The last century was marked by the global clash of ideologies, which was accompanied by unprecedented competition of political, economic and military systems. The policy of force required the means of protection and warfare, therefore, scientific and technological achievements could be used for civilian purposes with a big delay. Because of this frame of reference the most talented scientists, designers, engineers could realize their potential mainly in military-applied field. The era of the Cold War had its own heroes. The creators of atomic and hydrogen boms have obtained the title “Hero of Socialist Labor” for three times, the space explorers have been entitled for two times. The author is aware only of two more weapons engineers. They are twice Heroes of Socialist Labor Mikhail Kalashnikov, who became famous all over the world thanks to his legendary AK-47 Assault Rifle, and Lev Lyulyev, whose name is still known only to a inner circle of military professionals. Therefore, this article attempts to give public some poor information about the indigenous Kiever, Kiev Polytechnic Institute graduate in 1931, the creator of the anti-aircraft missiles of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of Lenin, Stalin and the USSR State Prize Lev Lyulyev.
The start in life
Lev Lyulyev was born on March 17, 1908 in Kiev in the family of the craftsman. His father was a shoemaker in Podil region and took an active part in the revolutionary movement of the workers in Kiev. Because of this, he became a frequent “guest” of the city gendarmerie and Lukianivka prison. His mother was a midwife. She gave madical treatment to poor people in working-class districts and Kyiv outscirts. Parents gave all their love and care to the son, and despite the lack of funds, they tried to educate him.
The boy grew up in the complicated balance pattern of the time. The revolutionary events and the brutal civil war ruthlessly hit on residents. There were bloody battles for Kiev, and the city moved to the Germans, Poles, Semen Petlyura, White Guard troops and other opposing forces over and over again. Under these conditions, it was difficult not only to study, but sometimes even just to survive. However, in 1923, at the ade of fifteen Lev Lyulyev ended the seven-year school. Further education was not possible, so he began working in machine shops, as a apprentice firstly and later as a locksmith assistent. Having learned the traid in 1925 Lyulyev got a job at the Kyiv Mechanical Plant, where he gained professional experience and obtained a unique understanding of the metal nature, that will play a big role in the future.
Having mastered more and more complex technological operations, the young worker took interest in integrated mechanic engineering. Having a sharp memory and talent for the sciences, Lyulyev read a lot and began studying the basics of mechanics, hydraulics, certain branches of mathematics and physics on his own. At the same time he realized that to achieve his dream – to build a sophisticated machine – he needed to get a foundational engineering education.After achieving an external degree at the labor department in 1927 he entered the mechanical department of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute.
The engineering school at KPI was famous throughout the world. The first rector of the Institute Victor Kirpichev and glorious mechanics Stepan Timoshenko, Yevhen Paton, Nicholas Delaunay were its founders. The powerful air, rail and motor areas of the Russian Empire firstly and of the Soviet state later were set up at the school. A whole network of research institutes, universities, two plants came from it. Lyulyev attended lectures of academic Kravchuk on mathematics, of academic Syminskiy and professor Rabtsevych on theoretical and structural mechanics, and of several other leading scientists and educators of the time. Fundamental and practical knowledge that Lyulyev acquired at the KPI coupled with his talent and ability opened up new opportunity to him.
After undergraduate training in the Ukrainian Research Institute of Agricultural Machinery and defending the engineering degree in 1931 Lyulyev gets a job at this institution. But the range of the Institute activity did not meet the designer’s dreams of great engineering. The young specialist applied to the defense department for working with strategic objects. In a short time Lyulyev was invited to Moscow on direction of the All-Union Arsenal association, and later he was sent to the Urals, in Perm (Molotov at that time). There, at the famous Motovylyhinskiy artillery factory number 172, he began working as a shift engineer. The strong company with long-standing traditions, developed technological base and highly qualified specialists became a good school for Lyulyev. Thanks to his extensive knowledge and turn for ingenuity to the young specialist quickly earned a good reputiation and respect among the Ural experienced gunsmiths. He became the chief of the Bureau of rationalization, and later the design engineer. Dreams have come true. Lyulyev was entirely taken up with the design of complex equipment.
