Pavlo Kamnev, the scientific director of one of the world’s largest arms companies, the creator of the Kalibr-class missiles used by the Russian Navy, died on Monday, Interfax reports.

Pavlo Kamnev with Vladimir Putin in 2016Photo: Mykhailo Metzel / TASS / Profimedia Images

“On January 9, 2023, at the age of 86, the scientific director of the Almaz-Antey concern, the Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation, Kamnev Pavlo Ivanovich died,” the Russian state company said in a statement. monday

The Almaz-Antey Corporation, founded by the presidential decree of Vladimir Putin in 2002, is among the top ten arms manufacturers in the world, recording revenues of almost 10 billion dollars in 2017.

The press service of the company also noted that “Kamnev was one of the pillars of the domestic military-industrial complex, a scientist in the field of rocket engineering.”

“He took an active part in the development of many missile systems, carried out scientific and technical management of the most important works – on the creation and modernization of dozens of missile units of various classes for the Ground Forces, the Navy, the Air Force, for anti-missile systems and air defense of the country, as well as arms exports,” the press release also states.

Kamnev was born on November 14, 1937 in Makhachikal, the capital of the republic of Dagestan in the Caucasus, and graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute.

Putin personally awarded the creator of the Kalibr missiles.

In April 2017, he was appointed scientific director of the Almaz-Antey state corporation and headed the board of directors of another Russian arms manufacturer. A year ago, Vladimir Putin awarded him the title “Hero of Labor”.

The Russian press writes that the scientist is the author of more than twenty inventions, including the design of the Caliber missiles, which the Russian Navy used to attack Ukraine.

His death came less than a week after another Russian engineer, Volodymyr Nesterov, died under mysterious circumstances.

Nesterov was one of Russia’s top engineers and designed Russia’s Angara rockets, which the Kremlin intended to use for spaceflight. Thanks to his contribution, the first Russian mission to the moon is being developed.