Arkady Georgievich Shipunov

Arkady Georgievich Shipunov was from 1962 head and general designer at the Tula Central Design Bureau-14, which was later transformed into the state-owned enterprise Instrument Design Bureau, which he headed until 2006, and then remained in senior positions. He was a Hero of Socialist Labor, Laureate of Lenin and State Prizes, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences, Academician of the International Engineering Academy, Academician of the Russian Academy of Engineering, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor.

Arkady Georgievich Shipunov was born on November 7, 1927 in the town of Livny, Oryol region in the family of employees. Having survived the Great Patriotic War as a teenager, he devoted his life to defending the country. As a young man, he dreamed of creating a weapon capable of repelling any attack and defeating the enemy. In 1944, after graduating from high school, he entered the Tula Mechanical Institute, graduating with honors in the specialty "Shooting and artillery systems and installations."

In the same year, a young engineer was assigned to work at the Tochmash Central Research Institute, Moscow Region, where he began his design activities and where he went from engineer to deputy chief engineer. Shipunov's cooperation with Gryazev began here, which will last for many years. Already in the first year of work, they together “drew” the first cannon, the creation of which was then considered a priority for the Central Research Institute, and over the next 5 years of work, Shipunov-Gryazev’s tandem developed three cannons that differed fundamentally from the existing ones and were later put into service the basis of work in the field of automatic guns. In 1950, he began working in the Research Institute-61 (later - TsNII "Tochmash") in the city of Podolsk, Moscow region, where he worked his way from an engineer to a deputy chief engineer of the institute.

In 1962, he was appointed to the post of chief and chief designer of TsKB-14 in Tula (since 1966 - Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering). A few years later, Gryazev was also transferred to the position of Deputy Head. And already here this tandem continued its activity, in fact then the now famous worldwide brand GSH appeared (after the first letters of the names of the co-creators). It is the high scientific and technical level of armament, which was created by Shipunov in collaboration with Gryazev, which predetermined the corresponding military and economic effect from the work of the enterprise. The necessary scientific and technical prerequisites were created here, and on their basis a unified system of domestic small-caliber artillery weapons was implemented, from small arms to high-precision missile systems, for all types of armed forces of the country.

Arkady Georgievich was not only a talented arms designer, but also a competent organizer. Under his leadership, the Instrument Engineering Design Bureau (KBP) has become one of the leading design organizations of the military-industrial complex of Russia, a powerful, knowledge-intensive and innovative center, gaining world renown and authority. And Shipunov himself became the founder of a modern scientific and design school for designing high-precision guided and cannon weapons.

Under his leadership and on the basis of his design solutions and ideas, a whole series of samples of missile, artillery and small arms were developed, including the GSh-23 aircraft cannon, which equipped almost all Soviet and then Russian aviation, the 2A42 used by BMP and helicopters, GSh-6-23, GSh-30-1, GSh-30-2, GSh-6-30, and also gun GSh-18. Other developments include anti-missile missile systems Metis, Kornet, Konkurs, guided weapons systems for the BMP-3 and BMD-4, tanks, anti-aircraft missile and gun systems Tunguska, Pantsir-S1, Kashtan " and many others.

Over the years of work of Shipunov in the Tula Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering (KBP), more than 70 various systems were developed, which became the basis of our army’s cannon armament, many of which greatly exceeded and are now superior to foreign analogues. And high tactical and technical characteristics, low cost and unification of new small arms made it possible in a short time to master their mass production and supply them both to the army and to other power departments.

In addition, the results of research and developments of Shipunov are now widely used in the creation of civilian products (metalworking and sewing equipment, medical laser devices, biotechnological industries). In parallel with the design and management of Arkady G. engaged in scientific work. In 1973 he defended his doctoral thesis, in 1975 became a professor, in 1991 he was elected academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and then many other academies.

In 1987, by decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Arkady Shipunov was appointed general designer and general director of the NGO "Precision", while simultaneously being the chief and chief designer of the Instrument Design Bureau (KBP). From 1992 to September 2006, he held the post of General Designer and Chief of the PCU. In 2008 he was appointed scientific supervisor of KBP.

Shipunov was the founder of the scientific and design school of the system design of high-precision missile and rifle and cannon weapons near the frontier (up to 100 km) in six directions. Under his leadership, KBP became one of the leading design and engineering organizations of the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation.

Shipunov is the author of the fundamental works in the field of machine durability, dynamics, design and design theory, automatic control and system analysis. He has more than 700 inventions and hundreds of scientific papers (publications, monographs, textbooks, books). He also headed the department of “Designing Automated Complexes” at Tula State University.

Since 1991 Shipunov was a full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, he headed the department "Production of automated complexes" in Tula State University. In 1979, the designer was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. He was awarded the Order of the Russian Federation "For Service to the Fatherland" II and III degree, the Order of Lenin, the October Revolution, the Red Banner of Labor, the international order "The Maltese Cross."

He was a laureate of the Lenin Prize (1982). He repeatedly won the State Prizes of the USSR (1968, 1975, 1987) and the Russian Federation (1998, 1999). In 2005 he was awarded the RF Government Prize in the field of science and technology. His contribution to the development of domestic weapons was repeatedly rewarded with the SI Mosin prize (1966, 1975, 1981, 1986, 2002, 2010).

He became a laureate of the national award "Person of the Year" (2000, 2005, 2008) in the section "Military-Industrial Complex", and also a laureate of the Socrates International Prize (2005). In 2001, Shipunov was awarded the National Public Award named after Peter the Great with the presentation of the Diploma of the best manager of Russia.

He was also an honorary citizen of Tula and the Tula region, as well as an honorary citizen of the city of Livny. Until the end of his days, Shipunov was full of plans, generated ideas, proposed new directions for the enterprise, continuing his labor and scientific activities. He was always free in the expression of thoughts, creativity, work, which helped him to create unique designs. Shipunov was married, he has two children.

But in recent years, the designer was seriously ill ... The famous arms designer Arkady Shipunov died April 25, 2013 in Tula, at the age of 86.