"Ivan Drong for the tractor industry - as Sergey Korolyov for space." Of course, these industries are substantially different in its content, scientific and technological aspects. But this comparison was made in 2011 by Nikolai Slyunkov - an outstanding organizer of tractor industry, who worked during 23 years at the Minsk Tractor Plant, including 7 years - the CEO. Truly "great is seen from a distance." Therefore, this characteristic which was made 48 years after Ivan Drong resigned as chief designer of the plant, is a good basis for perception as an objective assessment of the immense contributions of our compatriot in the formation and development of tractor industry in the Soviet Union.
One of the glorious galaxy of graduates KPI 1931
Born in the village Salkovo Vinnytsia, Ivan Drong got the higher technical education in the KPI. His son Vladislav Ivanovich Drong remembers "Father has repeatedly said that the KPI prepared him as a specialist. To Ukraine, he always considered Ukraine his Motherland."
Incidentally, the issue of engineers Kiev Polithechnic 1931 stands out by whole galaxy of prominent designers. Besides Ivan Drong, tractor designer, the chief designer of the Minsk Tractor Plant, the founder of the design school, we can not forget these individuals: Leo Veniaminovich Lyulev - outstanding designer of artillery and anti-aircraft weapons, his developments were unique and did not have analogues in the world; Archip Michalovich Lyulka - outstanding designer turbojet engines; Alexander B. Baybakov - an outstanding naval engineer, chief designer of the Kiev factory "Lenin's smithy"; Moses Abramovich Shkud - a prominent builder of radio and television systems.
Ivan Drong KPI engineering teachers were professor K.K.Siminsky, S.P.Shemberg, F.M.Pozhiteko, V.V.Sineutsky etc.. Drong Ivan became a mechanical engineer by tractor-building specialization, which was very much in demand by the state, because since the mid 20-ies in the country took important decisions aimed at mechanization and industrialization of the economy, including the establishment of the tractor industry.Following the approval of the idea of the need to extend the use of tractors in different spheres of production, the work on the development of domestic construction tractors begun. Of course, there was not enough experience, so the construction of the first mass Soviet tractors was based on the foreign models. The number of experts who could develop a good tractor, too, was a minor, the development of the machine often engaged engineers - former students. The engineering activity of I.I. Drong was started during this period.In the 30-ies in three large tractor plants were built in the country: Stalingrad Tractor Plant - in 1930, the Kharkov Tractor - put into production in 1931 and Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant - began to manufacture in 1933 So after graduating Drong was sent to work at the Stalingrad tractor plant, where he quickly mastered the practice of design and construction tractors. He participated in the development of new designs of tractors STZ-NATI, STZ-5 and STZ-8. Although there has not been without complications. From the memories of his son constructor learn that "his father recalled not often about the first design activity, as at that time he was in some sort of" business", was arrested and has been for some time in prison."
Gained experience in the design and manufacture of tractors in Stalingrad was used in the preparation and publication co-authored in 1938 by Moscow publishing house of kolkhoz and sovhoz literature his book "Tractor STZ-NATI 1TA." In 1939 crawler tractor STZ-NATI at the World Exhibition in Paris won the Grand Prix and Gold Medal.
After the transfer in 1940 to work in Moscow, to the Scientific Institute of Automobile and Tractor (NATI), Ivan Drong was actively involved in the development of artillery tractors. There was constant lack of them in the army before the start of the Great Patriotic War, and especially during the war. In 1942 there was a task to create a domestic high-speed tractors. I.I. Drong headed design work on their development. New machines I-11 and I-12 with higher technical level, have got a high appreciation by gunners, operators and repairers. A higher mobility and maneuvering of artillery troops was achieved as a result of using these machines. For the development and industrial production high speed tractor Ivan Iosipovich Drong in 1944 was awarded the Order of the Red Star. This award was war order, and that is why, according to the memoirs of his son, attracted the constructor special attention as in the fighting, he was not involved.
Chief Designer.
Restoration of tractor factories in Stalingrad and Kharkov begun since 1944. In the coming years the construction of new tractor plants started in the Altai, in the cities of Vladimir, Lipetsk, Minsk.Golovtraktoroprom in Moscow had to determine development strategy for the tractor industry in the country.Drong was the chief designer of this institution in the 1944-1949.
