Soviet designer Yuri Solomonov: biography

General designer Yuri Solomonov is known as one of the most experienced and bright specialists in his field. To date, he works at the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering.

early years

Future Engineer Yuri Solomonov was born in Moscow 3November 1945. He received his higher education in the capital aviation institute. After that, military service began as Lieutenant of the Strategic Missile Forces.

In 1971, Yuri Solomonov went to work in theMoscow Institute of Heat Engineering. The young specialist was a promising engineer. The Institute belonged to the Ministry of Defense of the USSR. Within the walls of this institution, the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and complexes necessary for their operation was underway.

Careers at MIT

Thanks to his talents and hard work, YuriSolomonov confidently advanced through the ranks. He has come a long way from an ordinary engineer to the chief designer of an enterprise. In 1997, the specialist headed the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering (MIT). In the 90s, Solomonov did much to ensure that Russia's nuclear shield was preserved, even in spite of economic and political upheavals.

Under the direction of the Doctor of Science, his subordinatesbegan to receive a large number of orders from various law enforcement agencies. Leading developers of rockets intended for land units worked at MIT. The Navy assigned the enterprise the creation of anti-submarine complexes "Medvedka", "Downpour" and "Whirlwind". Solomonov directed such complex projects as "Topol" and "Pioneer". These complexes went to the Strategic Missile Forces.

MIT developed and transformedactivity of its chief designer, which was Yuri Solomonov. The biography of the specialist is also known for his initiatives to conduct scientific and research work on the re-equipment of space and ballistic missiles.

"Mace"

An important project of MIT was the creation ofintercontinental missile "Bulava", intended for sea basing. The design biography of Yuri Solomonov is full of such important works of state scale. Order for "Bulava" was received in 1998. Especially for her, the underwater missile carrier Borey was upgraded, as well as the underwater missile cruiser Dmitry Donskoy. These submarines were idle without the Bulava. The army could not take them into service.

Tests of the Bulava missile were first conductedin 2004 in Udmurtia. The production of these projectiles was planned to begin within a few years after the order was accepted by the Ministry of Defense. However, despite the efforts of the company's staff and personally Yuri Solomonov, the first few launches were unsuccessful. There were technical errors and design flaws. Only two starts out of eleven were recognized as part-time.

Failures caused the chief designer to fileresignation from the post of head of the institute. The last straw was the failure of the launch on the nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoy in the White Sea. It happened in July 2009. The media noted that this incident was the first of its kind, when the chief designer took personal responsibility for the failure of many years of work. This was the most difficult decision ever taken by Solomon Yuri Semyonovich. Parents, family and loved ones supported him at this difficult moment. The designer was able to recognize defeat with a high-raised head.

Temporary setbacks

Roscosmos responded quickly to resignationSolomonov. The ministry noted that, despite the fact that he left the post of the head of the institute, Yuri Semenovich remained at MIT as a general designer. The engineer continued to work on projects of sea and ground-based missile systems. The position of director of the institute went to Sergey Nikulin. He won this place in a competition held by Roskosmos.

The main reason for the failure of the "Bulava" steelproblems encountered at the assembly stage. The process of creating a rocket was complicated by the lack of necessary components. Despite the fiasco, Bulava as a project has been preserved. Its development for some time engaged in other people.

Adoption of the "Mace" in service

In September 2010, the post was establishedGeneral Designer, responsible for the creation of the Topol-M missile system. She was taken by Yuri Solomonov. The designer promised that the development will end in 2011. Then, under his leadership, work was resumed on the completion of the long-suffering Bulava. The Ministry of Defense demanded that the work be completed as quickly as possible. Within a few months, four successful launches of the Bulava were made. The rocket was intended for the nuclear submarine "Yuri Dolgoruky." On June 28, 2011, an important successful launch was made from this carrier.

A few months later, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced that the rocket had passed all the necessary tests. Soon she was put into service.

Disputes with the Ministry of Defense

In 2011, a scandal broke out in military circles,in the center of which was Yuri Solomonov. The designer criticized the Ministry of Defense for plans to develop a new kind of liquid heavy rocket. The main opponent of the famous designer was Vladimir Popovkin. This was the Deputy Minister of Defense, who advocated the continuation of developments in this vein.

Solomonov did not agree with Popovkin. He held a press conference at Interfax. The designer called the decision of the Ministry of Defense to continue the program of developing missiles far-fetched and harmful. Solomon declared these shells inappropriate for use with modern technology. At the end of the press conference, the General Designer of MIT also added that he considers this project of the Ministry of Defense "a waste of money."

Ground analogue "Bulava"

May 24, 2012 on the strategicthe Plesetsk cosmodrome launched a new rocket. The Ministry of Defense did not specify what kind of development. In fact, it turned out that it was the first land analogue of the Bulava of Solomon, which had previously been launched from nuclear submarines. The famous designer was one of the main actors in the course of the development of this secret project. The purpose of the new weapons was later called the opposition of the US missile defense system deployed in Europe.

Missiles received improved performance oncompared with similar "Yars" and "Topol-M". From the first version of the Bulava, this complex received a solid type of fuel. It was designed specifically to make engines even more efficient. This project was extremely useful for the entire military-industrial complex of the country. MIT specialists have a new design, scientific and research experience.

Cooperation with Luzhkov

For over a decade, Solomon has manycollaborated with Yuri Luzhkov, who was until 2010 the mayor of Moscow. The designer headed the initiative group, which nominated the mayor for a second term in 1999. Solomonov at the professional level supported the projects of Luzhkov, which he initiated in the capital.

For example, in MIT specifically for the city hall developedMoscow monorail. Luzhkov and Solomon jointly registered patents for inventions in the field of urban infrastructure. Their collaboration ended when the mayor was dismissed by Dmitry Medvedev, then the president of Russia.

Scientific and writing activities

The Russian Academy of Sciences has manyCorresponding members of the technical profile associated with the army. Among them stands Yuri Solomonov. The nationality of the academician and engineer is Russian. The doctor of technical sciences became an inventor in Soviet times, having received the State Prize of the USSR for his professional activities.

Solomon wrote nine monographs, sixtextbooks and about three hundred scientific papers. He owns patents on 17 inventions. In connection with the public interest in the Bulava, the general designer of MIT wrote a documentary-artistic book “Nuclear Vertical”. The novelty was popular with a wide reading audience. On April 28, 2015, the academician became one of the first Russian citizens to be awarded the title of Hero of Labor.

The family of Solomonov, Yuri Semenovich, lives with him in Moscow. Currently, the designer continues to work at MIT and lead research projects in the field of rocket production.