Rostislav Alexeyev

Rostislav Jewgenjewitsch Alekseyev (Russian Ростислав Евгеньевич Алексеев, scientific transliteration Rostislav Evgen'evič Alekseev; born December 18, 1916 in Novozybkov; † February 9, 1980 in Gorky ) was a Soviet ship and aircraft designer, the creator of numerous hydrofoils and hovercrafts ( Ekranoplane ).

Life

Rostislav Alexeyev was born in the family of an agronomist and a teacher. In 1933 the family moved to Gorky. 1935 Alexeyev started studying at the Faculty of shipbuilding Gorkier Technical University, which now bears his name. In 1941 he completed his studies as a naval architect, worked until 1943, however, in the tank production. From 1942 he headed a design bureau, however, already been developed in the wing - combat boats. By the end of the war his models have not yet been produced, however, convinced the leadership of the Soviet fleet from the successful application of his idea.

1951 received Alexeyev and his staff the Stalin Prize of the second degree for the development of hydrofoils. The collective began working at the time unprecedented passenger ship project, which was given the name Raketa. The ship was launched in Moscow in 1957 and was subsequently spread throughout the USSR. There were other projects Alexeiev with the name Volga, Meteor, Kometa, Sputnik, Burewestnik and Voskhod. In 1961, Alexeyev received the Lenin Prize together with ten designers.

In 1962, in the design office Alexeyev the development of ground-effect vehicle KM for the Soviet fleet and in 1964 work on the Ekranoplan T -1 for the air landing troops. The first was only a few meters flying over water, the second at an altitude up to 7500 meters. On 22 June 1966, the KM Ekranoplan, the largest aircraft of its time, completed and tested on the Caspian Sea. Western intelligence gave the unknown sea vehicle that they discovered on satellite photos, nicknamed the " Caspian Sea Monster ".

In the early 1970s got Alexeyev commissioned to build for the amphibious warfare the ground effect vehicle A-90 Orljonok. This was completed in 1979 and included in the service of the fleet. In the tests of a new Ekranoplans for passengers, which should be built for the Olympic Games in Moscow Alexeyev was diagnosed with hernia and died after two operations on 9 February 1980.