Prime Minister of the Russian Federation (1990–1991), Hero of Socialist Labor (1975), laureate of the Lenin Prize.

Ivan S. Silayev was born in 1930 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. After graduation from the Kazan Aviation Institute, Silayev worked at the Gorky Aviation Plant, where he started in 1954, he advanced from the lowest level to become the plant's foreman from 1971 to 1974.

Ivan S. Silayev directly participated in organization the production of one of the world's most massive multirole delta-wing fighters, the MiG-21. As chief engineer, he run the launch of the MiG-25 fighter-interceptor with outstanding flying quality parameters.

Ivan S. Silayev:

• In 1974-1980, the Deputy Minister, First Deputy Minister of the Aviation Industry of the USSR,
• In 1980-1981, the Minister of the Machine-Tool and Toolmaking Industry of the USSR,
• In 1981-1986, the Minister of the Aviation Industry of the USSR.

As the Minister of the Aviation Industry, I. Silayev led the designing organizations and serial designing plants. He was also in charge of testing and launching of aviation and rocket technology. Silayev was involved in the implementation of such aircraft and helicopter projects as Su-27, MiG-29, Tu-160, Tu-144, Ka-50 “Black Shark” and the spaceplane “Buran”.

Since 1986, Ivan S. Silayev had been Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers for Mechanical Engineering. He headed the commission to eliminate the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, supervised work during Spitak earthquake in Armenia. In 1990-1991, he worked as the Russian Federation Prime Minister. Since 1994, Silayev became the President of the Machine-Building Association. Since 1995, he had been a member of the Council for Science and Technology Policy under the Russian Federation President. Since 2003, he had been the President of the Russian Engineering Union. I. Silayev was repeatedly elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution.