History

TsAGI, which is also known as the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, was founded in Moscow in 1918. In the 1920's and 30's, TsAGI projects ranged from prototype airplanes to aero-sleds and from torpedo boats to wind-generated electricity. Gradually, the main direction of TsAGI evolved and centered upon aerodynamic research.

The Institute built its first large wind tunnel in 1925. In 1935 new departments of TsAGI relocated to the outskirts of Moscow to what later became the town of Zhukovsky: «The Aero-city of the Soviet Union».

The first two wind tunnels were completed in 1937 and by 1939 TsAGI became the proud owner of the largest wind tunnel in the world!

This wind tunnel provided the opportunity to study the behavior of full-scale aircrafts. In the following years, TsAGI became the founders of leading aerospace research institutions and design centers, such as the Institute of Aerospace Materials, the Institute of Avia Motors, the Tupolev Design Bureau and the Flight Research Institute.

During the war years, TsAGI resources were directed toward military aircraft applications. In 1943, TsAGI introduced a new transonic wind tunnel capable of using variable and constant density testing agents.

TsAGI developed new concepts of wing profiles, wing components and composition, plane stability criteria, strength standards, and flutter theory.

The post-war period was characterized by research on near- and post-sonic speeds. Since the 1950s, TsAGI has been involved in all areas of fundamental research in aerodynamics, flight dynamics, flight stability, and strength.