Rostislav Belyakov

Rostislav Beliakov (Ростислав Аполлосович Беляков) (Murom, March 4, 1919 – Moscow, February 28, 2014) was a Russian fighter aircraft designer. He spent his career at the MiG design bureau, which he headed from 1969 after the death of Artem Mikoyan until the 1990s. He was responsible for the design of several of the Soviet Union's most successful and influential fighter aircraft, including the MiG-29 and MiG-31.

Life Rostislav Beliakov joined MiG in 1941 after graduating from the Moscow Aviation Institute. The design bureau was barely two years old and faced the challenge of contributing to the expansion and modernization of the Soviet Air Force during World War II. Beliakov rose quickly through the ranks at MiG, being appointed deputy chief designer in 1957. He oversaw the design of the MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighters, which were eventually produced in large numbers and exported to Soviet allies, where they saw combat in numerous Cold War conflicts.

In 1969, following the death of Artem Mikoyan (MiG's co-founder with Mikhail Gurevich), Rostislav Beliakov took over as head of the design bureau, holding the title of chief designer. Under his leadership, MiG developed a family of fourth-generation fighters, including the MiG-29 Fulcrum multirole fighter-bomber and the MiG-31 Foxhound high-performance interceptor. The Fulcrum, developed in secret and conceived as a counterpart to the American-made F-15 and F-16 fighters, was considered by NATO powers to be a major breakthrough for the Soviet ranks due to its design, which included significant innovations in aerodynamics, propulsion, electronics, and weaponry. .