carried on forwards. A moment later, the angle increased from 90 to 120 degrees; the jet looked as though it was falling on its "back" while rushing with its tail forward.

Professionals call this military manoeuvre "dynamic braking"; the pilot needs it to sharply drop speed, while still have an advantage over the enemy. Moreover, the pilot is able to simultaneously launch a missile from behind his back. No other aircraft in the world is capable of this.

"Why don't you go to your wife"¦"

"Our jet fighter came out late," admits Simonov. "The American F-15 was already operating when our machine was only in its design stages."

T-10 was the prototype of a future Su-27; it first flew on May 20, 1977. But despite all the efforts of the designers and engineers of the Sukhoi Company, it was worse than the American jet.

"This was bad news for us," he recalls. "The jet was already being produced. Some were making space for military awards on their jackets, while thinking about how they would spend their state prizes."

But he recalls mustering the courage to go to the minister of aircraft industry, Ivan Silayev, to tell him that the aircraft did not come out as planned, and it would need more work.

"'It's a good thing, Petrovich, that today is not 1937,' said the minister. "OK, I'll redesign it"¦" I replied.

"It was a true scandal. I came to the ministerial meeting. I began presenting my report and explaining that in order to improve the flight characteristics of the jet we would need to move the stowage compartment from the bottom on to the 'back' of the aircraft. Then, suddenly, the aircraft designer Arkhil Lyulka – a cheerful and a kind man – stood up and began yelling at me, nearly cursing me in Ukrainian. 'Why don't you, Mikhail Petrovich, go to your wife and ask her to move her breasts onto her back?! We'll see how useful she will be then!'"

The conflict with the engine designer was only the beginning: the transfer of the stowage compartment meant redesigning the body. And that implied a scandal with another serious institution – Central State Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).

As a result, Simonov travelled to TsAGI overnight in secret, so as to not to let the management know he was designing new fighter jet models. According to him, they were in such a rush they decided to start working on the first model that looked acceptable. And, it was that model that proved to be superior.

How the Arabs helped 'Su'

Simonov insists that perestroika allowed the Su-27 to become the best of the best. A lack of money in the Nineties forced the Sukhoi Company to make a desperate move – to try to sell the jet abroad. The first place they looked was the United Arab Emirates.

"At that time, their air force was headed by Colonel Khalid," recalls Simonov. "He wasn't a flexible man. As he looked at and flew our fighter jet, he said: 'It's not bad, but can it sink a destroyer?' But these were two different things"¦ It's one thing to conduct air combat, and completely another to destroy underwater and ground targets."

This could have been the end of the conversation. Intead, Simonov proposed the Arabs formulate their demands for the machine: "If you want the fighter jet to be able to hit targets at a distance of 100km – that can be done. You want it to sink destroyers – it will do."

So, the Su-27 became a multi-function fighter – though the Arabs did not buy it. Khalid admitted that the Americans would not have allowed them to do so. It is often said that the Su-27 and Su-30 are the best, but they have not been used in a single war. So how could their superiority be proved?

"That is, of course, a secret," smiles Simonov.

This display of equipment was not simply advertising, but a comparison with competitors – at least with the French Mirages that were part of the UAE inventory. How could they be compared? Two of their best pilots took turns flying the aircraft, the Mirage and Su. All flight information was documented and the information analysed.

The best jet fighter of the 20th century

The Su-30MKI is considered an unbeatable fighting machine. This has been borne out in air battles with potential adversaries. The first time it was done was in the early Nineties, when Su-27 pilots were invited to take part in military training with the F-15.

The rules of the "battle" required the Russian planes to get on the tail of the American jets, then the opponents changed places. In a real battle, this would allow directing a missile and hitting the target. In both scenarios, Sus were victorious. According to someone who took part in those exercises, chief of the Lipetsk Air Force Training centre Major General Aleksandr Harchevsky, due to its high manoeuvrability and thrust-to-weight ratio, the Su-27 gained speed on the upward trajectory faster than F-15.

The F-15 constantly needed to make a kind of a "step" – fly along a straight line for a certain period of time. The Russian pilots took advantage of that – they persuaded the Americans to go upward, at which point they lost speed, and the Sus, having made a sharp turn, found themselves on the tail of the enemy. A moment later and the target was "destroyed".

Thus, when the Americans learnt that India had acquired the more advanced Su-30s, they decided to pay them a visit. In their exercises they decided to use the improved F-15. The result of the meeting was 6:4 in favour of the Su-30. However, instead of the Su-30MKI, the Indians used the ordinary training Su-30, a machine without the new radar or thrust vector control. The next time Americans arrived in India, they brought the improved F-16.

