The academy contribution to the formation and development of Russia's armament system.

The history of Mikhailovskaya Artillery Academy is connected not only with the training of officers for missile forces and artillery (MFA), but also with the evolvement of artillery and small arms. As late as the second half of the 19th century, the academy scientists made the enormous contribution to the retrofitting of the Russian Army with the rifled-barrel artillery. The academy scientists laid the foundation for external and internal ballistics, artillery system and small arms design theory, the theoretical basis and production of powders and explosives.

Along with many other names, Prof. N.V. Maiyevskiy and Prof. A.V. Ga-dolin should be named as the first world-famous scientists of Mikhailovskaya Artillery Academy.

Gen. of the Artillery N.V. Maiyevskiy was one of the foremost authorities in world science. He actively participated in the retrofitting of the Russian Army with the rifled-barrel artillery. His treatise about the impact of gyration on flying oblong projectiles in the air (1865) was the pinnacle of the multiannual investigations of external ballistics and was important for the creation of rifled-barrel artillery. His treatise was among the first of its kind in this branch of world science. In the late 1960s, under the guidance of N.V. Maiyevskiy, new experiments were carried out for measuring air resistance to oblong projectile movement. On the basis of the launch-site investigations, he defined air resistance law later to be known as Maiyevskiy's law. Also gaining high distinction was his treatise about the impact of gyration of oblong projectiles on their penetration in solid media, which saw the light in the mid-1960s. These treatises brought about the upheaval in the domain of artillery, and immediately acquired world renown.

N.V. Maiyevskiy took part in the development of rifled-barrel artillery guns. Maiyevskiy's creativity was immensely important for the development of Russian artillery and artillery science. As a matter of fact, under his guidance all the technical issues concerned with the improvement of artillery weapons were developed in the second half of the 19th century. All types of guns, which were designed by him for field and garrison artillery, surpassed by their characteristics their foreign analogues.

His talented followers continued N.V. Maiyevskiy's scientific investigations. One of them was N.A. Zabudskiy, the Merited Professor of the academy, prominent scientist and educator. Since 1877, he delivered the training course in ballistics at the academy. He is the author of numerous writings in this area, as well as in the domain of mathematics and mechanics.

These years also coincided with the height of the scientific activity of A.V. Gadolin, the scientist and talented educator. His writings were extremely important for the design and production technology of artillery barrels. Thanks to the writings of A.V. Gadolin, which were devoted to artillery barrel design, and which did not loose their validity today, Russian artillery was in possession of the first-class, robust, long-range and reliable guns--the gunnery systems of 1867 and 1877. Those were the first guns with the steel barrels. The system introduced in 1867 laid the foundation for retrofitting Russian artillery with breech-loading rifled-barrel guns. The second system, which was the first to get the name of long-range artillery, was ahead of time by its characteristics. Those guns performed successfully in WWI and in the Civil War displaying high reliability, simplicity of operation and excellent firing accuracy.

The steel gun-carriages and all the other elements of the 1877 artillery system, except for the barrel, were developed by A.P. Engelgardt, the talented graduate of the academy, who played the outstanding role in the development of the tough and resilient gun-carriages and the artillery systems as a whole. He was the first to put on the wheels the 152 mm (60-in) field mortars of his own design.

The need for the transition from wooden carriages to steel artillery carriages was first perceived (after Crimean War experience) by S.S. Semyonov, the academy graduate, whose writings concerning artillery carriages for large-caliber garrison guns and siege guns, gained world renown. Of great importance was the invention by Prof. I.A. Vyshnegradsky of the prismatic powder manufacturing process, which enables to raise projectile initial velocity. This invention immediately gained world renown.

R.A. Durliakhov, the academy graduate and teacher, was the first to invent (as early as the late 19th century) the recoil compensator for the field gun. This type of recoil compensator is used for the barrels of modern field, tank and self-propelled guns. The recoil compensators designed by R.A. Durliakhov possessed very high effectiveness, and actually they were the forerunners of recoilless guns.