The project of the crawler tractor with diesel engine CD-35 with power 35 hp was developed during the war years in NATI with Drong participation.The first series of tractors had a kerosene engine as diesel did not have time to finalize. It was the first Soviet tractor with a diesel engine that has given rise to installation of diesel engines on the all tractor fleet of the country. The diesel crawler tractors KD-35 and DT-54 were the base developments in the domestic postwar tractor construction. From 1947 to 1960 more than 42 thousandof these tractors were constructed.Therefore, in 1947 the designer collective: I.I. Trepenenkov, V.Y. Slonimsky, V.M. Tuliaev, B.E. Archangelskiy and I.I. Drong received the Stalin Prize for the development of design crawler tractor KD-35. As recalled son: "Stalin Prize, he was always proud of. Did not want to replace it by the State one."
In 1946, for the growing needs of agriculture tractors Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ) was created, which started to produce the tractor KD-35. In 1949 I.Y.Drong was appointed as chief designer of the Minsk Tractor Plant. In this position, he worked for over 14 years. And it was really his finest hour. During this period an industrial production of famous family "Belarus" tractors was started at this plant. The first ones from this family were MTZ-1 and MTW-2, which were called universal tractors. There is an interesting story, revealing the role of Ivan Drong in creation of the universal tractor. Its design was started in early 1948 by the young designers of the Minsk Tractor Plant, Peter Boyko, Victor Voytik and others . They showed their deveolopments to the chief designer of the plant, and then, according to eyewitnesses, there was following: "The Chief long and silently judged their drawings, stumbled on a column of numbers, something he recounted, and finally put the" diagnosis ":" something interesting is planned, but I'm surprised your unadventurous! Is it worth it to fix the last day, let's think about tomorrow, even on the day after tomorrow. " Drong then was much bolder young designers, because he knew more than them, and saw further. Primarily he" cut "tracks - wheel tractor must be and certainly with rubber tires, with a wide range of speeds, it must "dock" not only with trailed, but also mounted and semi-mounted agricultural implements.
After the processing of the project in late 1948 Scientific and Technical Council of the Ministry of the autotractor industry under the leadership of academician E.A.Chudakov reviewed and approved the technical design of universal wheel farm tractor.
But to realize the commercial production of this tractor, many unusual arrangements needed to carry out. M.Slyunkov recalls: "The huge impression on the collective was made by the plant director Alexander Tarasov. He decided to stop production of skidders and obtained the right to manufacture the wheel tractors. All "upstairs" were against it, because only our plant in Belarus produced "forest" tractor. Minister forest work said that this can not be done, otherwise the forest industry will die. Our minister was with him in solidarity: not worth, say, once again rebuild the plant. However Tarasov showed all their "special" quality - will, perseverance, ability to argue to convince - and achieved his goal. skidders transferred to other plants, and MTZ mastered the most advanced model at that time - MTZ-2 of own design.
The charm of personality Tarasova was huge - he subsequently became Minister of the automotive industry. But there was also another man at the plant, who played a special role in the formation of collective traditions, - the chief designer Ivan I. Drong.
These people can be called giants of mechanical engineering, they think big, space, deep, having perseverance. And they set up thier own school tractor. Drong was for the tractor industry as Korolev for space. It was he who introduced the rule to rely on designers, who gave high salaries are not limited to staff and so on. And all of the directors who led the team after are only successors of their affairs. "
Formation of tractor design school also includes the preparation of the engineering staff, and Ivan Drong was directly involved in that task. So the decision of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Higher Education of the USSR of 16 July 1958 on the approval of I. Drong in the title of professor in the department of "Tractors" was consistent one.
In 1958, MTZ-2 received the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the World Exhibition in Barcelona in 1962 - at the exhibition in the Netherlands, in 1963 - in France.
MTZ-2 was the first-born in a future family "Belarus", which was later joined by MTZ-5, MTZ-7, MTZ-50, MTZ-52 MTZ-80, MTZ-82 and others that have been created by experts MTZ with Ivan Drong and after he was transferred to another job.