Contribution to the Victory
Thirties in the Soviet Union were marked by rapid transformation of an agrarian country into a powerful industrial state. It became clear that the Red Army was hopelessly behind the armies of potential adversaries both in quantity and in quality of weapons. The rise to power of the National Socialists in Germany, openly hostile attitude of the Anglo-French bloc and its allies showed that the Armed Forces of the USSR needed the urgent modernization. New industries - aircraft, tank-building, automotive, chemical and others needed to be created. According to the decision of the Soviet Union government specialized companies, many design offices were opened in the country and the infrastructure of defense industry was formed. According to experts, the rapid growth of production capacity in key sectors of the economy, especially in heavy industry, that was achieved at the expense of many lives, was the determining factor in the victory of the Soviet Union in World War II.
1933 Lyulyev later worked at the artillery factory 38 in the suburban village of Kalinin (formerly Podlipki), and in a year he worked in research and design office № 8 (CST-8) of the Kalinin factory located in the same village. This company has been known since the mid- nineteenth century as a manufacturer of small arms. Here in pre-revolutionary times, M.Kalinin started to work as a locksmith and later became the all-Union monitor. According to the Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) “On the state of defense of the USSR” the enterprise was determined as the chief one among those creating tank, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns of the new generation for the Army and Navy. Under the guidance of a famous artillery designer Mikhail Loginov the Kalinin factory in tight deadlines started creating unprecedented technology. Thanks to his talent the designer and inventor Lyulyev occurs at the epicenter of a new business just in few months. Working in artillery design sections of the Chief Designer Department, he became one of the closest assistants and students Loginov, and later headed the division. Participating in the development of overall business strategy, Lyulyev begins to specialize in the creation of optical sights of antiaircraft weapons. At that time this business was new for a national defense industry. It was based on the exact mechanical and technical optics. Both of these areas didn’t have deep traditions in the USSR. The fundamental knowledge gained in the KPI and the ability of the designer helped to save the situation. Lyulyev met a number of unusual challenges on his own and created devices that did not have analogues. Those were the direct fire sights directly on target for automatic anti-aircraft guns with vertical and lateral left behind. Such sights in the Soviet Union were established for the first time. They became the prototype for all similar models of anti-aircraft weapons and are used today in the modernized form.
Another important Lyulyev development performed together with the designer Radzylovych was the automatic antiaircraft gun 25mm ZIK-25 (serial code 72-K), which played a significant role in the war.
The development of the product began in 1939. In the autumn of that year it passed factory testing and in 1940 was put into service. Especially for this gun armor fragmentation tracer and high-incendiary shells were delivered. It could carry automatic and single fire on enemy gun emplacements. Before the war six thousand specimens were delivered, including more than 200 coupled systems.
In October 1941, the German forces rapidly advanced towards Moscow, and Kalinin plant was evacuated. One part of the plant was sent to Sverdlovsk, another one, including the CST-8 was ent in Perm on the Motovylyhivskiy artillery factory. In a short time the design office was again united with Sverdlovsk part of the plant. According to the Resolution of the Military Defense Committee from 1941 the Kalinin Plant was determined the main manufacturer of anti-aircraft weapons of small and medium caliber. Lyulyev was appointed the deputy of the chief designer of the company.
The workers of the factory got the task to provide the front with the 45 and 85-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, modified to deal with tanks as soon as possible. The workers gringed day and night with short breaks for food and sleep. All units of anti-aircraft guns were designed considering the front requirements to the technology of the time. Lyulyev was the first to use electric welding instead of riveting when creating complex mechanical structures. He studied this technology it in the laboratory by Evgen Paton during his studing in the KPI. Lyulyev used package instead of th bore tube with free candy, he improved the direction mechanism using a telescopic sight, he also carried out a number of other modifications to achieve the best performance of his arms over existing analogues in the world. He was the first to introduce the method of high-speed parallel design, which provides synchronized work of designers, engineers, electric welders and all parts of production. At the time of production of technical documents the basic technological processes, materials, tools and equipment had been prepared. Weapons immediately ran in batch production, bypassing a number of the traditional stages.
Within a few months after the start the front started to get the 45- 85-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, that were easier to use, lighter, had the higher speed and better fighting qualities than similar weapons of the enemy army. During the war the Kalinin plant has produced 20,000 examples of these weapons, including 11000 - anti-aircraft guns of 85 mm caliber under the designation KC- 12. They were one of the main weapons that ensured the victory.
