Technical director, Volga-Dnepr Group of Companies

Victor Tolmachev was born in 1934. He graduated from Kharkov Aviation Institute in 1959 and started his professional career at Antonov Design Bureau (ADB) as a design engineer. He was part of the central design team for all the AN aircraft series.

In 1971, Victor Tolmachev was appointed lead design engineer at ADB for the AN-124 aircraft. He was part of the team that saw the whole process through from conception to design and production. In 1983, Victor became the Deputy Chief Creator and was promoted to Chief Creator for the AN-124 Ruslan and for the larger AN-225 Mriya in 1985.

In 1971, Victor Tolmachev received part one of his PhD and, in 1989, he completed his thesis for a doctorate degree. In 1991 Victor was appointed by Volga-Dnepr Airlines as Technical Director and in 1997, he assumed the role of Head of the Board of Directors. Victor Tolmachev is a prize-winner from the State Gratuity of Ukraine for his AN-124 “Ruslan” design. He is also the author of over 60 science and technical publications and the inventor of numerous aviation features.

Victor Tolmachev also is a member of the Russian Academy of Natural Science and a member of the International Academy of Inventors.

Today at Volga-Dnepr Group, Victor Tolmachev is responsible for:

• Ensuring the implementation of cutting edge technology to achieve market competitiveness and aircraft security
• The necessary implementation of future technical advances into long-term business plans
• Development of the fleet to meet customer needs and remain competitive
• Implementation and market promotion of new loading and unloading equipment