Kamov, Nikolai Ilich

Born Sept. 1 (14), 1902, in Irkutsk; died Nov. 24, 1973, in Moscow. Soviet helicopter designer; Doctor of Technical Sciences (1962), Hero of Socialist Labor (1972). Became a member of the Communist Party in 1943.

Kamov graduated from the Tomsk Technological Institute in 1923. In 1929 he created the first Soviet helicopter (an autogiro), the Kaskr-1 Krasnyi Iuzhener (with the engineer N. K. Skrzhin-skii). From 1931 to 1935 the A-7 combat autogiro was designed under his supervision (a squadron of autogiros participated in the Great Patriotic War, 1941–45). In 1960 he became the chief designer in the Helicopter Design Office. The coaxial helicopters built under Kamov’s direction include the Ka-8 Irkutianin (1945–48), the Ka-10 (1949–53), the Ka-15 (1950–56), the Ka-18 (1955–60), the twin-turbine Ka-25 (1958–68), the twin-engine Ka-26 (1964–67), and the twin-turbine experimental rotary-wing Ka-22 (1953–64). He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, two other orders, and medals. [11–833–4; updated]