How to evaluate the contribution of Lev Lyulyeva to the victory in World War II? According to Viktor Myasnikov (Series “Ural. XX Century”, Publishing House “Parkus”, Ekaterinburg, 2001): “During World War 21645 enemy aircrafts were shot down by means of air defense of ground troops. Three quarters of them – 14657 were destroyed by fire caliber antiaircraft machine 25 and 37 mm. And each of them had Lyulyev automatic sight».
Besides 25-, 37-, 45- and 85-mm automatic anti-aircraft guns were designed with his direct participation. We also know about the thousands of aircraft and hundreds of tanks affected by direct fire that were put down. These means tens of thousands of lives rescued due to the cover crossings, railway and city junctions by means of air defense, to the creation of which Lyulyev had a direct linkage. For personal contribution to the victory in the Great Patriotic War Lev Lyulyev was awarded with the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Star fighting, the Order “Badge of Honor”.
After the war the evacuated plants began continuing home businesses. But the greatest part of the Kalinin plant satyed in a new place, in Sverdlovsk. It was headed by Lyulyev. Those units that have returned to the Kalinin village (Podlipki), joined in the complex of space companies that were rapidly developed by another former KPI student Sergey Korolyov. Later the village became a powerful city of science and space technology with a new name – the city of Korolev.
Conquering the stratosphere
The advent of nuclear weapons at the end of the war in an instant crossed air defense capabilities at the time because of the low “ceiling” of reaching the goals of anti-aircraft guns. The fate of every corner of the globe was in the hands of a bomber pilot with the atomic bomb on board, that moved in the stratosphere. The first victims of the new weapons were the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hirosyma. The next step could become Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv ... if they were unprotected.
The response to this challenge was the post-war program of upgrading air defense of the Soviet Union. Kalinin Machine-Building Plant in Sverdlovsk (code: plant number 8) led by Lyulyev played the key role in its implementation. The logical and natural idea of protection from stratospheric bombers was to create an anti-aircraft guns of large caliber with a strong powder charge projectile.
The first attempts to create a “stratospheric gun” met with enormous technical difficulties. The increase in the caliber of the barrel needed to gain the weight of powder charge and projectile itself. This led to repeated pressure rise in the barrel and locking mechanism, a huge shock and thermal overload of the whole structure. The bulk of the trunk led to the critical values of the recoil while firing that destroyed the hydraulic and pneumatic control systems of the gun.
The total weight of the gun, that in original condition reached 10 ton, the size of wheel transport platform that exceeded the rail size significantly complicated the transportation, deployment and use of weapons in combat. Tests of the experimental 100-millimeter gun after the first shots led to its destruction. Stratospheric gun of Kirov Plant L-6 came down after the sixth shot. Only in the spring of 1947 lyulyev 100-millimeter gun KS-19 showed good results and a year later was put into service. However, more advanced Lyulyev weapons of this class was the 130-millimeter stratospheric gun COP-30, the model of 1948. That time it was superior to all known types of artillery weapons in the world for operational, tactical and technical performance. The gun did not have a transport platform. Its centerpiece was replaced with folding legs. The projectile with the weight of 33 kg was discharged with a starting speed of 1000 m/s and reached stratospheric “ceiling” of more than 20 km. At these altitudes visual surveillance purposes using telescopic sights became impossible. Therefore, the guidance was carried out using a radar set With the breakthrough in creating a new type of weapon Leo Lyulyev in 1948 was awarded the Stalin Prize.
In the early 1950s, the plant number 8 continued to improve the stratospheric anti-aircraft guns. The automatic anti-aircraft gun of 76.5 and 100 mm caliber were set up for the air defense of ground troops. 100 mm automatic gun, which weighed around 4.5 tons, reached the rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute. The projectile was equipped with an additional reactive solid rocket motor. It had a weight of 15 kg and an initial speed of 1118 m/s, and it reached a height of over 20 km. Such indicators had none of other artillery types known at the time. However, the highest achievement of the stratospheric anti-aircraft weapons were 152-mm gun KM-52. Its projectile weighed about 50 kg and its initial velocity exceeding 1000 m/s the fire intensity reached 17 rounds per minute.