In the 1880s, the academy teachers were joined by D.K. Chernov, the great Russian metallurgist, the founder of the science of adaptive metallurgy and of steel heat treatment theory. He worked in the academy for nearly 40 years. He created the chair of adaptive metallurgy, and, working at it, the talented scientist wrote his outstanding papers. D.K. Chernov discovered the chemistry of erosion (burn-back) of the barrel breech chamber under the impact of powder gases. He laid the foundation of metallography, and he is justly considered the father of this science worldwide.

The revolutionary event, which governed the development of artillery in the second half of the 19th century was the discovery of cellulose nitrate (smokeless) powder. Its experimental manufacture began in 1887 at the Okhtinsky powder plant under the supervision of N.P. Fyodorov, the academy professor, and S.V. Panpushko, who lived a short, but bright life. N.P. Panpushko worked much on the chemistry issues of new explosive substances and on filling of munitions with them. While testing one of those substances, the talented chemical scientist was tragically killed. In honor of the great achievements in Russian artillery, the monument to S.V. Panpushko was unveiled in the main artillery practice ground.

The academy professors G.A. Zabudskiy, A.V. Sapozhnikov, A.A. Solonina, A.A. Dzerzhkovitch made the significant contribution to the theory and technology of explosive substances.

Note that the development of new indirect fire methods would be impossible without the invention of artillery instruments such as panoramic sights, aiming circles, and new devices for aiming. The academy graduate V.N. Mikhailovsky, in conjunction with artilleryman V.D. Turov, designed the angle gauge transformer (the commander's angle gauge), which was later modified by them for the commander's azimuth circle--one of the principal fire control devices of field artillery. Mikhailovskiy-Turov azimuth circle (BMT) was the inevitable item of the field artillery batteries. The upgraded (BMT-2) azimuth circle was widely used till the end of the Great Patriotic War. Note that the inventions of V.N. Mikhailovskiy helped Soviet plants to develop the production of panoramic sights for guns, thus avoiding dependence on foreign imports of those instruments.

The emergence of the other two types of weapons--the missile and rocket armaments--is closely linked with the history of Russian artillery, as well as with the academy history. A.D. Zasyadko, the first Commander of the Artillery School and the General of A.V Suvorov's military traditions was the inventor of high explosive rockets and incendiary rockets (1815-1818). He also designed the six-barreled salvo rocket launcher (with 2-mile (3-km) launching range). Like all artillery weapons of those years, the rockets were filled with black blasting powder. In 1827, A.D. Zasyadko formed the first rocket firing battery. In the Russian-Turkish war (1828-1829), the rocket firing battery was used on the battlefield, and at one time it was part of the siege artillery under A.D. Zasyadko's command.

Besides the scientific investigations in the area of artillery, the academy scientists laid the foundation for the development of small arms. Blazing the trail in this domain was V.L. Chebyshev, the talented scientist, designer and academy professor (brother of P.L. Chebyshev, the outstanding Russian mathematician). The scientific school of weapon designers began to form itself under his guidance. V.L. Chebyshev himself designed three breech-loading rifles (1867). But the warped judgment of military bureaucratic elite and reverence for foreign-made items were obstacles to introduction of the small arms designed by him. The same fate befell many other Russian-made weapons in the field of small arms. Sparing no efforts in overcoming a lot of encumbrances, only S.I. Mosin, the academy graduate and the follower of V.L. Chebyshev, was able to break through. The 7.62-mm (0.3-in) magazine rifle designed by him was put into service in 1891, and for more than half a century, it was successfully used for the country's defense.

The academy graduates also participated in the development of home-made automatic firearms. The impetus, sui generis, in this direction was given by the book Automatic Firearms published in 1907. It was written by V.G. Fyodorov, the academy graduate, who became foremost authority in this area the world over. In 1906, under his guidance, V.A. Degtyarev began his work as designer of automatic small arms, and created the weapons that successfully passed the trials of the Great Patriotic War,.

The prominent role in the academy history is attached to the improved training of engineering personnel. In 1930-1932, officer studentship in the Artillery Faculty Guns-and-Carriage Department of the Military Engineering Academy reached almost 400 people. That is why, in the reformation of the Artillery Academy, this department evolved as the Artillery Ordnance Faculty.

