Dr. Anatoliy Koroteyev

Intelligence Summary: Dr. Anatoliy Koroteyev — Director of Keldysh Research Center and Plasma Stealth Pioneer

Node Identity Dr. Anatoliy Savelyevich Koroteyev is the Director of the Keldysh Research Center (formerly the Institute for Thermal Processes), Russia's premier propulsion and plasma technology research institution. In January 1999, he publicly disclosed the existence of a Russian plasma stealth device for combat aircraft that reduces radar cross-section (RCS) by a factor of 100 (20 dB), marking the first public confirmation of Russia's active plasma stealth program.

Strategic Relevance Koroteyev's 1999 disclosure is a landmark event in the documented history of Russian plasma weapons technology. By revealing that the Keldysh Research Center had developed and tested a plasma stealth device on a Su-27 IB fighter-bomber, he confirmed that Russia had moved beyond theoretical plasma physics to operational hardware for radar evasion. This disclosure established the technological foundation that connects to the reported plasma stealth systems on the 3M22 Zircon and Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. The Keldysh Research Center's dual-use nature is critical: the same institution that develops plasma stealth for military applications also conducts fusion research, develops plasmatrons up to 30 MW for high-temperature testing, and researches inertial laser fusion, tokamak plasma stability, and MHD accelerators. This institutional dual-use structure means that advances in fusion plasma physics directly inform plasma stealth capabilities, and vice versa — a structural feature of the Russian system that maximizes technology transfer between civilian and military plasma applications.

Technical Focus / Capabilities Under Koroteyev's direction, the Keldysh Research Center developed a plasma stealth device that generates an ionized gas cloud around an aircraft, absorbing electromagnetic radiation and reducing RCS by 20 dB (a factor of 100 in radar cross-section). The device was tested on a Su-27 IB fighter-bomber, demonstrating practical applicability to combat aircraft. The Keldysh Center's broader capabilities include: plasmatron development up to 30 MW for hypersonic vehicle thermal testing, plasma dynamics research, heavy ion fusion studies, nuclear reactor modeling, and electrodeless plasma rocket engines using cyclotron resonance heating. The center was founded in 1933 and is located at 8 Onezhskaya Street, Moscow.

Network Linkage Koroteyev is the director of the Keldysh Research Center and publicly disclosed the Plasma Stealth technology. His work connects the Keldysh Center to the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal and 3M22 Zircon missile programs (which reportedly use Keldysh-derived plasma stealth), and to the broader Russian plasma weapons ecosystem through the center's dual-use fusion and plasma research programs. His 1999 disclosure established the technological baseline for all subsequent assessments of Russian active plasma stealth capabilities.