Mikoyan

Lore & Background

Mikoyan was established on 8 December 1939 as the Pilot Design Department of Aviation Plant #1, headed by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. It was later renamed the Experimental Design Bureau named after A.I. Mikoyan. In 1964 Gurevich retired, and Mikoyan died in 1970, succeeded by Rostislav A. Belyakov. In 1995, the Mikoyan OKB merged with two production facilities to form the Moscow Aviation Production Association 'MiG' (MAPO-MiG). In the 1990s, MiG began developing the Mikoyan Project 1.44, a fifth-generation jet fighter, but the project was hampered by lack of funding and eventually canceled. In December 1999, Nikolai Nikitin was appointed General Director and General Designer, focusing resources on the Tu-334 passenger aircraft at the expense of military programs, prompting the resignation of many leading military aircraft designers. Nikitin was replaced by Valery Toryanin in November 2003, then by Alexey Fedorov in September 2004. In 2006, the Russian government merged 100% of Mikoyan shares with Ilyushin, Irkut, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakovlev to form the United Aircraft Corporation, with Mikoyan and Sukhoi placed within the same operating unit. MiG failed to win any major aircraft tenders in the post-Soviet era, falling behind Sukhoi, and was shedding hundreds of employees in late 2017 due to a shortage of orders. As of 2015, the company's business offering consisted mostly of modernized MiG-29 aircraft, and it was developing the MiG-35, a 4++ fighter, with first deliveries expected in late 2019. Mikoyan was set to fly the PAK DP (MiG-41), its first stealth interceptor, in 2025, but as of 2026 the aircraft is still under development.

Reader's Guide

Mikoyan's significance lies in its legacy as the producer of the most numerous jet fighter family in history, with total production of MiG brand aircraft reaching about 62 thousand copies including licensed production. Its aircraft were a staple of the Soviet and Russian Air Forces and were widely exported to nations within the Soviet sphere of influence, India, and many Arab states, and were frequently used in aerial confrontations with American and allied forces during and since the Cold War. The company's history reflects the broader trajectory of the post-Soviet Russian aerospace industry: after the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, Mikoyan struggled with funding, canceled its fifth-generation fighter project, and lost key designers due to management decisions. It failed to win major tenders, falling behind rival Sukhoi, and by 2017 was shedding employees due to a shortage of orders. In 2006, it became a division of the United Aircraft Corporation, a state-owned consolidation. As of 2015, its business focused on modernized MiG-29s and the development of the MiG-35, with the PAK DP stealth interceptor still under development as of 2026. The company has also produced over 12,000 cruise missiles through its branch at plant No. 256.

Did You Know?

• Mikoyan was founded on 8 December 1939 by aircraft designers Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich.
• Mikoyan aircraft were the most produced jet fighter family, with total production of about 62 thousand copies including licensed production.
• In 2006, Mikoyan became a division of the United Aircraft Corporation alongside Ilyushin, Irkut, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakovlev.
• As of 2026, the PAK DP (MiG-41) stealth interceptor was still under development.