History

     MKB "Iskra" named after I.I. artukov JSC was founded on March 22, 1946 by the order of the State committee of Aviation Engineering on the basis of Experimental and Design Bureau named after I.I.Kartukov. The specialists of the new enterprise embarked on the development of assisted takeoff units for manned and unmanned military aircraft. At the same time the upgrading of a self-propelling duct, designed by Relaie Loran in 1913, was carried out.
     The design bureau expanded the scope of its activities and developed new methods and production technologies. As a result, its products found a wider application. Over 200 types of solid-fuel engines have been created in the design bureau since 1946. All of them were adopted and are used in ground-to-air, tactical, ballistic, air, marine and space missile systems.
     Since the 1950s the collective of the enterprise took up several more lines of research, including the research in the field of supersonic ramjet engines. Antitailspin missiles and assisted takeoff systems, developed at Iskra, are still used during the tests of MiG, Tu, IL, Su and Yak aircraft.
     The design of the Krug (“Circle”) 3M8 anti-aircraft missile system was completed in 1958. After successful tests three modification of the system were adopted and entered the service with the Soviet Army in 1964. Tens of thousands of the 3M8 systems and its upgrade modifications have been exported to many countries of the world.
     Starting from 1961, the scope of research widened ever more. The theoretical and practical issues, concerning supersonic engines, and the use of nuclear sources of energy were under consideration. The engines for the Moskit and Kh-31 anti-ship missiles and the first engine with a variable nozzle for the Meteorite (M-4) missile were designed.
     The specialists of the design bureau also created  the ejecting gear for the K-36 and K-37 rocket ejection seats, which were installed onboard the Vostok spaceship and Buran shuttle. The modifications of the K-36 ejection seat saved the lives of more than 340 space pilots.
     Within the framework of the space program the design bureau developed soft landing engines for landing modules of Voskhod and modifications of Soyuz manned spaceships. These units considerably decrease the landing speed, ensuring the safety of space pilots. The emergency recovery propulsion system (DU SAS) for Soyuz spaceships is also widespread. It ensures the safety of space pilots in case of breakdown of the carrier rocket at launch and at the first stage of ascent. Thus, on September 26, 1983 during the launch of Soyuz-T manned spaceship this installation carried the capsule with the crew away from the damaged module and secured proper performance of landing systems. 
     The development of solid-fuel gas-generators is also carried out at "Iskra". These devices are widely used in various systems of spaceships and submarines. They ensure the safety of the crew during the emergency situations at depth of up to several hundred meters. The operating time of these devices is much less than that of the high air pressure systems, traditionally used worldwide.
     At the beginning of the 1990s Russia saw political, social and economic changes. At those hard times the management of the design bureau made a decision to embark on a conversion program. The specialists managed to design and test a unique mobile fire installation on the basis of solid fuel gas-generators. This installation can be successfully used for extinguishing large-scale forest fires on hard-to-reach territories.
     In spite of financial difficulties the enterprise has continued research in military and civil areas. Moreover, the in-house production line was set up to manufacture the lots of devices for spaceships and fire engines.
     Today MKB "Iskra"  named after I.I.Kartukov JSC is one of the leading enterprises of the Russian aerospace industry, manufacturing the products, which are used at sea depths, overland and in the space. The collective of the design bureau, consisting of more than 500 workers, carries out scientific research, upgrades and designs military and civil products.