The Lyulyev developments confidently brought the Soviet Union to the first place in the world in terms of anti-aircraft artillery. Nevertheless, the clouds began to gather over Lyulyev. The country launched a campaign to fight against cosmopolitanism. Lyulyev Candidac fully fell under its ideological principles. The deputy of chief designer who had to take the plant after the arrest of its leader has already been appointed. Lyulyev understood all well awareverything, and preparing for the worst, immersed in the work even more. He then recalled that he could be arrested much earlier and survived only because “his gun shot well’. When one of the designers did not show up to Stalin on the ordinary meeting, those present understood that they would probably never see their colleague again. This was before the war, during the war and till the death of Stalin. Such a fate befell Konstantin Kalinin, Sergey Korolyov, Dmitry Grigorovic, Andrei Tupolev, and many other prominent designers of aircraft and missile technology. Errors were not excused and the principle “none of us is indispensable” worked smoothly. Then Lyulyev’s turn came. The death of the leader saved the Chief designer.
Through tremendous effort of the flak creators at the beginning of the 1960s, this type of weapon has reached its limit opportunities and further increase of material and human resources to improve it could no longer bring significant results. Meanwhile, NATO aircraft reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union became more regular and impudent. Stratospheric flak could not resist them because of significant scattering of shells at an altitude of 18-20 km. Technically perfect at that time Soviet fighters were also powerless. The solution of the problem needed entirely different technical resolutions that should be based on new ideas. Moreover, the new head of state Khrushchev learned from his exploration of the nuclear bombing plan of the Soviet Union, scheduled for January 1, 1957 (entitled "Dropshot ") and has set the defense system of the USSR categorical requirement named “stop this tyranny”. Lyulyev was among those who have solved the problem. It was the end of the 1960s when he made a huge contribution to the defense of the airspace of 1/6 of the Earth's land, depriving the country of the danger of being destroyed by a nuclear bombardment.
The new round in the air resistance
The next stage of the Lev Lyulyev work and life was associated with the transition from receiver artillery to anti-aircraft missiles. Working in a new art began with a hard studying. Rocket colleagues including former KPI groupmates Sergei Korolev and Vladimir Chelomei helped a lot. For a long time Lyulyev staff just did not “get out” of suburban research institutes and design laboratories, where they studied the secrets of the creation of new technology.
Simultaneously with lerning process the design and production base of the plant number 8 was renewed. In 1958 Lyulyev got a task to createt a missile for air defense systems “Circle”, intended to cover ground forces from air attacks. Lyulyev team being not burdened by stereotypes created a self-propelled rocket 3M8 with 2P24 launcher. The rocket was unique at the time, and for a number of unique technical solutions is still interesting today. Ram-jet engines had the ring air intaker located around the main part. This allowed to push it beyond the bearing housing, that greatly increased the dispersion of fragments, improving the combat capabilities of the rocket. In addition, the annular air intaker needed small angles of attack, that significantly increased the stability of the rocket in flight. The joint stabilizers for two of launchers provided the static stability in the home and sustainer phases of flight. During tests the unprecedented missile showed surprisingly good results. While foreign counterparts attacked the target with only a few fragments, then lyulyev rocket tore it into small pieces. In 1964, the missile entered service and after non-essential modifications became the base for the air defense of ground troops over the next two decades. In June 1966 Lyulyev was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor for outstanding achievements in the creation of new technology, and in 1967 he was awarded the Lenin Prize. In the same year the plant led by Lyulyev got a new name: Sverdlovsk Machine-Building Design Bureau “Innovator“ of the Ministry of Aviation Industry. The name “Innovator” Lyulyev offered himself, taking to the acount the fact that the creation of something new is the main motto of his business.
In 1964 Lyulyev was entrusted to create the cruise missiles, rocket torpedos and missiles for the Navy. At various times, CST-8 and later DKB “Innovator” missiles were developed for marine systems: RPK- 2 “Vyuha” (81R, entered the service in 1969), RPK- 6 “Waterfall” (86R, entered the service in 1981), RPK- 7 “Veter” (100RU, entered the service in 1984), 3M10 “Pomegranate” (KC-122 entered the service called LCD 55 in 1984); 3M14 “Calibre” (91R) 3M51 “Alpha"; 3M54 “Byryuza”, CS-42 (marine SAM M- 31), 9M38 (for military SAM " Buk" and marine M-22 “Hurricane”). Until now a number of Lyulyev developments are kept in the secret. For example, the rocket of a fundamentally new class “water-air-water” designed for submarines. After identifying the goals of the submarine, a rocket is set off from its board that passes most of the way by air with a supersonic speed, then goes back into the water in the area targets, where it strikes. In 1977, Lyulev was awarded the State Prize of the USSR for the creation of weapons for the Navy, and in March 1978 he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
During the Vietnam War, conflicts in the Middle East the number of simultaneously attacking goals became ever increasing and the range of their technical characteristics became very broad. They appear at different heights – from stratospheric to very low, their rate of 33.5 times began to exceed the speed of sound. There was a need to create a new generation of anti-aircraft missiles, which struck at the same time to multiple targets, regardless of height, speed and direction of their flight. In the mid-1980s such weapons were S-200 and S-300 invented by Lyulyev.
