Grushin Pyotr Dmitrievich (January 15, 1906, Volsk, Saratov Governorate — November 29, 1993, Khimki, Moscow Region) was a Soviet scientist and designer in the field of aviation and rocket technology, a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (from 1966), and a twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1958, 1981). For more than forty years he headed the development of surface-to-air guided missiles. Grushin's Nizhny Novgorod connection is defined by the Sokol plant, where aviation products related to the design work of his design bureau were manufactured in various years.[1]

Early Years and Education

Grushin was born in Volsk and attended a parish school and a city school, and from 1921 to 1925 the Ilyich vocational school. After finishing school he worked at the Vozrozhdenie plant in Marxstadt (now Marks), at the Bolshevik cement plant, and at a tannery in Volsk.[2] In 1928 the Komsomol committee sent him to study in Leningrad, at the shipbuilding faculty of the Polytechnic Institute, in the department training specialists in seaplane aviation. In 1930 this department was transferred to the newly created Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), from which Grushin graduated in 1932, receiving a diploma as a mechanical engineer in aircraft construction.[3][1]

During his student years, Grushin's mentors were the aircraft designers D. P. Grigorovich, S. V. Ilyushin, and B. N. Yuryev. After receiving his diploma he worked in the Bureau of New Designs under the French aircraft designer A. Lavil, then in the design bureau of Aircraft Plant No. 39. At Grigorovich's invitation he returned to MAI, to the department of aircraft design and engineering.[3]

Aviation Period

At MAI, under Grushin's leadership, the U-2 trainer aircraft was improved, the light-engine aircraft "Oktyabryonok" was built in 1936, the high-speed ground-attack aircraft "Tandem-MAI" was created in 1937, and in 1940 development began on the short-range bomber BB-MAI.[3] In 1940 Grushin was appointed chief designer of Aircraft Plant No. 135 in Kharkiv, where he was engaged in the serial production of the Su-2 bomber and the development of the DIS-135 (Gr-1) fighter.[1]

During the Great Patriotic War he organized the evacuation of the Kharkiv plant, and in 1942 he was appointed deputy to S. A. Lavochkin. With his participation the serial launch of the La-5 fighter was accelerated: already in September 1942 the fighter regiments fighting at Stalingrad were equipped with aircraft of this type. From 1943 to 1946 Grushin worked as chief engineer of Aircraft Plant No. 381 in Moscow, where he also established production of the La-5.[3] After the war he held senior positions in the Ministry of the Aviation Industry and the Special Committee for Jet Technology, and from the fall of 1948 to 1951 he served as dean of the aircraft construction faculty and vice-rector for research at MAI.[1]

Rocket Technology

In 1951 Grushin was appointed first deputy to Lavochkin for the refinement and testing of the V-300 missile of the Berkut (S-25) surface-to-air system. In 1953 he headed Experimental Design Bureau No. 2 (from 1967, the Fakel Machine-Building Design Bureau named after P. D. Grushin) in Khimki.[2][1] Under his leadership the S-75 Dvina and S-200 and S-300 surface-to-air missile systems were created, along with missiles for the anti-missile defense system and for the air-to-air class. In 1960 an American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by a missile of the 1D modification.[3]

In 1962, Grushin was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the Department of Technical Sciences, and in 1966 he became a full member (academician) in the Department of Mechanics and Control Processes.[3] He was a laureate of the Lenin Prize (1963) and the USSR State Prize (1965). He was awarded seven Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.[2]

Legacy

In 1983, Grushin was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Volsk. In 1985, a bronze bust of him was installed in that city (sculptor V. M. Klykov, architect R. I. Semerdzhiev), and on January 10, 1986, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the wall of building No. 80 on 1 Maya Street, where the Grushin family lived.[2] A street in Khimki is named after him, and the Fakel Machine-Building Design Bureau bears the designer's name.[2] He is buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

Sources

  1. qr.gbumac.ru — Grushin Pyotr Dmitrievich — GBU "MAC"
  2. sounb.ru — Grushin Pyotr Dmitrievich — SARATOV REGIONAL UNIVERSAL SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY
  3. isaran.ru — Grushin Pyotr Dmitrievich. — IS ARAN
  4. biograph.ru — Almaz-Antey
  5. palba.cz — 9K33 Osa