Mikhail Gurevich (aircraft designer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mikhail Gurevich
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| Михаил Гуревич | |
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| Born | 12 January [O.S. 31 December 1892] 1893 Rubanshchina, Kursk Governorate, Russian Empire
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| Died | 12 November 1976 (aged 83) Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| Nationality | Soviet |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Aeronautical Engineering |
| Employer(s) | Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau |
| Significant design | MiG-1 MiG-3 MiG-15 MiG-17 MiG-19 MiG-21 MiG-23 MiG-25 |
| Awards | Hero of Socialist Labor |
Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich (born January 12, 1893 – died November 12, 1976) was an amazing Soviet aircraft designer. He helped start a famous company called Mikoyan-Gurevich with Artem Mikoyan. This company became known for building powerful fighter aircraft, fast interceptors, and planes that could do many jobs.
Their planes, often called "MiG" planes, were very important for the Soviet Air Forces during the Cold War. The company worked on 170 different plane ideas. Out of these, 94 types of planes were actually built in large numbers. In total, about 45,000 MiG planes were made in the Soviet Union. About 11,000 of these planes were sent to other countries. The very last plane Gurevich worked on before he retired was the incredible MiG-25.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mikhail Gurevich was born into a Jewish family. His father worked as a mechanic at a winery in a small town called Rubanshchina in Russia. In 1910, Mikhail finished high school in Okhtyrka with a silver medal. He then started studying mathematics at Kharkiv University.
However, after just one year, he was asked to leave the university and the area because he was involved in student protests. He then continued his studies in France at Montpellier University. In 1913, he also attended a special aviation school in Toulouse called SUPAERO. A famous French aircraft designer named Marcel Bloch (who later became Marcel Dassault) was in the same class.
Challenges and Return to Studies
In the summer of 1914, Gurevich was visiting his home when World War I began. This big war, and later the Russian Civil War, stopped his education for a while. But he didn't give up! In 1925, he finally graduated from the Aviation department of the Kharkiv Technological Institute. After graduating, he worked as an engineer for a state company.
Becoming an Aircraft Designer
In 1929, Gurevich moved to Moscow to follow his dream of becoming an aviation designer. In the Soviet Union, plane design was managed by the government in special groups called OKBs, or design bureaus.
In 1937, Gurevich became the head of a design team at the Polikarpov Design Bureau. This is where he met Artem Mikoyan, who would become his future partner.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau
In late 1939, Mikhail Gurevich and Artem Mikoyan created their own design bureau, which became known as the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau. Gurevich started as the Vice Chief Designer. Later, in 1957, he became the Chief Designer, a position he held until he retired in 1964. It's interesting to note that he achieved all this even though he never joined the main political party, the Communist Party.
Designing Famous Airplanes
In 1940, Mikoyan and Gurevich designed and built the MiG-1 fighter plane. This plane was designed to fly at high altitudes. They used some ideas from a project that another designer, Polikarpov, had started.
An improved version of this plane, the MiG-3 fighter, was used a lot during World War II. After the war, Gurevich and Mikoyan designed the first Soviet jet fighters. They even designed the first planes that could fly faster than the speed of sound!
The last plane Gurevich worked on was the MiG-25 interceptor. This plane is known for being one of the fastest military aircraft ever to be used in service.
Awards and Recognition
Mikhail Gurevich received many important awards for his amazing work in designing aircraft:
- Hero of Socialist Labor (1957) – This was a very high honor for his contributions to the country.
- Five State Stalin Prizes (1941, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1953) – These prizes recognized his excellent designs.
- Order of Lenin (1962) – Another very important award from the Soviet Union.
Images for kids
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The grave of Mikhail Gurevich in Saint Petersburg.
