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Mikhail Yangel: The Father of Yuzhnoye

1.1. Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel

Figure 1.1. Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel (source: rights reserved)

Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel was born on October 25, 1911 (Julian calendar) or November 7, 1911 (Gregorian calendar) in the village of Zyryanova in the Nizhny–Ilimskyi region, near Irkutsk (Siberia). His parents, Kuzma Lavrentiyevich and Anna Pavlovna, were peasants. They had 12 children (eight boys and four girls): Nikolai (1900–1962, made his career in the army), Kirill (1901, died at a few months old), Aleksandr (1903–1974, Major General of the NKVD), Konstantin (1907–1938, educated at the School of Mines, arrested and executed in 1938), Nadezhda (1907–1932), Mikhail (1911–1971), Galina (1913–1945), Zoya (1915–1923), Pavel (1917–1970), Georgy (1921–1972), Valentina (1923–?) and Yakov (1926–1988).

Figure 1.2. The Yangel house in Zyryanova (source: rights reserved)

Mikhail joined the Komsomol (Communist youth organization) in 1925. The following year, at the age of 15, he moved to Moscow to join his brother Konstantin. He attended the Krasnoarmeysk Textile Factory School near Moscow, and then worked in the factory of a workshop. In July 1931, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). In September, he joined the newly established Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), but we do not know whether he had a passion for aviation prior to joining the Institute.

Figure 1.3. Yangel in the United States in 1938 (source: rights reserved)

He soon became a member of the Party Committee and then Secretary of the Komsomol Committee of the Institute. There he attended the courses of the famous Aircraft Designer, N.N. Polikarpov. In September 1935, he became a Second-Category Designer at the Polikarpov Design Bureau (OKB) to complete his thesis project, “High-Altitude Fighter with a Pressurized Cabin”. After graduating in January 1937, he joined the Wings Brigade of the OKB where he worked on modifications to the I-15 and I-16 fighters, notably the I-153 Chaika, which were widely used during the Spanish War.

From February to September 1938, he was part of a Soviet delegation that traveled to the United States within the framework of the US-Soviet trade agreements. He resided on 5th Avenue in New York and visited several aviation plants in Chicago (Boeing), Los Angeles (Lockheed), Santa Monica (Douglas), San Diego (Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp), etc. On his return, in November, he was appointed Deputy to Polikarpov.

On May 23, 1939, he married Irina Viktorovna Strazheva (1915–1995) who had been studying at MAI since 1935. In 1940, she became an engineer at the Flight Research Institute (LII). A specialist in aerodynamics, she taught at MAI and went on to become a Doctor of Technical Sciences. She bore Mikhail two children: Ludmilla (1940–2021) and Aleksandr (1942–1989). They both graduated from MAI, Aleksandr to work as a journalist, and Ludmilla to become a Doctor of Technical Sciences and a professor.

Figure 1.4. Wedding to Irina in 1939 (source: rights reserved)

After his wedding, Yangel then moved to Gorky Plant No. 21 to organize the serial production of the I-180 fighter. It was onboard this plane that the famous pilot V.P. Chkalov was killed on December 15, 1938. In April 1940, Yangel returned to become Lead Engineer of the heavy escort fighter TIS (A). It was an aircraft of 8.9 t max on take-off, equipped with two AM-37 engines. It was set to be produced by Moscow Plant No. 51, and in July he was appointed Deputy Plant Director and Lead Engineer at the OKB. However, the war then began on June 22, 1941. The first flight of the TIS (A) was conducted by the test pilot G.M. Shyanov on August 30th. He then organized the evacuation of the plant in Novosibirsk in November. On June 13, 1942, the TIS (A) was entrusted to A.V. Potopalov and Yangel returned to Moscow. He became Head of an assembly shop in a plant, then Deputy Head of the flight test station on December 5th. On January 16, 1943, he rejoined the Polikarpov OKB. Yangel then organized the repatriation of the plant and the serial production of the I-185 fighter. However, on April 5th, the pilot V.A. Stepanchenok died during a test flight of this aircraft, which ultimately did not get serially produced.

