Artem Mikoyan

Artem Mikoyan
Born	Template:Birth date Sanahin, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire (now Alaverdi, Lori Province, Armenia)
Died	December 9, 1970(1970-12-09) (aged 65)
Occupation	Aircraft engineer
Known for	Cofounder of the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau (MiG)

Artem (Artyom) Ivanovich Mikoyan (Russian: Артём Ива́нович Микоя́н; Armenian: Արտյոմ (Անուշավան) Հովհաննեսի Միկոյան, romanized: Artyom (Anushavan) Hovhannesi Mikoyan; Template:OldStyleDate – 9 December 1970) was a prominent Soviet Armenian aircraft engineer and cofounder of the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau alongside Mikhail Gurevich.

Early life and career

Born into an Armenian family on 5 August 1905 in the village of Sanahin, which was then part of the Tiflis Governorate within the Russian Empire (currently located in Alaverdi, Lori Province, Armenia), Mikoyan began his journey in aviation engineering. He was the sibling of Anastas Mikoyan, a notable Soviet political figure. After completing his initial schooling, he worked as a machine-tool operator in Rostov before moving to employment at the "Dynamo" factory in Moscow. His career was briefly interrupted by military conscription. Following his military service, Mikoyan enrolled at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, where he designed his inaugural aircraft and graduated in 1936. Initially collaborating with Polikarpov, he was appointed head of a new aircraft design bureau in Moscow by December 1939. Alongside Mikhail Gurevich, he established the Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau, which developed multiple fighter aircraft models. In March 1942, this bureau was renamed OKB MiG (Osoboye Konstruktorskoye Byuro), also known as ANPK MiG (Aviatsionnyy nauchno-proizvodstvennyy kompleks) and OKO MiG. Their initial model, the MiG-1, was unsuccessful, while the MiG-3 entered production but only sporadically fulfilled its intended role as a high-altitude interceptor. Subsequent designs such as the MiG-5, MiG-7, and MiG-8 Utka remained experimental prototypes without advancing to mass production.

Jet aircraft designs

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Monument to Artem Mikoyan at the Mikoyan Brothers Museum in Sanahin, Armenia

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Artem Mikoyan memorial in Sanahin

In the immediate post-World War II period, Soviet jet designs drew heavily on indigenous developments as well as captured German aircraft and intelligence supplied by Britain and the United States. By 1946, Soviet engineers were still grappling with refining the German axial-flow BMW 109-003 jet engine—plans for this turbojet had been obtained from the Basdorf-Zühlsdorf factory near Berlin and the Central Works near Nordhausen. Production of the 109-003 began at the "Red October" GAZ 466 (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, or Gorky Automobile Plant) in Leningrad, where it was manufactured from 1947 under the designation RD-20 (reaktivnyy dvigatel, meaning "jet engine"). While Soviet design bureaus were developing new airframes and near-sonic wing configurations, jet engine advancements lagged behind. Aviation minister Mikhail Khrunichev and designer Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev proposed to Joseph Stalin that advanced British jet engines be purchased. Stalin reportedly responded, "Who would foolishly sell us their secrets?" Nevertheless, he approved the plan, leading Artem Mikoyan, engine designer Klimov, and other officials to travel to Britain to negotiate. To Stalin’s surprise, the British Labour government and its pro-Soviet trade minister Sir Stafford Cripps agreed to share technical data and grant a license for producing the Rolls-Royce Nene centrifugal-flow jet engine. This engine was reverse-engineered into the Soviet Klimov VK-1, which powered the MiG-15 fighter. Rolls-Royce later unsuccessfully pursued £207 million in license fees.

Meanwhile, on 15 April 1947, the Council of Ministers issued decree #493-192 instructing the Mikoyan OKB to develop two prototypes of a new jet fighter. Due to tight deadlines requiring first flights by December that year, OKB-155 designers reverted to an earlier problematic design—the 1946 MiG-9. This aircraft employed two RD-20 engines (Soviet copies of the BMW 003), which proved unreliable. Additionally, its straight-wing configuration suffered from handling deficiencies.

The experimental Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270, a rocket-powered straight-wing interceptor developed immediately after the war, was influenced by captured German designs such as the never-produced Messerschmitt Me 263. This design contributed to future MiG jets. Notably, in 1945, the MiG OKB created the first Soviet swept-wing aircraft—the experimental Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-8 Utka canard pusher monoplane. Insights from this project, combined with German research documents, enabled development of the single-engine swept-wing prototype I-310 for what would become the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15. Equipped with the Klimov VK-1 (a derivative of the British Nene), this design evolved into the mass-produced MiG-15 fighter, which took its maiden flight on 31 December 1948—approximately fifteen months after its American counterpart, the XP-86 Sabre. Despite its mixed heritage, this aircraft delivered outstanding performance and served as a foundation for successive fighter models. Initially designed to intercept American bombers like the B-29 Superfortress, it underwent evaluation through simulated air combat against interned U.S. B-29s and its Soviet copy, the Tupolev Tu-4. Numerous variants of the MiG-15 were produced; among them, the two-seat trainer MiG-15UTI (NATO reporting name 'Midget') was most prevalent. Over 18,000 units were manufactured before being succeeded by models such as the MiG-17 and MiG-19.

During the Korean War, Communist forces operated MiG-15 jets extensively. The northwestern region of North Korea, where the Yalu River flows into the Yellow Sea, became known to U.S. Air Force pilots as "MiG Alley". This area witnessed numerous dogfights between U.S. fighters and Communist aircraft—primarily those flown by Soviet pilots. The conflict predominantly featured engagements between F-86 Sabres and Soviet-built MiG-15s. Because it marked one of history’s earliest large-scale jet-versus-jet combat zones, MiG Alley is often regarded as the birthplace of modern jet fighter aerial warfare.

Later career

Beginning in 1952, Mikoyan expanded his expertise to include the design of missile systems tailored specifically for his aircraft, notably the renowned MiG-21. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he consistently developed advanced fighter jets that delivered exceptional performance.

He received the prestigious civilian distinction, the Hero of Socialist Labor, on two occasions and served as a deputy across six sessions of the Supreme Soviet.

Following the passing of Gurevich, the design bureau's name was shortened from Mikoyan-Gurevich to simply Mikoyan, although the designation MiG was retained. The bureau went on to create numerous additional models, including the MiG-23, MiG-29, MiG-35, as well as various derivatives.

After experiencing a stroke in 1969, Mikoyan passed away the next year and was laid to rest at Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery.

Awards and distinctions

Among his notable recognitions are:

• Two-time recipient of the Hero of Socialist Labour
• Six Orders of Lenin
• Order of the Red Banner
• Order of the Patriotic War 1st class
• Two Orders of the Red Star
• Awarded the Lenin Prize in 1962
• Multiple USSR State Prize honors (1941, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953)

Legacy

• A commemorative plaque marks his residence at the House on the Embankment.
• Armenia has issued postage stamps in his honor.
• Streets named Aviakostruktora Mikoyana exist in Moscow, Ulan-Ude, and Minsk district (Belarus).
• An educational institution, School №166 in Armenia, bears his name.
• In Orel, a memorial plaque honors A. I. Mikoyan on the site formerly housing the Orel Armored School.
• In 1996, Mikoyan was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.