The Institute of Engineers of the Red Air Fleet (N. Ye. Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy) was founded

On November 23 1920 the Revolutionary Military Council (Revvoyensovet) of the Republic approved the Regulations on the Institute of Engineers of the Red Air Fleet.

In September 1919 on the initiative of a prominent Russian scholar Nikolai Yegorovich Zhukovsky was established the Moscow Aviation Technical College. In July 1920 the aviation college was transferred under the authority of the Chief Directorate of the Red Air Fleet. On September 26 1920 Revvoyensovet of the Republic in response to the petition submitted by the aviation college’s council, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of scientific work of N.Ye. Zhukovsky, “who has been contributing his strength and expertise to the Air Force from its very foundation and brought up the young generation of engineers and scientists”, decided to reorganize the Moscow Aviation Technical College into the N.Ye. Zhukovsky Institute of Engineers of the Red Air Fleet. The Regulations on the Institute were approved by Revvoyensovet on November 23 1920. The order on the foundation of the institute and regulations completed the establishment of this higher military aviation institution, whose rector became Zhukovsky.

The institute was directly subordinate to the head of the Chief Directorate of the Red Air Fleet. Lecturers, called up for military service, were detached for reading lectures at the institute. All students admitted to the institute were announced by the Order of the Red Air Fleet, while servicemen, working at the institute, received allowances, in accordance with existing rules and regulations, established for students of military academies.

On August 8 1922 the Institute was renamed the Academy of Air Fleet, while in April 1925 — the Air Force Academy of the Workers and Peasants’ Red Army.

Up to the beginning of 1930s the academy was the first and the only one higher aviation educational institution in the USSR, which prepared officers and engineers for the Air Force, engineers for the aviation industry, research institutions of civil aviation. In the academy worked such scientists as B.N. Yuriev, B.S. Stechkin, V.P. Vetchinkin, I.I. Artobolevsky, N.G. Bruyevich, N.N. Buchholz, B.M. Vul, V.V. Golubev, N.T. Gudtsov, A.N. Zhuravchenko, D.M. Karbyshev, V.S. Kulebakin, A.N. Laptchinsky, I.I. Mints, G.S. Pospelov, V.S. Pugachyov, A.I. Putilov, V.S. Pyshnov, V.A. Semyonov, F.A. Zander.

In March 1940 at the facilities of several faculties and improvement courses for the officers of the Academy was established the Military Academy of Command and Navigating Cadres of the Air Force of the Workers and Peasants’ Red Army (today the Yu.A. Gagarin Military Air Academy).

From July 1941 to June 1943 the academy was located in Sverdlovsk. During the Great Patriotic War academy’s graduates commanded air forces, air armies, aviation units, were at the head of the Aviation Engineering Service.

On August 6 1946 the academy was renamed the N.Ye. Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy.

In 1998 during another reorganization of the military education the academy was renamed the Military Aviation Technical University (VATU), but in 2002 it returned its name — the N.Ye. Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy.

At the Air Force Engineering Academy were prepared thousands of command and engineering cadres, over 5 000 of doctors and candidates of sciences, 8 aviation marshals, 30 astronauts, more than 50 test pilots of the Soviet Union and Russian Federation, 40 academicians and corresponding members of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Russian Academy of Sciences, over 80 honored Workers of Science and Engineering  of Russia, 200 laureates of the National Prizes, 109 Heroes of the Soviet Union and Russia and 29 Heroes of Socialist Labor. The worldwide fame the academy achieved thanks to its graduates: general designers of airplanes and engines S.V. Ilyushin, A.I. Mikoyan, A.S. Yakovlev, V.F. Bolkhovitinov, N.D. Kuznetsov, S.K. Tumansky, Chief Aviation Marshals K.A. Vershinin and P.F. Zhigarev.

Lit.: Академия имени Жуковского. М., 1990; Материалы по истории Военно-воздушной инженерной академии имени профессора Н. Е. Жуковского. М., 1966-1968.

Академия имени профессора Н. Е. Жуковского: сайт. Б. д. URL: https://vva.mil.ru/