Mikhail Petrovich Simonov (russian: Михаи́л Петро́вич Си́монов; 19 October 1929 – 4 March 2011) was a Russian aircraft designer famed for creating the

Sukhoi Su-27 The Sukhoi Su-27 (russian: Сухой Су-27; NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fourth-generation ...

fighter-bomber, the Soviet Union's answer to the American

F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Dougla ...

. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Simonov coordinated the Su-27's sale to foreign governments, providing badly needed

hard currency In macroeconomics, hard currency, safe-haven currency, or strong currency is any globally traded currency that serves as a reliable and stable store of value. Factors contributing to a currency's ''hard'' status might include the stability and ...

to the Russian government. In recognition of his achievements, he was named a

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Российской Федерации, Geroy Rossiyskoy Federatsii), also unofficially Hero of Russia (russian: link=no, Герой России, Geroy Rossii), is the highest honorary title ...

in 1999."Герой России Симонов Михаил Петрович"
, Warheroes.ru. Retrieved January 23, 2009. Simonov was born 19 October 1929 in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East ...

. He became an aviation engineer in the 1950s and joined

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

as a deputy chief designer in 1970. In his time at Sukhoi, he developed the

Sukhoi Su-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 ( NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin-engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its crew of two. It ...

bomber and the Sukhoi Su-25 ground-attack airplane, as well as the Su-27. He was the Soviet Union's deputy minister of aircraft industries from 1979 to 1983.

References

* The Associated Press
"Mikhail Simonov, 81, Designer of Soviet Air Force Workhorse, Dies"
''The New York Times''. March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Simonov, Mikhail 1929 births 2011 deaths Russian aerospace engineers Heroes of the Russian Federation Soviet aerospace engineers 20th-century Russian engineers