The history of the KBP Instrument Design Bureau is starting from October 1.1927 when the first organization for small arms design and development was established-the Small Arms Design Bureau of the Tula Arms Plant.

The first Director of the Bureau was Pavel P. Tretyakov, the talented highly-educated military engineer with large production experience and excellent organizing skills.

Experience and knowledge of Tula gunsmiths and engineering methods while performing the tasks of new weapons development have created the success for young Design Bureau.

In February 1931 the TT pistol (Tula-based, Tokarev) was introduced into service with the Red Army that was the first big success. The TT pistol has been in service with the Soviet Army for 20 years.

Machine guns SHKAS, SHVAK and UB, VYa gun — these were the weapons that had no analogues in the world. In the World War II they have won the fame for the skillful and talented staff of the Bureau. This was the prior-to-war period in the enterprise activity.

After the war the enterprise activity has been restored by talented engineer and organizer Igor F. Dmitriev.

The development of small arms and cannon was continued under Dmitriev’s guidance.

Have been designed such weapons as: 9 mm PM pistol, 9 mm APS automatic pistol, 23 mm AM-23 aircraft gun, 23 mm 2A7 and 2A14 air-defence gun, 23 mm ZU-23 air-defence mount.

In the beginning of the 60-es the antitank guided weapons development became the basic field of the enterprise activity. In March 1962 the outstanding Russian scientist and designer Arkady G.Shipunov became the Head of the enterprise.

Under his guidance the Bureau began to work on guided missile systems including high-precision weapons. The implementation of Shipunov-proposed engineering solutions resulted in the emergence of weapons and defence equipment unrivalled in the world or excelling foreign analogues in performance. The vivid examples of such systems are unrivalled in the world Kornet-E ATGW, Krasnopol — M2 GAW, Tunguska AD missile-gun system, Kashtan AD missile-gun system.

Of special note is the development of gun armament where KBP remains the world leader. A major contribution to this field was made by Deputy Designer General Vassily P. Gryazev.