Chelomei independently invented the pulse jet engine in 1942. With support of Aviation Minister Volikov, Chelomei was allowed to form a small research group to develop the technology. Chelomei's group managed to build an extremely noisy prototype pulse-jet but the performance was disappointing.
Chelomei was called to the Kremlin by Malenkov on 14 June 1944 to see the remains of a V-1 provided by Britain. Marshall of Aviation Novikov was charmed by the engineer and he was tasked with duplicating the V-1 for the Soviet Union. By the end of 1944 he had duplicated the V-1 pulse jet, and by spring of 1945 was conducting first tests of the 10Kh missile. The pulse jet unit was publicly demonstrated mounted to an La-11 fighter at the Tushino Air Show in 1947. Meanwhile development of the 10Kh continued, with prototypes launched from both ramps and Pe-8 carrier aircraft from at test center at Dzhizkaz in Uzbekistan (well before Kapustin Yar). Unlike the V-2 work of Korolev and Glushko, this was all accomplished without German assistance. Chelomei was given his own design bureau on 17 September 1949 (incorporating part of Polikarpov's old bureau).
Chelomei's bureau was seized from him due to various political intrigues (Chief Minister Mikoyan wanted his brother's MiG bureau to handle Soviet cruise missiles, and Secret Police Chief Beria wanted his son, leading a bureau of captured German engineers, to design the guidance). In 1952 the 10Kh program was shut down and Chelomei became a professor at the Baumann University (MVTU).
Kh-101 Russian air-to-surface missile. Chelomei mobile-launched version of V-1 |
Kh-102 Russian air-to-surface missile. Chelomei mobile-launched version of V-1 |
10Kh |
10Kh 10Kh tank launcher |
10Kh 10Kh fixed launcher |
14Kh 14Kh suspended under aircraft |
14Kh |
16Kh |
D14-4 Engine |