Rostislav Belyakov, designer of Russian MiG fighter jets, dies aged 94

MOSCOW – The maker of MiG fighter jets says that its chief designer Rostislav Belyakov has died. He was 94.

The company said in a statement that Belyakov died Friday in Moscow following an unspecified illness.

Belyakov became the MiG chief designer in 1969, succeeding the firm’s founder, Artyom Mikoyan, and led the development of a family of MiG fighters, including MiG-23, MiG-25, Mig-29 and their versions, which have been the backbone of Soviet and then Russian air force.

Belyakov joined the MiG company as a young engineer in 1941 and quickly rose through the ranks to become a deputy chief designer in 1957.

He was showered with state awards and honours, but his name was unknown to the public until the Soviet collapse.

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