Ivan Mikoyan

Vano "Ivan" Anastasovich Mikoyan (1 September 1927 – 25 November 2016) was a Soviet Armenian aircraft designer, nephew of designer Artem Mikoyan.[2] In 1944-1945, he studied at the Aviation Technical School in Stalinabad, then graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy. From 1953 he worked in OKB Mikoyan as assistant chief engineer, chief engineer for flight tests, and as the leading designer for MiG-21 family of fighter aircraft. In 1965 he was appointed as the lead designer on the MiG-23 fighter aircraft, and the technical director of joint state tests after 1968. Starting in 1973, Ivan was deputy chief designer for the MiG-29 fighter aircraft. Later, he was an adviser for Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG.[1]

Ivan was placed in charge of two OKB Mikoyan projects studying STOL fighter designs. One group studied of the swing-wing design (like the MiG-23) and the other delta wings (like the MiG-21) and lift jets instead of the swing wing.[3]

As a teenager, Ivan was connected to a high-profile murder-suicide case. His Walther pistol was borrowed and used by Volodia Shakhurin, son of the Aviation Minister. Volodia killed himself and Nina Umanskaia, daughter of the Soviet ambassador to Mexico, when Nina refused Volodia's request that she stay in Moscow.[4] The event took place on Moscow's Stone Bridge.