Andrei Durnovtsev

Andrei E. Durnovtsev (А. Е. Дурновцев) (January 14, 1923 – October 24, 1976) was a major of the Soviet Air Force. He dropped the Tsar Bomba on October 30, 1961. He flew a specially modified Tu-95V which utilized special white paint to reflect the enormous amount of heat radiation given off by the Tsar Bomba's fusion reaction; the release plane was accompanied by a Tu-16 observer plane that took air samples and filmed the test. He was promoted to Lt. Colonel after the mission and named a Hero of the Soviet Union.