The history of the Arsenal Design Bureau named after Mikhail Vasil’evich Frunze Federal State Unitary Enterprise (hereinafter referred to as KB Arsenal) and the Machine-Building Plant Arsenal (now OAO MZ Arsenal) dates back to 1711, when Peter the Great founded the cannon foundries, where the first Russian guns for army and Navy were designed and manufactured.
KB Arsenal (initially TsKB-7, the Central Design Bureau No.7 of the Soviet Union) was founded as a leading enterprise of the Soviet defense industry on November 21, 1949, basing on the design departments of the Leningrad Arsenal Plant and the naval artillery departments of Central Design Bureau. Since then in KB Arsenal various works on creation of complicated systems and products for defense technology bwere carried out.
Currently, KB Arsenal is a leading designer and manufacturer of space technology, shipboard artillery and launchers. KB Arsenal is a subordinate of the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation (ROSCOSMOS). KB Arsenal is headed by Mikhail Sapego, the Director General and General Designer.
The main activities of KB Arsenal are:
Design and operation of space complexes and spacecraft for various purposes;
Design and creation of navy artillery mounts and launchers.
KB Arsenal has licenses for these activities.
In 2000, on the basis of KB Arsenal, St. Petersburg Department of Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after K.E. Tsyolkovsky interregional social organization was created; since then it has consolidates scientific centers of enterprises of space technology of St. Petersburg.
In order to broaden international cooperation in space activities, KB Arsenal under support of St. Petersburg Administration’s Committee for Economic Achievement, Industrial Policy and Commerce established NESC NPP (“North European Space Consortium” Non-Profit Partnership).