"This fighter jet is smaller and lighter than our Su-30," says Simonov. "Thus, logically, it ought to be more manoeuvrable and win in close combat. But everything was exactly the opposite. Su-30MKIs were used. The defeat was unquestionable."

Supersonic for presidents

At one aerospace show, while watching flight demonstrations of civilian aircraft, Mikhail Simonov turned to journalists and made a surprising statement: "Fighter jets are nothing; here is our future!" In his office, I understand what he means. Next to his desk stands a two-storey model aeroplane, designed for 1,000 passengers, the KR-860 "Krilya Rossii" (Wings of Russia).

"They're afraid of constructing such machines," says the designer with a sigh of disappointment. "Even though we do have factories capable of implementing this project, and we could make necessary agreements on engines."

It wouldn't be the first time that big-plane projects have run into difficulty. Although all necessary components are present – governmental approval, money, factories – series production of the globally demanded An-124 heavy transport plane "Ruslan" stalled after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Simonov is not one to give up, however, quoting the great Soviet aircraft designer, Roberto Bartini, who believed that the aviation design bureau should be like a conveyor belt, with new, trial aircraft at the beginning, and mass-produced aeroplanes falling off the end. Today, there are three model supersonic passenger aeroplanes standing on Simonov's desk.

"I see on television how our leaders move from one region of the country to another," he says. "But they do this with subsonic machines – slowly. A great amount of time is lost this way."

Simonov's supersonic aircraft will be given a name only after it starts being produced. Such is the tradition, so as not to "jinx" it. One of the three models is a 40-seat airliner, capable of flying at twice the speed of sound. The second model is smaller – 12-passengers – but flies faster.

The third aircraft is an even faster design – but it's still a secret.

Sukhoi continues to fly high in both military and civil aviation projects

The Sukhoi Company is one of the world's leading aircraft firms. Its fighter jets are used by dozens of countries. In August, at the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS 2009, the Russian air force bought 48 Su-35s. The Indian air force wants to acquire, in addition to its existing 105 Su-30MKIs, 50 more units.

The current CEO of Sukhoi, Mikhail Pogosyan, is successfully implementing the ambitious project of the regional passenger aircraft, Sukhoi Superjet: before the end of the year, the first mass-produced machine will begin flying on regular airlines. Overall, the company plans to build more than 1,000 units. The sky is immense - there will be enough space. . .
PS;Mikhail Simonov passed away today at the age of 81
 

sandeepdg

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Man who made Sukhoi the star of Soviet defence dies

MOSCOW: Aircraft designer Mikhail Simonov, whose supremely maneuverable, heavily armed and far-flying Sukhoi fighter jet became an icon of the Soviet defense industry and a cash cow for post-communist Russia, died in Moscow on Friday after a long illness.

He was 81, the Sukhoi company said. Developed to counter the US F-15 fighter, Simonov's sleek twin-engined , twin-finned Su-27 joined the Soviet air force in the early 1980s and won respect in the West for its range of over 3,500km, its impressive agility and its ability to fly at 2.35 times the speed of sound.

It was a star of international air shows, performing aerobatics that few other fighter planes could accomplish , and is matched only by the MiG jet and Kalashnikov assault rifle as a symbol of Russia's considerable prowess in weapons-making .

The Su-27 's excellent thrust-to-weight ratio and sophisticated control system allowed it to perform exceptional maneuvers at very low speeds. When state defense orders ground to a near halt after the 1991 Soviet collapse, Simonov played a key role in winning lucrative export deals. The cash-strapped government sold hundreds of fighters to China, India and other foreign customers under contracts worth billions of dollars.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...f-Soviet-defence-dies/articleshow/7632239.cms
 

Kunal Biswas

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RIP....

Today SU-30MKI exists only coz of Him..

Respect!
 

venkat

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what a loss to the Russian and world's aviation industry!!!! it is this kind of techno leadership that makes the difference. RIP sir!!!!
 

sesha_maruthi27

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Nice inventions and nice scientists or inventors. Good to see that they are alive.
 

sandeepdg

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He was one of the pioneers of the Russian aviation industry. May his soul RIP.
 

jatkshatriya

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thanks to Mikhail Simonov for giving us the Su baby,,,,i still feel excited just at the sight of the beauty.. :) . peace be upon u.Om Shanti Santi.
 

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