science

OKB

OKB is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OKB rather than just read about it. In short: OKB (Russian: ОКБ) is a transliteration of the Russian initials for "Опытно-Конструкторское Бюро" (Opytno-Konstruktorskoye Byuro), which translates to "Experimental Design Bureau". It could also mean Osoboye konstruktorskoye byuro or "Special Design Bureau" in English.

OKB — main illustration — OKB — illustration

Key takeaways

OKB belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OKB to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OKB from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

OKB (Russian: ОКБ) is a transliteration of the Russian initials for "Опытно-Конструкторское Бюро" (Opytno-Konstruktorskoye Byuro), which translates to "Experimental Design Bureau". It could also mean Osoboye konstruktorskoye byuro or "Special Design Bureau" in English. During the Soviet era, OKBs were closed institutions working on design and prototyping of advanced technology, usually for military applications. The corresponding English language term for such a bureau's activity is R&D or research and development. For security, each bureau was only officially identified by a number, but were often semi-officially referenced by the name of its lead designer. For example, OKB-51 was led by Pavel Sukhoi, and it eventually became known as simply Sukhoi. Successful and famous bureaus often retained these names after the departure of their founding designer. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many OKBs became Scientific Production Associations (NPOs). There were some attempts to merge them in the 1990s, and there were widespread amalgamations in 2001–2006 to create "national champion" corporations, such as Almaz-Antey to consolidate surface-to-air missile development.

OKBs in aerospace industry

KB-1 – NPO Almaz, Vitaly Shabanov OKB-1 – Korolev today RSC Energia OKB-1 – Dr. Brunolf Baade disbanded by 1953 OKB-2 – early name of MKB Raduga (OKB-155-2) OKB-3 – Bratukhin OKB-4 – Matus Bisnovat's Design Bureau (different from NPO Molniya) OKB-8 – Novator (long-range SAMs) OKB-19 – Shvetsov, Soloviev. Now: "Perm MKB" OKB-20 – Klimov, Omsk-Motors OKB-21 – Alexeyev OKB-23 – Myasishchev (also OKB-482) OKB-24 – Mikulin OKB-26 – Klimov OKB-39 – Ilyushin OKB-45 – Klimov OKB-47 – Yakovlev originally, transferred to Aleksey Shcherbakov OKB-49 – Beriev OKB-51 – Sukhoi OKB-52 – Chelomei OKB-86 – Bartini OKB-115 – Yakovlev OKB-117 – Klimov, Izotov OKB-120 – Zhdanov (surname) OKB-124 – N/A (cooling systems for Tu-121) OKB-134 – Vympel OKB-140 – N/A (first hydro-alcohol starter-generators for Tu-121) OKB-153 – Antonov OKB-154 – Kosberg, previously OKB-296 OKB-155 – Mikoyan (formerly Mikoyan-Gurevich) OKB-155-2 – (sometimes designated as OKB-2-155) OKB-155 spin-off in Dubna. Gurevich, Berezniak, Isaev... Now MKB Raduga. OKB-156 – Tupolev OKB-165 – Lyulka OKB-207 – Borovkov and Florov (Borovkov-Florov D, Borovkov-Florov I-207) OKB-240 – Yermolaev OKB-246 – OKBM (naval nuclear propulsion) OKB-256 – Tsybin OKB-276 – Kuznetsov OKB-296 – renamed to OKB-154 in 1946 KB Khimavtomatika OKB-300 – Tumansky OKB-301 – Lavochkin OKB-329 – Mil SKB-385 – Makeev OKG-456 – Glushko OKB-458 – Chetverikov OKB-478 – Ivchenko OKB-575 – Kovrov OKB-586 – Yangel OKB-692 – JSC "Khartron" (formerly KB electropriborostroeniya, then NPO "Electropribor") OKB-794 – Leninets OKB-938 – Kamov

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OKB

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OKB claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OKB before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OKB ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OKB

In research: OKB appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OKB in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OKB is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Design bureaus, Science and technology in Russia, Science and technology in the Soviet Union, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OKB outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OKB in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OKB means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OKB out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OKB in simple terms?

Why does OKB matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OKB?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OKB.

OKB