The Moscow Machine-Building Plant, located in the Northern Administrative District of Moscow, bears the proud and sonorous name "Avangard". The Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary interprets: "Vanguard is a unit following on the march ahead of the main forces in order to prevent a surprise attack by the enemy." The glorious history of the enterprise fully justifies its name, because for over 70 years it has been performing an important and responsible task - it has been mass-producing military equipment to protect the air borders of our country.
The Moscow machine-building plant "Avangard" was established by a decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR dated January 24, 1942, during one of the most difficult periods of the Great Patriotic War, for the production of M-11 aircraft engines and its variants for the legendary U-2 (Po-2) aircraft, which played not the least role in the outcome of the war.
For labor successes during the Great Patriotic War, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 16, 1945, the plant was awarded the Order of the Red Star, and many of its workers were awarded orders and medals.
The first post-war years in the history of the enterprise are associated with the implementation of a large volume of work to restore the country's agriculture: units and parts for tractors, combines and other agricultural machines were produced here.
In 1948, the plant launched mass production of consumer goods. At this time, experimental work on the constructive refinement of the gas turbine engine is being carried out, which culminated in the first in the USSR 25-hour tests of a prototype engine on an open screw stand of the plant.
But with the beginning of the Cold War, the plant is again at the forefront of Soviet military production - it is developing and producing small arms and cannon weapons for aircraft, including for the first Soviet strategic bomber Tu-4, which, carrying nuclear charges, was supposed to fly across the ocean.
After the two superpowers were armed with intercontinental bombers with nuclear bombs on board, air defense systems joined the arms race, which dramatically changed the fate of the enterprise.
In the 50s, its technological conversion and preparation for serial production of anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAM) began. The plant entered into cooperation for the production of the B-300 air defense missile system for the S-25 air defense missile system (SAM) developed by the legendary designer S. A. Lavochkin.
In 1951, the experienced organizer and manager Ivan Alekseevich Likhachev became the director of the plant, under whom almost 50 percent of the machine-tool equipment was replaced and the construction of housing for the employees of the enterprise was initiated.
Since 1954, the plant began to master the production of air defense systems developed by General Designer P. D. Grushin for the C-75 air defense system. The plant produced 11D, 13D, 15D, 20D, 5Ya23, 5V29 missiles, which stood guard over the air lines of our Motherland for more than 30 years. Export versions of these missiles have been delivered to 24 countries around the world. The quality, efficiency and reliability of air defense systems produced by MMZ "Avangard" have been confirmed by their long-term operation in the Air Defense Forces, by numerous launches during tests, exercises and hostilities. So, during the Vietnam war, the S-75 air defense system was shot down several hundred American planes and helicopters.
In the 60s and 70s, along with the improvement of the technological process of production, the participation of labor collectives in management increased noticeably: a public council for control over production and economic activities, an economic analysis bureau, quality headquarters, a public personnel department, councils of youth mentors, craftsmen began to work.
On March 6, 1962, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, MMZ "Avangard" was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for high achievements in the development and production of new equipment. And in 1963 the staff of the plant was awarded the honorary title "Collective of Communist Labor" and in subsequent years was celebrated as the winner of regional and sectoral socialist competitions, was the owner of the challenge banners of the aviation industry.
Continuous development of production facilities and technologies allowed MMZ "Avangard" in 1972-1975 to master the production of V-500 missiles for S-300P air defense systems. Simultaneously, from 1973, the plant began production and supply of anti-missile missiles for the A-135 system to the troops.
In the period from 1986 to 1989, MMZ "Avangard" was the first in the USSR to master the production of 48N6P missiles, which were equipped with the S-300PM air defense systems, which provide protection of the airspace of our country at the present time.
MMZ "Avangard" also developed and put into operation five types of target missiles created on the basis of 20D and 5Ya23 missiles ("Sinitsa-1", "Sinitsa-6", "Sinitsa-23", "Korshun", "Bekas"), which were used by the air defense forces, and the target missile "Bekas" is still in demand today for conducting combat training exercises at training ranges.
In the 90s, the plant was in a difficult economic situation due to the lack of contracts for the manufacture of missiles and the difficult situation in the country as a whole. The company was abandoned by qualified personnel, the infrastructure fell into decay. The buildings of the children's camp and sanatorium were sold, there was no heating in the workshops, the employees had to warm themselves by the fires. The management was forced to lease production areas in order to somehow keep the enterprise afloat. Against this background, in 2002, by the decree of the President of the country, the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern OJSC was established. The creation of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern OJSC made it possible to unite under a single leadership the main strategic organizations and enterprises of Russia that develop and produce weapons systems for air defense, more efficiently use the budgetary funds allocated for these purposes, eliminate unnecessary competition between various groups of product manufacturers. on this subject, to create favorable conditions for the unconditional fulfillment of state orders for the supply of weapons for the Ministry of Defense of the country and meeting the needs in the corresponding segment of the foreign market. The state enterprise "Moscow machine-building plant" Avangard "was transformed into an open joint-stock company by the decree of the government of the Russian Federation and incorporated into the OJSC" Concern PVO "Almaz-Antey".
In 2003 Gennady Viktorovich Kozhin became the general director of the company. With vast experience as an organizer and economic training, he rallied a team of like-minded people around himself in a short time, which managed to carry out all the necessary structural changes and ensure the resumption of large-scale production. From this moment, the revival of the plant as a manufacturer of modern defense products begins. Production capacities are being restored, the collective of the enterprise is practically re-formed, a quality management system is being created and successfully developed. JSC "MMZ" Avangard "is successfully mastering the serial production of new modifications of missiles for the Ministry of Defense of the country and for foreign customers. In 2011–2015, the volume of products manufactured by the enterprise has more than tripled.
In September 2015, Akhmet Abdul-Khakovich Mukhametov was appointed general director of the company, who has been working at the plant since 1975 and has completed his career from a process engineer to the head of an enterprise, who has extensive experience in organizing production and building technological processes.
From 2013 to 2015, under the leadership of Akhmet Abdul-Khakovich, the plant's specialists solved the problematic task of producing body castings at the enterprise, which ensured the fulfillment of the state defense order in 2014–2015 and allows increasing the volume of production in subsequent years. In his work, Akhmet Abdul-Khakovich relies on the development of the production capacities of the enterprise, attracting young specialists to work, maintaining and enhancing the glorious traditions of the plant.
The manufactured products undergo a full production cycle at MMZ Avangard JSC - from the manufacture of parts in the foundry, in the production departments of mechanical and chemical processing to complex inspection and assembly operations during final assembly. And at every stage, production is accompanied by talented, dedicated specialists who strive to bring the technological process to perfection, using modern equipment in production and modernizing unique machines left over from Soviet times.
All products manufactured by AO MMZ Avangard are samples of sophisticated and modern technology that can be compared with sensitive and intelligent creatures designed to protect the geopolitical interests of our country and protect the peace of civilians. These products of one of the basic enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex are undoubtedly at the forefront of the best weapons in the Air Defense Forces.
Today, JSC MMZ Avangard is a high-tech enterprise with unique equipment and developed production, which successfully solves the problem of supplying the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and foreign customers with anti-aircraft guided missiles for reliable protection of air lines.
