Veniamin Pavlovich
Yefremov
1926-2006
Veniamin Pavlovich Efremov was the General Designer of the Research Electromechanical Institute of the Ministry of Radio Industry of the USSR, Moscow. He was born in the city of Tambov. He was the third child in the family of a Soviet employee and a housewife. He graduated from the Moscow Polytechnic of Communications named after V.N. Podbelsky (now the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics – MTUCI) in 1945. He was sent to work in TSKB-20 (now JSC NIEMI) as a technician. He participated in the development of the first domestic gun guidance station (SON) and anti-aircraft artillery fire control devices (PUZO). At the same time, he studied at the evening department at the Moscow Institute of Communication Engineers (now the Moscow Electrotechnical Institute of Communications). He graduated from the Institute in 1951 with a degree in radio communication and broadcasting. In the early 1950s, the government of the country decided to create the air defence of Moscow. For the successful solution of the tasks set, he received the first state award – the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. He profoundly and comprehensively mastered the theory of radar and radio control, the development of radio equipment units, the principles of organization and planning of development work and testing. In 1954-1968 he was a Deputy Chief Engineer, Head of the Research Institute-20 department (transformed from the Central Design Bureau-20 in 1946). He directly participated in the beginning of research work, during which the possibility of creating mobile anti-aircraft missile systems for the Ground Forces was determined. In 1958, by government decree, he was appointed as a chief designer of the first military anti-aircraft system. In 1966, he was awarded the Order of Lenin for the development in 1964 of the first mobile air defence system 2K11 “Circle”, which was adopted by the army and was highly appreciated. In 1967 he was appointed as a scientific supervisor, and in 1968 – director and chief designer of the transformed NIEMI. In 1971, NIEMI, under the leadership of V.P. Efremov, handed over to the army the 9K33 “Osa” mobile air defence system for motorized rifle divisions. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated September 27, 1976 (“closed”), for outstanding achievements in the creation and development of serial production of new types of special equipment (mobile air defence system 9K33 “Osa”), Veniamin Pavlovich Efremov was awarded the title of the Hero of Socialist Labor with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal. Since 1983 he was the General Designer of NIEMI (now the Industrial company “Concern “Antey”). In 1984, NIEMI put into service the 9K330 “Tor” air defence system – the world’s first complex that ensured the defeat of high-precision weapons. Since 1985 he was the General Designer of the Scientific and Production Association (NGO) “Antey”. By 1988, the NGO “Antey” already included nine enterprises, such as the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant and the Mari Machine Builder, NIEMI, the Strela Research Institute (Tula), the Arsenal Plant (Tula) and others. The task of the NGO “Antey” was to create not only weapons for the air defence of the Ground Forces, but almost all radar equipment for this type of Armed Forces: wearable radars for detecting ground targets, radio control lines for anti-tank shells, artillery reconnaissance complexes, radar sights for anti-tank guns, a tank armament control system. In 1991, the army adopted the 9K331 Tor-M1 air defence system with improved tactical and technical characteristics. The upgraded S-300VM missile defence system (Antey-2500) is also ready for testing (tests were completed in 1995). In 1991, the NGO Antey was transformed into the Antey Concern. In 1994, on the basis of the Antey Concern, an open joint-stock company “Industrial Company” Antey Concern was created, the number of enterprises included in it increased to fifteen. During all these reorganizations, V. P. Efremov remained unchanged as the general designer of the enterprise. In 2002, after the merger of JSC “Industrial Company “Concern “Antey” with the Almaz Central Design Bureau named after Academician A.A. Raspletin created a unified anti-aircraft missile holding (46 industrial and research enterprises and organizations). For more than 20 years he was the head of the Department of the Moscow State Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation Technical University (MIREA). He created a scientific school on real-time information systems.
Address: Moscow, Vereyskaya str., 41, p. 21
