Aleksandr Bereznyak was born on 29 December 1912 in
Boyarkino,
Ozyorsky District, Moscow Oblast. He was employed in aviation industries since 1931. Bereznyak was a graduate of the
Moscow Aviation Institute named after
Sergo Ordzhonikidze (1938). He was an engineer in the experimental design bureau of
V. F. Bolkhovitinov. While working in the bureau, he designed the first soviet jet, the
BI-1, which was equipped with liquid fuel to power a
rocket engine. The
BI-1 was created in 1942 in co-operation with
A. M. Isaev). He became Vice-chief designer of
OKB-2 in 1946, later to become the chief designer in 1957. Other his developments include: •
BI-1 — an early
rocket-powered aircraft rocket fighter developed by Bereznyak and
Isaev in 1940-1944. It flew after German's experimental
He 176, but still was the first Soviet rocket plane. Eight test planes (usually referred as BI-1 — BI-8) were built. •
302P •
346 — experimental, trans-sonic speed, 1946. •
468 — jet, project, 1948–1949. under the wing of
Tu-16 bomber In March 1957 he was assigned to lead the newly established MKB Raduga in the village of
Ivankovo,
Moscow Oblast. This had started in 1951 as Branch 2 of Artem Mikoyan's OKB-155 to produce the
KS-1 Komet missile. Raduga specialized in a range of tactical missiles. Bereznyak was a Doctor in Engineering (1968). Aleksandr Bereznyak died on 7 July 1974 in
Dubna. == Awards ==