Alexander Nadiradze
| Aleksandr Nadiradze Александр Надирадзе ალექსანდრე ნადირაძე |
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| Born |
20 August 1914 Gori, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 3 September 1987 (aged 73) Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Citizenship | Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Soviet Union |
| Fields | Aircraft designer, missile engineer, inventor |
| Institutions | Transcaucasus Industrial Institute Moscow Mechanical Institute Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology numerous OKB's |
| Alma mater | Sergo Ordzhonikidze Moscow Aviation Institute |
| Known for | involvement on the designs of aircraft landing gears and turbo-jets. Development of anti tank shells, as well as anti-air missiles and radio controlled bombs. Creation of the first Soviet meteorological missile M1-Meteo. Creation of the world's first mobile ICBM system RT-21 Temp 2S as well as RSD-10 Pioneer, and RT-2PM Topol. |
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Aleksandr Davidovich Nadiradze (Georgian: ალექსანდრე ნადირაძე, Russian: Александр Давидович Надирадзе 20 August 1914 – 3 September 1987) was a Soviet inventor, designer and engineer in the fields of aircraft and missile technology. He developed various missiles, bombs, shells and is considered "father" of the mobile ICBMs, having created the RT-21 Temp 2S (SS-16), RSD-10 Pioneer (SS-20) and the RT-2PM Topol (SS-25). More modern weapons such as the RT-2PM2 Topol-M and RS-24 are mostly based on Nadiradze's work as well.
Born on 20 August (or 2 September) in 1914 in the town of Gori, Georgia, Nadiradze was raised in a teacher's family in Tbilisi. Initially working as an assistant in a small Georgian aerospace faculty, he made his first invention in Mai 1934. After finishing at the Transcaucasian Industrial Institute in 1936 he moved to Moscow and applied to the Moscow Aviation Institute. Two years later Nadiradze began working in the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in which he led a team of engineers engaged in theoretical and experimental research on aircraft landing gears based on the principles of air cushions. He was also involved in the development of the Tupolev Tu-2 and early Soviet turbo jet fighters. In 1941 he was appointed as a chief designer in the Moscow OKB (Experimental Design Bureau) plant 22 (Gorbunov).
At the end of 1941 Nadiradze began to research rocketry. During the Great Patriotic War he developed five versions of anti-tank shells, one of which had satisfactory results. In 1945 he got appointed chief designer and chief of bureau of the Faculty of Missile weapons Moscow Mechanical Institute of the People's Commissariat of ammunition, functioning as experienced OKB guide holding lectures on the production and designing of missiles and launchers, while simultaneously conducting research on two-stage rockets and turbojets. In 1948 the Council of Ministers of the USSR transferred the Moscow OKB institute to CB-2 Minelhozmasha and Nadiradze took command over a division which was developing unguided anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank rockets. In 1950 he developed the Soviet anti-air missile system "Swift" and a year later the new KB-2 was incorporated into GSNII MSKHM-642, which basically merged diverse design bureaus working on cruise missiles, powder and radio-controlled bombs into one institute. In 1953 Nadiradze then took charge over project "Raven". His experience was used to create the world's first high altitude meteorological rocket which' development technically already began in 1949 at the Central Aerological Observatory Hydrometeorological Service of the USSR. The missile was designed to deliver "instruments" into the upper atmosphere. His involvement was of high importance since the first Soviet meteorological rocket MR-1 Meteo which was successfully launched into orbit in 1951 was developed by Alexander Nadiradze himself. On 15 October the same year he would be tasked with the development of the so-called "Tshaika" radio-controlled bombs (UB-2000F). Tests were successfully completed in 1955 and the new weapon was accepted for service later that year. In late 1957 Moscow GSNII MSKHM-642 was combined with Reutov OKB-52 Chelomey. Nadiradze got appointed head of Chelomey's secret development section and in 1961 took charge over the entire OKB while remaining chief designer. By decision of the Soviet government and defence ministry a competition on designing a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was organized and Alexander Nadiradze's team won. He became founder of the Soviet mobile missile forces. On 6 March 1966 the defence ministry gave order for the development of mobile solid fuel ICBM's. The project was named "Temp-20" which would then become the RT-21 Temp 2S. On 14 March 1972 "Air-20" was launched for tests at the state landfill RVSN (Plesetsk Cosmodrome) in the Arkhangelsk region which were completed in December 1974. The secret launch site was headed by fellow Georgian Lt.General Galaktion Alpaidze who was in charge of the Soviet missile program and from 1975 also deputy director of the Moscow Institute for Thermal Technology. On 21 February 1976 two missile regiments consisting of Temp-20s started their combat duty in Plesetsk.
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