MKB Fakel was founded in 1953 under the designation
OKB-2 to facilitate development of guided surface-to-air missiles in response to a growing threat of US air attack on the Soviet Union and its allies. MKB Fakel developed missiles which were used in Soviet surface-to-air defense systems
S-75,
9K33 Osa,
S-125,
S-200,
S-300, and many other systems. In July 1958 the corporation was awarded an
Order of Lenin for successful development of guided missiles for the
S-75 defense system. Missiles developed by MKB Fakel were the first in the world surface-to-air guided missiles successfully employed in military action. On May 1, 1960, American high altitude
reconnaissance aircraft Lockheed U-2 was
shot down near Sverdlovsk by Fakel's 11D missile (
S-75) while flying over Soviet territory. Overall, missiles developed by MKB "Fakel" were employed in more than 30 countries, including Cuba, China, Vietnam and destroyed more than 2,500 of enemy aircraft. In April 1981 it was awarded an
Order of the October Revolution for successful development of guided missiles for the
S-300 defense system. In 2002 the company joined the
Almaz-Antey holding. In 2025, MKB Fakel developed a new anti-drone missile designed to counter small, low-flying aerial threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles (
UAVs). The system was unveiled as part of Russia's broader efforts to enhance air defence capabilities against emerging drone-based warfare. ==Production==