Lev Lyulyev

Who was Lev Lyulyev?

Lev Veniaminovych Lyulyev was a Soviet designer of artillery, anti-aircraft rockets, and SA missile systems. He was the chief designer of the OKB-8 between 1946 and 1985 and the Doctor of Technical Sciences. He was awarded the Hero of Socialist Labour twice in 1966 and in 1985 and was the Laureate of the 1967 Lenin and 1948 and 1977 State Prizes.

Lyulyev was educated at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute from 1927 to 1933. In 1941, he was evacuated to Sverdlovsk with the factory and appointed Vice Chief designer of the 8th Factory. In the years of the Second World War the factory produced about 20 thousand artillery guns and their mountings and participated in the modernisation process of the 85 mm KS-1 gun, also organising the production of 85 mm D-5 guns and 100 mm D-10 guns for the SAUs SU-85 and SU-100.

On June 25, 1945, Lyulyev was promoted to Chief designer of the Factory №8. 1945-1947 he developed the 85 mm zenith gun KS-18 and the experimental 100 mm zenith gun KS-19 in 1947, which became the prototype of the next generation zenith guns before the SA guided missiles came. He also started the development of 130 mm zenith gun KS-30.