Nikolay Serafimovich Pavlenko was born on September 14, 1952 in the city of Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol Krai. In 1976, he graduated with a helicopter engineering degree from Moscow Aviation Institute and started to work as a design engineer for the experimental design bureau at the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant. Mr. Pavlenko worked as Chief designer of the experimental design bureau since 1992. Later on, he held positions of crew supervisor, assistant department head, and department head of the experimental design bureau, deputy chief designer in charge of durability and blades, chief designer, and chief designer in charge of durability and blades. In 2010, Nikolay Pavlenko was appointed deputy chief designer, in 2014 chief designer and first deputy CEO of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant. On August 24, 2016, Nikolay Pavlenko was appointed chief designer and deputy CEO of Russian Helicopters.

  Nikolay Pavlenko is a specialist in the area of durability of helicopter rotors. He greatly contributed to the design, development and test flights of the Mi-26, Mi-28, Mi-34 and Mi-38 helicopters. He offered a new concept of the main rotor for a high-speed helicopter. Mr. Pavlenko is a Candidate of Technical Sciences, has 18 printed scientific works and is the author of 16 inventions. In 1993-1995 he taught at Moscow Aviation Institute and was assistant professor of structural engineering and durability. He was awarded the “60th Anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces” medal.