MTZ Drong worked until the end of 1963. According to his son, Vladislav Ivanovich, this time he considered to be significant and fruitful. Tractors "Belarus" were produced not only in the USSR but also in East Germany, Bulgaria, India, Burma. These tractors were presented at exhibitions in Moscow, Leipzig, Plovdiv, where they received the awards. And their creators - G.P.Badalov, Ya.O.Timoshenko, I.Y.Drong, P.I.Boykov, V.V.Voytikov, P.Ya.Pitsker, M.D.Gruzd, M.M.Slyunkov, V.A.Shishonok, A.P.Kuznetsov, V.I.Lebedev, V.O.Rozhkov - were awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1971 for the creation and serial production of standardized wheeled and crawler tractors for complex mechanization of cultivated crops.
Man of scientific virtues and state thinking
Again, from the memoirs of Wladyslaw Ivanovich, we learn that after moving from Minsk to Moscow Ivan Drong worked as head of the Main Directorate of the State Committee of Automobile and Tractor and Agricultural Machinery; at the end of the 60s - Deputy Director of NATI on scientific and development work; at the end of the 70s - Assistant Secretary of the automotive industry in the USSR minister A.M.Tarasov, and from 1980 to 1984 - chief specialist of NATI. Drong experience and knowledge were required by the country. His professional activities and state approach to resolving cases in this period, in particular, were witnessed by the history of the development and implementation of the so-called integral tractor created by Lipetsk specialists. It was a tractor with front and rear wheels of the same size and the possibility of hanging equipment both behind and in front of the tractor, which provided it with high maneuverability and a number of other advantages compared to existing, including tractors "Belarus". The chief designer of the Lipetsk tractor Alexander Durmanov met with Ivan Drong when he worked in Minavtoprom. Drong himself recalls this meeting as follows: "a person comes to me, introduced himself:" Designer Durmanov ... "- Describes countrymen that put a spoke in the wheel of the Lipetsk tractor. I have to admit, my own information about the integral tractor, which I got from the people whom I knew well, heard that the idea to it - the hopeless ... "and yet I.Drong drew attention to the persuasive, calm, competent interlocutor arguments and decided to go to Lipetsk with a view to see it all for himself. He Went, saw and ... became a Durmanov supporter which, by the way, for many years searched and did not find support for its development in the DB Minsk Tractor Plant, which was a major in the field of tractor designing. Durmanov did not find support in high places in Moscow ... And only I.Drong wss not afraid to spoil relations with Minsk designers and the Ministry. Alexander Durmanov said: "He does not afraid of anything. In one of his letters, and I have a few hundred of them, with many drawings and technical calculations, he reminded, "to mobilize and provide technical fight at a very high level. It is worthy of anyone who has their own opinion. That's what I suggested, and I propose now. "Ivan Drong, by the way, played an important role in the fact that our cars are firmly denied spreading rumors about their unreliability. It was he who suggested sending tractors LTZ-145 under its own power at the departmental tests in Odessa and for the Krasnodar . explained that the range will work immediately on two goals: to check the strength of the design and promotion of new technology among the population. effect was stunning. representatives in test stations LTZ said: "Guys, come on us brains to powder, unloaded trailers in a nearby village, and from there drove by its own power. "But when tractors easily drove from Odessa to Kiev and came back, they believed."
Design school contributes to the world leadership
Decades later, in our time the "Belarus" tractors take pride place among the world leaders. More than 3 million tractors "Belarus" were created during half a century of industrial production. Their share in the CIS market is 80%, every 12-th tractor in the world is produced by the Minsk plant, which now offers nearly 60 models of machines. More than 500 thousands of tractors sold in more than 120 countries worldwide. The company is among the three largest world leaders - companies engaged in agricultural tractor.
Therefore the respect, with which the current leadership of the Minsk Tractor Plant expresses its attitude to the predecessors, who have launched a nice plant, deserves special attention. This is evidenced by an interview with the general designer Ivan Uss, who in 2008, responding to a question what he may be proud of today as Chief Designer of huge production, said: "The answer is clear: I can proud of the factory design school. For developers presence of the school is a very serious question. If it does not exist, then there is chaos, violation of the principles. Our school is 50 years old, it was laid by Ivan I. Drong, the first chief designer. The school is an organization, a gradual training of the young. Yes, graduate of it has a profession, the diploma . But he will become constructor later.And the school pulls everyone unite and leads to serious work. We kept this school."