Igor Ashurbeyli who headed OJSC State Special Design Bureau “Almaz-Antey” named after academician A.A. Raspletin for more than ten years celebrates his 50^th anniversary.

The Russian defense industry continues to update the national record in the supply of arms and military equipment to the world markets. In 2012, the Russian Federation supplied weapons and military equipment for a total amount of more than $14 billion.

Essentially, MIC (military industrial complex) is now the only high-tech sector of the Russian economy that stands ground in the global competitive race. Nevertheless, the creators of one more export triumph from the organizers of the Russian military-industrial complex undeservingly live in the shadow - unlike the participants of the glamorous in-crowd of the commodity-based oligarchs who dominate undividedly in media starting from the "raucous 1990s".

One of the excellent newsworthy events that allows at least in some degree to repair this injustice will be the anniversary of Igor Ashurbeyli, the scientific supervisor of OJSC Design bureau “KB-1”, who was the head of OJSC State Special Design Bureau “Almaz-Antey” named after academician A.A. Raspletin from 2000 to 2011. On the 9^th of September Igor Raufovich, the chairman of the Presidium of the Non-Departmental Advisory Board on Aerospace Defense (NAB ASD), the full member of the Academy of Military Science of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Engineering Science celebrates his 50^th anniversary.

The name of the hero of the day can’t be frequently read on other pages of tabloids and other glossy magazines. Meanwhile, this is the case when a particular person biography is entwined by thousand threads invisible to the eye of a man in the street with the fate of the entire Homeland. The 50^th anniversary is the right time to summarize some results of the life and career journey. In this sense, our hero of the day can admit without false modesty that he will have a lot of things to do. Before taking the lead in one of the advanced industries, the graduate of the Baku secondary magnet school No.27 had to travel a long professional way.

However, first things should be first. Igor Raufovich was born in the Soviet multinational Baku on the 9^th of September, 1963. Apparently, the birth place had an impact on his civic consciousness and identity not least of all. Despite the fact that "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe» of the 20^th century - the collapse of the Soviet Union - was far in the past Igor Ashurbeyli being a citizen of the Russian Federation, indicates in all questionnaires that he hasn’t had “any other citizenship except for Soviet citizenship”.

Being a patriot of his Soviet Motherland, one can say, "a citizen of the Soviet Union", he began his career as a systems engineer. Igor Ashurbeyli learned this specialization at the chair of Automated Control Systems, department of automation of production processes, Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry. Then there was full-time postgraduate study in the same university.

In spite of the specific character of his alma mater and power industry specialization throughout the Azerbaijan economy, Igor Raufovich didn’t choose raw materials sector for his career. When he was a graduate student yet, he created and headed Cooperative Coordination and Production Association "Socium". This company became one of the leaders in emerging technologies not only in the republic but all over the USSR. In particular, it was specialized in the development of specific software and computer literacy training.

However, in the late 1980s, under the conditions of the growing ethnocratic trends in the political establishment of the Azerbaijan Soviet Republic all attempts to unlock the creative and organizational potential in the innovation sector faced objective obstacles. In 1990, Igor Ashurbeyli moved to Moscow, and not empty-handed but with know-how of "Socium". Thanks to it, he managed within a relatively short time to revive "Socium" as the All-Union Scientific Production Association affiliated to the Union of Consumers Cooperatives Enterprises under the USSR Central Union of Consumer Cooperatives. Company was engaged in developing, producing and marketing information databases.

It happened a year before the collapse of the USSR. In the next troubled years the united Soviet macro-economical complex was disintegrated in plain view. Many late-Soviet innovators, who had started their business in the forefront of perestroika enthusiasm, gave up. However, Igor Raufovich was only inspired by all difficulties. And many successes and achievements in the field he chose are eloquent of it.

The shaping factor in the rising career path of the hero of the day was the creation of OJSC “International Bureau of Information and Telecommunications” in cooperation with SPA “Almaz” in 1991. Further, for two decades the biography of Igor Ashurbeyli appeared to be tightly linked to the fate of this "fragment" of the Soviet military-industrial colossus - SPA “Almaz” (now OJSC “State Special Design Bureau “Almaz-Antey”), where the future CEO successfully climbed management ladder stage by stage. Igor Ashurbeyli held the posts of a deputy CEO, Chief Financial Officer, First Deputy General Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Thanks largely to the colossal, even titanic work of the “Almaz” team-spirited workforce headed by Igor Ashurbeyli (it’s no coincidence that Antaeus, or Antey, was a giant in the Greek mythology) SPA made its comeback as one of the leaders of the military-industrial complex soon enough that had been nearly lost during the perestroika time.

Perhaps the company’s main pride and offspring was the air defense missile system S-400 "Triumph" that was passed into service by the Russian Armed Forces. It has no superior in the world for the most characteristics. Besides, the development of several modifications of the famous S-300P family air defense systems and its large-scale production was a resounding success of the enterprise under the leadership of Ashurbeyli. Today this systems form the basis of the Russian air defense shield.

The famous S-300 "Favorite" systems have recently become a major "hit" of the Russian Federation on the international arms market: there is an impressive waiting list of the potential buyers. However, the S-300 export is not just renewable (unlike oil and gas) foreign exchange earner. When supplying it to other countries, Russia among other issues "exports stability and security". And at the same time it provides a peaceful sky for our allies restoring our geopolitical presence.