Purpose. Preparation of a short scientifically-historical essay about one of founders of world airplane design, prominent Soviet aircraft designer A.N. Tupolev. Methodology. Known scientific methods of collection, analysis and analytical treatment of scientific and technical information regarding becoming and development of Soviet and world aviation and resulted in scientific monographs, journals and internet-reports. Results. A short scientifically-historical essay is presented about a prominent Soviet aircraft designer Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev, becoming in the 20 th century one of founders of Soviet and world aviation. Basic scientific and technical achievements of A.N. Tupolev indicated in area of airplane design, bringing Soviet military and civil aviation around to extraordinary world heights. Basic tactical and technical descriptions are described regarding created under his scientific and technical guidance of such known types of civil airplanes as ANT-25, Tu-104, Tu-134, Tu-154 and Tu-114, and also military airplanes of type Tu-2, Tu-16 and Tu-95. Short information is resulted about flying descriptions of the modern Russian supersonic strategic bomber of type Tu-160, created in 1980-th in the design bureau name after A.N. Tupolev. It is marked that under guidance of A.N. Tupolev over 100 types of airplanes of the military and civil setting were developed in the former USSR, 70 from which are produced by aviation industry of country serially. It is indicated that Doctor of Technical Sciences, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Colonel-General-Engineer A.N. Tupolev was a founder known in the world of aviation scientific school, preparing many famous Russian aircraft designers. Information, touching handed him domestic and foreign governmental rewards and other authoritative signs of confession of prominent merits of great aircraft designer A.N. Tupolev world scientific and technical public is resulted in airplane design. Originality. Certain systematization is executed known from scientific publications and other scientific and technical materials media regarding becoming and development of Soviet and world aviation and considerable scientific and technical contribution to the military and civil airplane design of prominent Soviet aircraft designer A.N. Tupolev. Practical value. Scientific popularization and deepening for the students of higher schools, engineering, technical and scientific workers of scientific and technical knowledge in the field of history of becoming and development of Soviet and world airplane design, extending their scientific and technical range of interests and further development of scientific and technical progress in society. References 15, figures 12.