OKB is a transliteration of the Russian initials of "" – , meaning 'experiment and design bureau'. During the

Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

, OKBs were closed institutions working on

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

and prototyping of advanced technology, usually for

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

applications Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

. The english language corresponding term for such bureau's occupation is

Research and Development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

. A bureau was officially identified by a number, and often semi-officially by the name of its lead designer – for example, OKB-51 was led by Pavel Sukhoi, and it eventually became known as the OKB of

Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (russian: ПАО «Компания „Сухой“», ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet), headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and mili ...

. Successful and famous bureaus often retained this name even after the death or replacement of their designers. These relatively small, state-run organisations were not intended for the

mass production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...

of aircraft, rockets, or other vehicles or equipment which they designed. However, they usually had the facilities and resources to construct prototypes. Designs accepted by the state were then assigned to factories for mass production. After the

collapse of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, many OKBs became Scientific Production Organizations () (NPO). There were some attempts to merge them in the 1990s, and there were widespread amalgamations in 2001–2006 to create "

national champions National champions are corporations which are technically private businesses but due to governmental policy are ceded a dominant position in a national economy. In this system, these large organizations are expected not only to seek profit but als ...

", such as

Almaz-Antey JSC Concern VKO "Almaz-Antey" (russian: link=no, ОАО "Концерн ВКО "Алмаз-Антей"») is a Russian state-owned company in the arms industry, a result of a merger of Antey Corporation and NPO Almaz, unifying some of the nati ...

to consolidate SAM development.

OKBs in aerospace industry

* KB-1 –

NPO Almaz Joint-stock company, JSC NPO Almaz named after A.A. Raspletin (russian: link=no, ГСКБ Концерна ПВО "Алмаз-Антей", former SB-1, 1947–50; KB-1, 1950–66; MKB Strela, 1966–71; TsKB Almaz, 1971–88; NPO Almaz, 1988–2 ...

, Vitaly Shabanov * OKB-1 – Korolev (today RSC Energia) * OKB-1 – Dr. Brunolf Baade disbanded by 1953 * OKB-2 – early name of

MKB Raduga MKB Raduga (russian: МКБ Радуга, meaning Raduga Design Bureau (russian: машиностроительное конструкторское бюро «Радуга»), where ''raduga'' literally means "rainbow") is a Russian aerospac ...

(OKB-155-2) * OKB-3 – Bratukhin * OKB-4 –

Matus Bisnovat Matus Ruvimovich Bisnovat (russian: Матус Рувимович Бисноват, 23 October 1905, Nikopol – 8 November 1977) was a Soviet aircraft and missile designer. Bisnovat attended the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), graduating in 1 ...

's Design Bureau (different from

NPO Molniya NPO Molniya (''lightning'') (russian: Научно-производственное объединение «Молния») is a Russian scientific and production enterprise, founded on February 26, 1976. Currently part of Rostec Rostec ( rus ...

) * OKB-8 – Novator (long-range SAMs) * OKB-19 –

Shvetsov UEC-Aviadvigatel JSC (Russian: АО "ОДК-Авиадвигатель", lit. Aeroengine) is a Russian developer and builder of aircraft engines, most notably jet engines for commercial aircraft. Based at the Perm Engine Plant, its products powe ...

, Soloviev. Now: "Perm MKB" * OKB-20 –

Klimov The JSC Klimov (or Joint Stock Company Klimov) presently manufactures internationally certified gas turbine engines, main gearboxes and accessory drive gearboxes for transport aircraft. Originally established as ''Kirill Klimov Experimental D ...

, Omsk-Motors * OKB-21 –

Alexeyev Alexeyev, Alekseyev, Alexeiev, Alexeev or Alekseev (russian: Алексе́ев) is a common Russian surname that is derived from the male given name Alexey (Алексей) and literally means ''Alexey's''. Often the same name appears in English i ...

* OKB-23 –

Myasishchev V. M. Myasishchev Experimental Design Bureau (Экспериментальный Машиностроительный Завод им. В. М. Мясищева) or OKB-23, founded in 1951 by MGB UdSSR Vladimir Myasishchev, was ...

