Aleksandr Emmanuilovich Nudelman (; 21 August 1912 – 2 August 1996) was a Soviet
weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
designer and researcher. Numerous weapon systems were created under his direction. Nudelman made special contributions to the development of aircraft-mounted weapons as well as unguided
rockets
A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
and anti-tank guided
missile
A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor.
Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...
s. He was awarded the
Hero of Socialist Labour
The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...
twice.
Life and career
Nudelman was born in
Odesa
Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
to a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
model carpenter, Emmanuil Abramovich Nudelman (1877–1945), head of a local mechanical shop, and Ester Isaakovna Nudelman (née Steinman, 1879–1960). After graduating from technical college in 1929, he worked in the designer's office and at the Odessa Industrial Institute/Odessa Polytechnic Institute, then at the
OKB-16 design bureau under
Yakov Taubin
Yakov Grigoryevich Taubin (; 1900 – 28 October 1941) was a Soviet weapons designer. He is best known for creating the first successful automatic grenade launcher. He also designed a prototype gun for the Ilyushin Il-2 which lost in trials again ...
. He became director and main designer of the OKB in 1942, consultant to the Ministry of Corporate Defense of the USSR in 1987, and research consultant in
KB Tochmash
The JSC Precision Engineering Design Bureau named after A. E. Nudelman (), shortened to "KB Tochmash" (), is a missile design bureau located in Moscow. It was founded in 1934 under the designation OKB-16 under the leadership of Yakov Taubin, but ...
in 1991. In 1962, he defended his
thesis
A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
in which he developed principles of construction of, and design solutions to, a new generation of
autocannons.
Nudelman closely worked with Professor Leonid Linnik, head of the laboratory of optical quantum generators of the
Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy
The Filatov Institute is a research institute and a large ophthalmology (eye) hospital in Odesa, Ukraine. It was founded by Vladimir Filatov, an academic ophthalmologist. Its mission is the study of eye diseases and injuries, the training of op ...
, where experimental and clinical approbation of the first laser devices of the USSR, developed at OKB-16, took place. With the collaboration, the first medical laser treatment was carried out by Linnik in 1963.
After retiring in 1987, Nudelman continued to work as a consultant to KB Tochmash, becoming a consultant to the Ministry of Corporate Defense of the USSR at that time.
Nudelman worked and lived in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
until his death, and was buried with military honours in the
Kuntsevo Cemetery
The Kuntsevo Cemetery () is a cemetery servicing Kuntsevo, Moscow. It is located on the bank of the Setun River, to the south of the Mozhaisk Highway (the continuation of the Kutuzovsky Prospekt). The local five-domed church was commissioned in 16 ...
.
Some weapons Nudelman designed include the
NS-37
The Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 () was a aircraft cannon, which replaced the unreliable Shpitalny Sh-37 gun. Large caliber was planned to allow destruction of both ground targets (including armoured ones) and planes (ability to shoot down a bomber w ...
,
NS-23,
N-37,
NS-45
The Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 was an enlarged version of the Soviet Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 aircraft autocannon. It was evaluated for service on 44 Yakovlev Yak-9K aircraft during World War II, but proved to stress the airframes too much. The NS-45 wa ...
,
N-57, NS-76,
NR-23
The Nudelman-Richter NR-23 is a Soviet autocannon widely used in military aircraft of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. It was designed by A. E. Nudelman and A. A. Richter to replace the wartime Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 and Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 ...
,
NR-30 autocannons,
S-5,
S-8,
S-25 rockets, the
3M11 Falanga missile and its variants, the
9K112 Kobra
The 9K112 Kobra (NATO reporting name: AT-8 Songster) is a SACLOS anti-tank missile system of the Soviet Union. It is fired from the 125 mm main guns of the T-64 and T-80 series of tanks. A newer design based on the same concept is the 9M119 ( ...
, the
Strela-1
The 9K31 ''Strela-1'' (; ) is a highly mobile, short-range, low altitude infra-red guided surface-to-air missile system. Originally developed by the Soviet Union under the GRAU designation 9K31, it is commonly known by its NATO reporting name, ...
,
9K35 Strela-10
The 9K35 ''Strela-10'' (; ) is a Soviet highly mobile, short-range surface-to-air missile system. It is visually aimed, and utilizes optical/ infrared-guidance. The system is primarily intended to engage low-altitude threats, such as helicopters. ...
, the OK-1 and OK-2 medical lasers, among others.
External links
Борьба за превосходство в воздухе — Журнал «Братишка»
Люди, Конструкторы оружия, НУДЕЛЬМАН Александр Эммануилович
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nudelman, Aleksandr
1912 births
1996 deaths
Engineers from Odesa
Odesa National Polytechnic University alumni
Heroes of Socialist Labour
Recipients of the Lenin Prize
Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the October Revolution
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Recipients of the Stalin Prize
Recipients of the USSR State Prize
Firearm designers
Russian inventors
Russian Jews
Russian mechanical engineers
Soviet inventors
Soviet Jews
Soviet mechanical engineers
Weapon designers from the Soviet Union
Weapons scientists and engineers
Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery