The Gromov Flight Research Institute or GFRI for short (russian: link=no, Лётно-исследовательский институт имени М. М. Громова, russian: link=no, ЛИИ) is an important Russian State Research Centre which operates an aircraft test base located in
Zhukovsky, 40 km south-east of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
. The airfield is also known as
Ramenskoye air base.
The airfield was used as the backup landing site for the
Shuttle Buran
''Buran'' (russian: Буран, , meaning "Snowstorm" or "Blizzard"; GRAU index serial number: 11F35 1K, construction number: 1.01) was the first spaceplane to be produced as part of the Soviet/Russian Buran program. Besides describing the fir ...
test program and also as a test base for a
Buran's aerodynamic
Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...
prototype BTS-002.
GFRI periodically hosts the
MAKS International Air Show (Aviasalon).
At present, GFRI also hosts
Zhukovsky International Airport
Zhukovsky , formerly (and still occasionally) known as Ramenskoye (russian: link=no, аэропорт Жуковский, аэродром Раменское) is an international airport, located in Moscow Oblast, Russia, southeast of central ...
.
History
Foundation
The Flight Research Institute was founded on March 8, 1941, in accordance with the decree of
Sovnarkom
The Councils of People's Commissars (SNK; russian: Совет народных комиссаров (СНК), ''Sovet narodnykh kommissarov''), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (Совнарком), were the highest executive authorities of ...
and the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Mikhail Gromov, a
test pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...
,
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...
, became its first chief. From the very beginning the institute participated in development and testing of aircraft and airborne systems, conducted flight research in order to pave the way to further scientific activities.
The first years of the institute's existence fell on the
war times. During the war experts of the institute kept developing recommendations to eliminate defects in flight qualities and war-fighting capabilities of the aircraft, flight testing of the aircraft prototypes, studied the foreign aircraft and equipment, both purchased and taken as trophies.
Cold War
Zhukovsky airfield was the Soviet Union's equivalent to the US Edwards AFB and as such many types of aircraft underwent evaluation.
Here some western aircraft were tested or analyzed:
* Wrecks from F-111s shot down over North Vietnam were sent to Zhukovskiy to be analyzed.
* Pieces of US planes shot down in North Vietnam and their captured electronic countermeasures equipment were taken for evaluation (F-111, A-6, A-7, B-52, F-4, F105, etc.).
* Captured VNAF helicopters are believed to have been tested (UH-1H, CH-47).
Perestroika times
Due to financial problems in the 1990s (
perestroika times), tourist fighter flights in former secret jets became available, mainly for wealthy western tourists. The security check was comparable to the Russian visa. On offer for flights was the
Aero L-39 Albatros
The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer designed and produced in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody. It is the most widely used jet trainer in the world; in addition to performing basic and advanced pilot training, it has also flo ...
jet trainer, the Soviet-built
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21,
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-23; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generati ...
,
MiG-25
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-25; NATO reporting name: Foxbat) is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that is among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by th ...
for stratosphere "Edge of Space"-flights, the
MiG-29 Fulcrum and even the
Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. From June 2006, flights stopped on Zhukovsky. Today, flights in the
Aero L-39 Albatros
The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer designed and produced in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody. It is the most widely used jet trainer in the world; in addition to performing basic and advanced pilot training, it has also flo ...
are available with the famous
Aerobatic Team Wjasma Rus and
MiG-29 Fulcrum flights are available in Nizhniy Novgorod.
The airline was established by the institute in 1995 as a wholly owned commercial subsidiary and named Gromov Air (later
Moskovia Airlines).
Current research and development activities
* Aerospace flight research and testing in low and high speed aerodynamics, flight dynamics, propulsion and avionics technologies (
GLL-8 (Gll-VK) Igla).
* Testing and certification services for prototype aircraft and on-board equipment.
* Research in aircraft flight safety, reliability, maintainability and other operating capabilities.
*
Fedotov Test Pilot School
The Fedotov Test Pilot School or FTPS (''russian: link=no, Школа лётчиков-испытателей имени А. В. Федотова or russian: link=no, ШЛИ'') is one of two test pilot schools in Russia (the other one ...
for training test pilots, navigators, and on-board test engineers.
* Development, production and operation of a variety of
flying testbeds including those based on the
Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...
,
Su-30
The Sukhoi Su-30 (russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter ...
,
Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a comme ...
,
Il-103 aeroplanes,
Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968.
It is now produced by Russia.
In addition t ...
helicopters, etc.
* Development and production of flight testing instrumentation (low and high frequency data collection solid state storage systems, vibration parameters measuring devices, instant temperature sensors, miniaturized flat piezoresistance beat and pressure distribution sensors, hot-wire airflow velocity vector transducers and aerodynamic friction stress measurement products, etc.).
Testbed aeroplanes
File:Gromov Flight Test Institute Tupolev Tu-154M Pichugin.jpg, Tupolev Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...