The S-200 system can be considered a transition from SAM “Circle” to C-300. Its rocket inherits many of the best technical solutions 3M8, but was almost 2.5 times greater range and improved combat characteristics. Those were these missiles in March 1986 that Libya's armed forces were shot down three aircraft over the Gulf of cider that with and illegally entered the country's airspace. The S-300 system has become a fundamentally new type of anti-aircraft missiles, which is used till this day. It was established in two versions: the S-300P for territorial air defense forces of the USSR and the C-300B for protection against ballistic missile attack massive tactical purpose air-ballistic and cruise missiles, aircraft, strategic and tactical aircraft, other aerodynamic means of air attack. The development of the S-300V assigned SDO “Innovator” led by Lyulyev in cooperation with the scientific and production association “Antey”, with which the SAM “Circle” was also created.
The combat elements of the system are guided antiaircraft missiles 9M82 9M83 that are mounted on launchers 9A82 and 9A83, respectively. During their creation Lyulyev used a number of original ideas. Thus, larger missiles designed to intercept ballistic targets, and smaller missiles designed to counter aircraft were standardized. They both were of a two-stage joint second degree and with different starting engines. This significantly reduced the term of design, made the production cheaper and their use easier. Immediately after the start the specific impulse engine turned the rocket in such a way as to take the side of the gas stream to prevent destruction of the launcher. The special design of short stabilizer rockets prevented oscillation and destruction of their wings at high speeds (flater). Rockets with tremendous striking force were made extremely compact, so they can be placed in special containers on the launcher without overweighting it.
All this allowed to achieve the unprecedented for anti-aircraft missile systems tactical and technical characteristics. At a distance of 1100 km targets, flying at a speed of 3000 m/s could be affected. The system deployed for 5 minutes and allowed both direct missiles at 48 targets and 24 to fire them. 9M82 and 9M83 missiles were put into service in 1982-1983 years and for over 25 years have been among the most advanced in the world for this class of weapon.
In March 1985, Lev Lyulyev was awarded the second star of the Hero of Socialist Labor for outstanding achievements in the creation of new types of equipment. And on November 1, 1986 L.Lyulyeva died.
How to judge the life of a military weapons designer, who gave all his strength and talent tothe former USSR? To condemn him?
The author pays tribute to this great man. For seventy-seven years of his life Leo Lyulyev had made an incredible number of useful things. Being a poor man from Kiev, he managed to pave a path to excellence and become one of the most talented designers of complex equipment of the last century. His contribution to the victory in 1945 is invaluable. In the 1960s he became one of those who defended airspace of the USSR from planned nuclear bombing. In the 1970-1990s, creating the most perfect anti-aircraft missiles in the world of four military branches – army, air, naval and missile defense forces, Lyulyev made a huge contribution to the achievement of parity between the forces of the NATO alliance and the Warsaw Pact bloc, that made it impossible to solve the third world war in the apogee of nuclear confrontation of two opposing systems.
The most valuable and favorite Lyulyev creation was his CST-8 and later DCB “Innovator”. It grew from a small section at Kalinin plant into a powerful research and design company with research, production and design base for advanced scientific and engineering schools. With the creation of the 21st sample antiaircraft and anti-aircraft missiles that exceeded the known world analogues over 500 employees design bureau was awarded with state awards, 40 of them became laureate of Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR . Now DSB " Innovator " (Ekaterinburg) is named after Lev Lyulyev.
The memory of the renowned graduate is cherished at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute. In the State Polytechnic Museum in KPI the exhibition devoted to Lev Lyulyev is being formed, academic experts conduct Lyulyev reading, future engineers learn Lyulyev’s original technical developments that have become classics, but are still relevant to this day.