NPO Nauka is the leading enterprise in the area of air conditioning systems, pressurization systems, life support systems of space crafts and their components and components of aircraft engines. In addition, NPO Nauka is carrying out research-and-development activities, provides services on different kinds of testing using its test base and provides the post-sales support for its products.

The enterprise’s history begins in late 19th century from the Duks plant, which has participated in creation of first Russian aircraft. Duks has been nationalized in 1918 and it was named “State Aviation Plant number 1” (SAP №1). In early 1930s some special production units have been detached from the SAP№1. Plant №34 has been created on October 13th 1931.

The production of coolers for aircraft engines has been established at the plant in 1934. A design bureau has been created at the enterprise later and it has received the status of special design bureau for coolers OKB-34 (OKB stands for development design office) in 1939. It has been named OKB-124 since 1942. OKB is carrying out a great job on designing new types of coolers and other heat exchange units.

During the Second World War the enterprise has produced and repaired coolers. After the war a necessity of creation of life support system for aircraft cockpits has arisen due to development of jet aviation. In late 1940s and early 1950s OKB develops and produces new products: heating devices, cooling turbines, temperature and pressure controllers, oxygen systems, etc.

In the same time the plant and OKB have cooperated in a single enterprise – “Nauka” aggregate plant. From the end of 1950s work on creation of air conditioning systems and pressurization systems for airplanes and helicopters has been started. These systems are successfully operated on Tu-134, Тu-154, Il-62, Il-86, Il-76, Аn-22, Аn-124, Аn-225, Аn-70, Аn-148 and other aircraft. Systems for Тu-204, Тu-334, Il-96, Il-114, Аn-140, etc. have been created in the last years.

The area of enterprise’s activity has widened with the development of rocket, especially space vehicles, when the design bureau started creation of temperature control systems, environmental support systems, pressure control systems and water supply systems for spaceships. The enterprise is especially proud of creating a life support system, providing optimal conditions for astronaut’s work, for Vostok spaceship, which was used for the first manned spaceflight in the world.

Systems and aggregates of the ship have proven their worth and their functional principles have been used in similar systems and aggregates developed for further spaceships: Voskhod, Soyuz, Salut, Progress, Mir, Almaz, Luna, Mars, Venera, for ISS - logistics module, service module, etc. A very complicated network of systems has been developed for Buran spaceship using state-of-the-art technological solutions, combining experience of creating aircraft and spacecraft.

Comprehensive life support systems have been developed for ground transport vehicles allowing provision of comfort conditions in all the operational modes, including full isolation from the environment. These vehicles have been successfully operated for mitigation of Chernobyl disaster.

By now the team of NPO Nauka has developed, produced and tested more than 7000 systems and aggregates, which are currently operated. The products are produced by 48 serial plants; the total number of products developed by Nauka and currently operated exceeds 250000.

The structure of NPO Nauka assumes the continuous creative process of development, production of test prototypes, carrying out certification testing and production of systems and aggregates in accordance with orders of national and foreign customers. The unique test base allows carrying out studies and testing of systems and products in the conditions very close to real operation. NPO Nauka has highly skilled personnel having real-life experience of work in the areas of heat and mass transfer, gas dynamics, physic-chemical processes, mechanics, pneumo- and electric automated systems, technology and production.

Almost all the Russian aircraft and manned spaceships are equipped with systems and products made by NPO Nauka.
Hamilton Standard – Nauka, joint venture between Hamilton Sundstrand (division of United Technologies) and NPO Nauka, has put a new enterprise, located in Kimri, Tver Region, into operation on October 3rd 2011. New enterprise has been designed and constructed taking into account requirements of LEED international standard. It is equipped with advanced facilities and uses state-of-the-art methods of Lean manufacturing. Implementation of this project will help create one of the world’s centers for design and production of aviation heat-transfer devices in Russian Federation.

Hamilton Standard – Nauka, joint venture between Hamilton Sundstrand (division of United Technologies) and NPO Nauka , has been founded in 1994 in Moscow and it is specializing on development and manufacturing of heat-transfer devices for air conditioning systems of civil aircraft. The manufactured heat-transfer devices are successfully operated on the vehicles of world’s leading airframers: Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Bombardier and Tupolev.