The university has placed emphasis on laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering, specific to the demands of aerospace industry.

50 Academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 22 cosmonauts, 100 test pilots and 60 Olympic champions in different sports.

Alumni of the institute form the backbone of many companies like Sukhoi, Mikoyan, Ilyushin, Tupolev, Yakovlev, Beriev, Myasishchev, Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Energia, Lavochkin, Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, NPO Energomash, Almaz-Antey and others.

[3] Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University) was established on 20 March 1930 as Higher Aero-mechanical college (VAMU) by the order of Supreme Soviet of the National Economy in order to ensure training of qualified personnel for the aviation industry.

The uniqueness of the MAI is that historically it was created to train specialists for almost all departments and teams in the Design Bureaus of the aviation industry.

Many students signed up to join the armed forces during the Battle of Moscow, many continued to work aircraft production facilities and armaments workshops.

This was emphasised in May 1946, during the second Student technical conference, faculty members of the institute defended 6 post-doctoral theses and 14 Ph.Ds on various aspects regarding development of jet aircraft.

They were pivotal in keeping the USSR ahead in the arms race in close collaboration with the aerospace and defense industry and research organizations like TsAGI, National Institute of Aviation Technologies, VIAM, TsIAM, TsNII VVS, Gromov Flight Research Institute among others.

Key figures from the university during this era were Rostislav Belyakov chief designer of MIG-29, Myasishchev, Mikhail Yangel, Sergey Mikheev chief designer of Kamov helicopters, Marat Tishchenko of Mil helicopters, Mikhail Reshetnev and others.

In 1962, the university established the Student design office(ОСКБ — объединение СКБ факультетов и кафедр), which integrated different faculties and departments within the institute to develop aircraft prototypes in-house and to provide greater exposure to students in design and production work.

The present-day MAI is a unique institute of higher education where thorough theoretical knowledge are combined with various practical skills.

To date, the development in the field of aeronautics and astronautics is based mostly on the activities of institute professors and alumnus of the university.

Significant scientific ideas are developed here; new technological principles are discovered; new devices are invented and constructed.

On 31 March 2015 the Ministry of Education reorganized Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) by annexation of the Russian State Technological University named after Tsiolkovsky (MATI).

The OSKBES work on the experimental aircraft engineering constantly received high estimations of the industry.

The personnel of the OSKBES have continued to work in the field of light civil aircraft together with the MAPO MIG.

On 27 April 1998, the Aviaregister of Interstate Aviation Committee issued a Design Organization Certificate R-52 of the developer of light civil aircraft.

It designed and produced gondolas, nacelles, fly-by-wire power plant controls and empennages of NPO "RosAeroSystems" airships Au-30 and Au-12M.

The same year the design office has started working on a new multi-purpose four-seat twin engine aircraft MAI-407.