(also OKB-482) * OKB-24 – Mikulin * OKB-26 –

* OKB-39 –

Ilyushin The public joint stock company Ilyushin Aviation Complex, operating as Ilyushin (russian: Илью́шин) or as Ilyushin Design Bureau, is a former Soviet and now a Russian aircraft manufacturer and design bureau, founded in 1933 by Sergey ...

* OKB-45 –

* OKB-47 –

Yakovlev The JSC A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau (russian: ОАО Опытно-конструкторское бюро им. А.С. Яковлева) is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer (design office prefix Yak). Its head office is in Aeroport ...

originally, transferred to Shcherbakov * OKB-49 –

Beriev The PJSC Beriev Aircraft Company (russian: Таганрогский авиационный научно-технический комплекс им. Г. М. Бериева, , Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific Technical Complex), formerly Beriev ...

* OKB-51 –

* OKB-52 – Chelomei * OKB-86 – Bartini * OKB-115 –

* OKB-117 –

, Izotov * OKB-120 – Zhdanov (surname) * OKB-124 – N/A (cooling systems for Tu-121) * OKB-134 –

Vympel Directorate "V" of the FSB Special Purpose Center, often referred to as Spetsgruppa "V" Vympel ( pennant in Russian, originated from German , and having the same meaning), but also known as KGB Directorate "V", Vega Group, is an elite Russia ...

* OKB-140 – N/A (first hydro-alcohol starter-generators for Tu-121) * OKB-153 –

Antonov Antonov State Enterprise ( uk, Державне підприємство «Антонов»), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov (Antonov ASTC) ( uk, Авіаційний науково-технічни� ...

* OKB-154 – Kosberg, previously OKB-296 * OKB-155 –

Mikoyan Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...

(formerly Mikoyan-Gurevich) * OKB-155-2 – (sometimes designated as OKB-2-155) OKB-155 spin-off in

Dubna Dubna ( rus, Дубна́, p=dʊbˈna) is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of ''naukograd'' (i.e. town of science), being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research center and one o ...

. Gurevich, Berezniak, Isaev... Now

. * OKB-156 –

Tupolev Tupolev (russian: Ту́полев, ), officially Joint Stock Company Tupolev, is a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Basmanny District, Moscow. Tupolev is successor to the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau ( OKB-156, design off ...

* OKB-165 – Lyulka * OKB-207 – Borovkov and Florov ( Borovkov-Florov D, Borovkov-Florov I-207) * OKB-240 – Yermolaev * OKB-256 – Tsybin * OKB-276 – Kuznetsov * OKB-296 – renamed to OKB-154 in 1946 KB Khimavtomatika * OKB-300 –

Tumansky Sergei Konstantinovich Tumansky (russian: Серге́й Константинович Туманский; – 9 September 1973) was a designer of Soviet aircraft engines and the chief designer in the Tumansky Design Bureau, OKB-300. He worked i ...

* OKB-301 –

Lavochkin NPO Lavochkin (russian: НПО Лавочкина, OKB-301, also called Lavochkin Research and Production Association or shortly Lavochkin Association, LA) is a Russian aerospace company. It is a major player in the Russian space program, being th ...

* OKB-329 – Mil * SKB-385 – Makeev * OKG-456 – Glushko * OKB-458 – Chetverikov * OKB-478 – Ivchenko * OKB-575 –

Kovrov Kovrov (russian: Ковро́в) is a city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Klyazma River, a tributary of the Oka. Kovrov's population as of the 2021 Census was 132,417, down from 145,214 recorded in the 2010 Cens ...

* OKB-586 – Yangel * OKB-692 – JSC "Khartron" (formerly KB electropriborostroeniya, then NPO "Electropribor") * OKB-794 – Leninets * OKB-938 – Kamov

References

{{Reflist

External links

Factories, Research and Design Establishments of the Soviet Defence Industry: a Guide
University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
Aviation.ru - "OKBs"
Science and technology in the Soviet Union Science and technology in Russia Technological races ru:Список конструкторских бюро СССР и России

OKBs in aerospace industry

See also

References

External links