Figure 1.5. The Yangel family (source: rights reserved)

In February 1944, Yangel returned to Moscow and the following month, he became Deputy Main Engineer at OKB-155 of A.I. Mikoyan for nine months. Shortly thereafter, on July 30th, Polikarpov died of stomach cancer. His OKB-51 was then entrusted to V.N. Chelomei for the development of the Soviet V-1: the 10Kh missile. In February 1953, the OKB was withdrawn from him and was entrusted to Mikoyan. It became the subsidiary for winged rockets, headed by M.I. Gurevich. Stalin died on March 5th. In October, the subsidiary was withdrawn from Mikoyan to merge with OKB-1 of P.O. Sukhoi. This OKB had been created to produce a model of the American F-86 Sabre from a copy recovered in Korea in May 1952. It was initially headed by V.V. Kondratiyev, and then by Sukhoi from May 1953. On January 15, 1954, it formed the new OKB-51 to develop the S-1 (swept wing) and T-1 (delta wing) fighters.

Figure 1.6. The I-185 aircraft of 1943 (source: rights reserved)

In January 1945, Yangel became Lead Engineer of the VB-109 aircraft in OKB-482 of V.M. Myasishchev in Moscow (for 1 year). But the OKB closed. In January 1946, he became Lead Engineer in a Sector of the Ministry of Aviation Industry for (two years), which was working on a new technique. Indeed, this was the beginning of jet aviation. From early 1948 to March 1950, he studied at the Academy of Aviation Industry (for two years) in Moscow. His degree was in the calculation of a fighter wing. At the Academy, he met S.O. Okhapkin, who, having graduated from MAI in 1938, had worked in the OKBs of Tupolev, Myasishchev and Ilyushin. They were the only two of their year group to enter the rocket industry. On April 12, 1950, Yangel became Head of Sector No. 5 (Guidance Systems) at OKB-1 of NII-88 headed by Sergei Korolev. He replaced Boris Chertok, who became his Deputy (Chertok was Jewish and victim of Stalinist cosmopolitanism) because Yangel had no experience with guidance systems and rockets. Korolev explained to Chertok that he would deal directly with him because Yangel was to be with them for a long time. Okhapkin was Head of the Strength Section.

On March 24, 1951, Myasishchev’s OKB reopened: it became OKB-23, in charge of building a strategic jet bomber (aircraft 25, M4). He requested the return of Yangel and Okhapkin to his Design Bureau. But ultimately, they stayed with Korolev.

On May 9, 1951, production of the R-1 was entrusted to Plant No. 586 in Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine). A team from OKB-1, headed by V.S. Budnik, Head of Sector No. 4 (Construction), visited the site, where he created a Serial Production Design Bureau (SKB). Budnik was then replaced by Okhapkin.

On July 31, 1951, Yangel was appointed Korolev’s Deputy Chief Designer. At this time, the OKB was developing the R-5 and R-11 ballistic missiles. The first was oxygen/kerosene (non-storable) and the second was nitric acid/kerosene (storable).

Figure 1.7. Korolev’s R-11 missile (source: rights reserved)

On March 20, 1952, three rocket-engine Design Bureaus were formed: OKB-1 of L.S. Dushkin at NII-1, OKB-2 of A.M. Isayev and OKB-3 of D.D. Sevruk at NII-88.

On May 16, 1952, Yangel took over the management of NII-88, replacing K.N. Rudnev, who became Deputy Minister of Armaments. He then rose above Korolev, having only been at the Institute for two years. But he was a communist who was supported by Minister D.F. Ustinov while Korolev was imprisoned in 1938–1944 and was not yet at the CPSU (he was not until one year later). Yangel’s predecessors were Directors of arms plants: L.R. Gonor, Director in 1946–1950, had headed Gun Plants (Barricade, UralMash and Bolshevik), while K.N. Rudnev, Director in 1950–1952, had headed TsKB-14 in Tula and NII-61 in Klimovsk (Firearms).

Yangel headed NII-88 for 18 months. But during this period, important Decree No. 443-213ss: “On the Plan of Scientific-Research Work on Long-Range Rockets in 1953–1955” was issued by Stalin on February 13, 1953, providing for the creation of an intercontinental missile.

On October 30, 1953, Yangel became Main Engineer at NII-88 following his replacement by A.S. Spiridonov. The latter had been Main Engineer at the Institute in 1948–1949, then Head of the 7th Glavka for six months, then Head of the 6th Glavka of the Ministry in 1949–1953. Yangel’s predecessor was M.S. Ryazanskyi was Chief Designer at NII-885 in May 1946, Main Engineer at NII-88 in January 1951, then Head of the 7th Glavka of the Ministry in June 1952.

In order to develop storable propellant rockets and create a competitor to Korolev, the government decided to form a new OKB in Dnepropetrovsk. Thus, the Budnik SKB was transformed into OKB-586 by Decree No. 674-292 of April 10, 1954. And on July 9th, Yangel was appointed its Head and its Chief Designer. This marked the end of Korolev’s monopoly. Yangel...