B/M-based testbed (2010)
File:Flight Research Institute, M. Gromov Ilyushin Il-76LL PS689709.jpg, Ilyushin Il-76LL testbed with PD-14 engine prototype (2015)
File:Beriev Be-976 (Il-76SKIP), Flight Research Institute AN0076932.jpg, Ilyushin Il-76LL SKIP testbed (1999)
File:Ilyushin IL-103, Russia - Gromov Flight Research Institute JP7189211.jpg, Ilyushin Il-103 testbed (2011)
Notable employees
Heads of the institute
*
Mikhail Gromov (March – August 1941)
* (1941–1942 and 1943–1947)
*
Vasily Molokov
, birth_date =
, death_date =
, birth_place = Irininskoye, Moscow Governorate, Russian Empire
, death_place = Moscow, USSR
, placeofburial =
, placeofburial_label =
, placeofburial_coordinates =
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, branch ...
(1942–1943)
* (1947–1951)
* Alexandr Kobzarev (1951–1954)
* (1954–1966)
* (1966–1981)
*
Arseny Mironov (1981–1985)
* (1985–1995)
* Felix Zolotariev (1995–1998)
* Viacheslav Bakaev (1998–2004)
* Yury Klishin (2005–2006)
* Vadim Shalygin (2006–2007)
* Evgeny Gorbunov (2007–2009)
*
Pavel Vlasov (2010–2017)
* (since 2017)
Scientists, test pilots, navigators, and engineers
*
Sergei Anokhin
*
Yuri Garnaev
Yuri Aleksandrovich Garnaev (russian: Юрий Александрович Гарнаев; 6 August 1967) was a famous Soviet test pilot of the Gromov Flight Research Institute who died in a helicopter crash while combating wildfires in France.
E ...
*
Anatoly Kvochur
Anatoly Nikolayevich Kvochur ( rus, Анатолий Николаевич Квочур; born 16 April 1952) is a Soviet and Russian test pilot. Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR (1990) and Hero of the Russian Federation (1992).
Biography
Anatoly ...
*
Viktor Korostiev
*
Anatoly Levchenko
*
Leonid Lobas
*
Guy Severin
Guy Ilyich Severin (russian: Гай Ильи́ч Севери́н, ''Gay Ilyich Severin''; July 24, 1926 – February 7, 2008) was a Soviet and Russian scientist, engineer, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, doctor of technical scie ...
*
Rimantas Stankevičius
Rimantas Antanas Stankiavichus (, ; 26 July 1944 in Marijampolė, Lithuania – 9 September 1990 in Salgareda, Italy) was a Lithuanian test pilot and cosmonaut in the Soviet space shuttle Buran programme. He was killed in a crash of his Su-27 figh ...
*
Amet-khan Sultan
Amet-khan Sultan ( Crimean Tatar: Amet-Han Sultan, Амет-Хан Султан, احمدخان سلطان; Russian: Амет-Хан Султан; 20 October 1920 – 1 February 1971) was a highly decorated Crimean Tatar flying ace in the Soviet ...
*
Ural Sultanov
Ural may refer to:
*Ural (region), in Russia and Kazakhstan
*Ural Mountains, in Russia and Kazakhstan
*Ural (river), in Russia and Kazakhstan
*Ual (tool), a mortar tool used by the Bodo people of India
*Ural Federal District, in Russia
*Ural econo ...
*
Max Taitz
Max Taitz (Max Arkadyevich Taitz, russian: Макс Аркадьевич Тайц; 1904-1980) was a scientist, an engineer, and one of the founders of Gromov Flight Research Institute (1941). He was a doctor of engineering, a professor, and a r ...
*
Igor Volk
Igor Petrovich Volk (russian: Игорь Петрович Волк, ; 12 April 1937 – 3 January 2017) was a Soviet test pilot and cosmonaut in the Buran programme. Military and test pilot
Volk became a pilot in the Soviet Air Forces in ...
See also
*
Armstrong Flight Research Center – the USA counterpart of the Gromov Flight Research Institute
*
List of aerospace flight test centres Flight test centers around the world all have similar missions: to conduct flight research and testing of new aircraft concepts and prototypes. Notable centers are listed below (by year of foundation):
Government establishments
* U.K. Aeroplane an ...
References
External links
*
*
GFRI airfield at Google MapsHistorical video to celebrate 80 years of Gromov Flight Research Institute (in Russian)
{{Coord, 55, 33, 29.54, N, 38, 8, 47.42, E, display=title, type:airport
Airports in Moscow Oblast
Airports built in the Soviet Union
United Aircraft Corporation
Companies based in Moscow Oblast
Buran program
Research institutes in Russia
Research institutes in the Soviet Union
Aviation in the Soviet Union
Aerospace research institutes
Aviation research institutes
Aerospace engineering organizations
Golden Idea national award winners