The Faculty base germinated into a number of new design bureaus, chairs, laboratories and specialist fields. Thus in 1932, I.I. Ivanov, the artillery system design chair head and A.A. Slobodchikov, the laboratory head of the same chair became Chief Designers of the major artillery production facility; the teacher A.A. Tolochkov was appointed Special Design Bureau Head of another production facility; M. Yu. Tsirulnikov, the chair post-graduate, was at the head of another design bureau. All of them had previously worked in the academy design-engineering bureau headed by M.N. Kondakov. In 1935, the designers of this bureau were turned over to the industry. With the efforts of those design bureaus, many artillery systems were created and put into service in the pre-war years.

After the war began, all the research and development activities of the teaching staff and other personnel of the academy were immediately made to conform war-time requirements. Although, the industry, given the shortages, produced diverse artillery weaponry, it fell short, especially in the first war months, of the needs of the army field forces. The missing quantity of weapons had to be made up for not only by its increased production, but also by designing and putting into service new improved weapons.

The implementation of this challenging task was facilitated by the fact that many leading specialists in the defense industry were graduates of the academy. Their activity was not ring-fenced, as they maintained constant ties with the academy. The academy graduates worked in positions of responsibility in military research institutions and design bureaus, at testing grounds, plants and arsenals, in the government ministries, which designed and produced weapons and military equipment, in the Main Artillery Department of the People's Commissariat of Defense.

The positions of responsibility, including those of chief designers of artillery weapons and small arms, were held by the following Heroes of Socialist Labor: D.N. Vishnevsky, V.G. Grabin, I.I. Ivanov, M.Ya. Krupchatnikov, V.K. Ponomarev, as well as S.M. Nikolayev, A.I. Sudayev, A.A. Tolochkov, V.G. Fyodorov, M.Yu. Tsyrulnikov.

After the war, the process of putting into military service the newest achievements of science and engineering were carried on. First and foremost, it concerns rocket-launching artillery. The fundamental investigations, which had been conducted before the war and during the war, continued after the war ended. Scientific investigations of Prof. I.P. Graave, Prof. Ya.M. Shapiro and others concerning the movement of jet-propelled projectiles, their aerodynamics, charge quantity burning theory, methods for calculating and designing such charge quantities and their components played the important role in the development of rocket-launching artillery. Much attention was also paid to solving fire theory issues, the accuracy assessment of jet-propelled projectiles. The obtained results had profound effect on improving of rocket-launching artillery and on its further development, also including its effective employment methods.

The experience of the Great Patriotic War determined the venues for the further development of tube artillery. The increased momentum of offensive operations, the rising motorization and mechanization of ground troops required the higher movability and weight-saving of artillery guns conjoined with the rise in their long-range firing capability, rapidity of fire and in the destructive power of projectiles to hit the target. These issues were addressed by new approach to designing practically all the elements of artillery systems. Significant contribution to the solution of these issues was made by: K.K. Greten, I.I. Zhukov, A.N. Kupriyanov, E.K. Larman, S.A. Prikhodko, M.F. Samusenko.

The large volume of investigations in the area of weaponry and materiel development has also been implemented under the present conditions: methodology was developed for the integral quality assessment of artillery weapons and the methods for multi-factor prognostication of weapon battle characteristics; extensive investigations were conducted to justify weapon programs and major venues for development, harmonization and standardizing of armaments and materiel; investigations were conducted for development of rationale for reasonable armament make-up of the ground troops and uniform methods for armament combat effectiveness evaluation. Participating in the above investigations were the following scientists: V.P. Demidenko, V.T. Bebeshev, A.A. Kond-tratiev, V.S. Malinovskiy, L.A. Martyshchenko, A.G. Tashevskiy, G.N. Ulianov, I.M. Fyodorov, A.Ye. Filyustin and many others.

Thus, the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy, with good reason, can be considered not only as the launch pad for highly qualified officers, but also as science hub for theoretical justification of development of armaments and military equipment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Col. V.A. CIIUBASOV

Candidate of Military Sciences, assistant professor

Lt. Col. A.E. FROLKIN

Candidate of Technical Sciences, assistant professor

Col. S.S. KONOVALOV

Candidate of Technical Sciences, assistant professor